Vote!: An Accessible Illustrated Picture Book About Voting and Democracy for Children (Ages 6-9)―With Hilarious Dog Commentary

by Eileen Christelow

“It's hard to imagine a more accessible introduction to voting” than Eileen Christelow's hilariously illustrated  Vote! , now updated for the 2018 midterm elections. ( Booklist , starred review)

* “It's hard to imagine a more accessible introduction to voting.” — Booklist, starred review

“Explains the whys and wherefores of the voting process . . . and why it all matters.” — Washington Post

An ALA Notable Children's Book
An IRA-CBC Children's Choice

Eileen Christelow’s Vote! has everything you need to know about voting and how our democracy works—parties, voter registration, campaigns, rallies, debates, Election Day, even recounts! Topics are presented in a clear, kid-friendly graphic format as the story of a local election unfolds, with hilarious commentary by the candidates’ pets.
        Includes updated back matter for the 2018 midterm election.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Politics, Government, American History

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Eileen Christelow is an acclaimed American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her beloved Five Little Monkeys series. Beginning with Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, a playful retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, the series has captivated generations of young readers with its humor and rhythmic storytelling. Over the course of her career, Christelow has published more than 30 books, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction, and many inspired by her surroundings in Vermont, her family life, and even her dog, Emma.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1943, Christelow spent her formative years in Connecticut and briefly in Japan, where she attended the American School in Tokyo. She studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, a discipline that would influence her later work in design and illustration. After working for several years as a freelance photographer, she turned her focus to writing and illustrating picture books while raising her daughter in California. Her earliest works, Henry and the Red Stripes and Mr. Murphy’s Marvelous Invention, were published by Clarion Books in the early 1980s.
Christelow’s books often celebrate storytelling, curiosity, and mischief, appealing to children and educators alike. Titles like What Do Authors Do?, What Do Illustrators Do?, and Vote! provide engaging nonfiction content for young readers, while others such as Letters From a Desperate Dog and The Great Pig Escape draw on humorous real-life scenarios. Her works have received numerous accolades and several Five Little Monkeys titles have been translated into Spanish and Chinese.
She continues to live and work in East Dummerston, Vermont, in a home designed by her husband, where she draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the state. Christelow remains a cherished voice in children’s literature, with a lasting legacy of entertaining and educating young readers.

Reviews

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a favorite book to use when teaching young kids about how an election works since it first came out. What makes it so wonderful is that it takes an election campaign at the local level for mayor and follows one candidate, Chris Smith, from the beginning and right through to the winner's swearing in. This primer on what voting is and how it works is told from the point of view of two dogs, with the older dog schooling the younger puppy, both owned by candidate Smith. Christelow covers everything from voter registrations, to who gets to vote, the use of polls, the use of opponent's misleading ads, why people don't vote, and what happens when the losing candidate demands a recount. Much of what is included is covered in most books, but there is some very useful new information here and it is told in a linear manner as the mayoral campaign progresses. What makes this such a useful book is that it can easily be applied to other kinds of races - senate, house, even presidential races - since the process is essentially the same. The illustrations are lively as is most of the text, thanks to the use of the dogs, who really add some humor to an otherwise not terribly exciting subject. There is lots of back matter, including a glossary, and you can find a very helpful readers's guide courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (publisher of the paperback copy of Vote!) HERE

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good informational kid's picture book on voting and elections in the US. Chris Brown is a Black woman in an unnamed city who is running for Mayor. She wants to build new schools. Her opponent, Bill Brown, wants to build a new stadium. The book is narrated by Ms. Brown's family pets, the dogs Sparky and Elmer. Includes some historical information, a glossary and information on major US political parties. Good read for younger kids in this election year.

[Chinook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This morning when Wyatt asked Maddie what she wanted for breakfast, she informed him that white men were the first to get to vote and also she’d like scrambled eggs.

She’s newly four and I think that says a lot about how well this book breaks down basic concepts surrounding voting and the history of voting in the US. I got it because Wyatt will vote in the upcoming American election and I want the girls to understand why.

It’s hard to raise informed citizens but this book definitely makes the task a little bit easier. It covers a run for mayor from beginning to end, and isn’t biased to any particular party.

[Jnase1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good simple book to explain the voting process

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information about why we vote, how we vote, etc. I read this in November each year to my 3rd grade students.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty basic introduction to how Voting works.

[Katalina Townsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using a town’s mayoral election as a model, this lively introduction to voting covers every step in the process, from the start of the campaign all the way to the voting booth.

[Betty Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Book Summary
Vote talks about the voting process and is told from the viewpoint of two dogs. The book discusses E unfair lobbying and the political parties in a fun and easy way. It describes how people feel like their vote does not count and so they talked about all the hardships woman, blacks, etc, had to go thru to be able to vote. In the end, causing the voters to realize it's a privilege, not a right.
*awards
N/A

* Grade Level/ Interest level
4th-6th

* Appropriate Classroom Use
Discussing Civics

*Student Who Might Benefit From Reading
This book is very informational and easy for young readers to understand. I would love to use this book during a civic unit to familiarize students to the importance of voting.

* Small Group Use
I would ask students, to brainstorm in groups different things that they think are important to voting for.

* Whole Class Use
I would read this aloud to the class when talking about the importance of voting.
*Related Book In Genre
Grace for President
*Multimedia Connections
N/A

[J9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book for kids! My 5-y-old picked this one out himself. Told from the viewpoint of two dogs, it talks all about the voting process as it follows two candidates. Even covers unfair lobbying and the political parties in a fun and easy way. Very good learning tool for the voting process! I loved the part about some people not feeling like their vote counts and so they talked about all the hardships woman, blacks, etc, had to go thru to be able to vote. In the end, causing the voters to realize it's a privilege, not a right. Great book!

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought, oh good - a book to read to my kids about the voting process! Think again. I guess you'd like this if you believe that all the good and honest politicians in America are Democrats and all Republicans are mean and overweight and out to take money from our schools to build sports stadiums. Barf-o-rama.

[Tara Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Vote," by Eileen Christelow is a children's book regarding information on voting. It is complete with vivid illustrations, text bubbles, and comic strips. The book follows campaign candidate Chris and she runs for mayor. Throughout the book the reader is provided with information on what voting is, who can vote, what happens during an election, and some minor history of voting as a whole. The information is presented in a very child-friendly way that can be a useful tool in teaching students about voting. This book would be a good read to present around the time of a presidential election to help second or third graders understand what is going on. The illustrations are cheerful and colorful and the pictures really do contribute a lot to the story as a whole. I feel as though the book would not be complete without either the illustrations or the words. I would recommend this book for second or third graders learning about the voting process!

[Lupita Ceron-Sierra]

This book was filled with so much important and accurate information about voting in a way that young readers are able to understand. It thoroughly explained the process and went in depth in many ways. I really think it was great incorporating talking dogs that seemed very interested in the issue of voting and motivating the kids to vote when their time comes. It also incorporated the use of minorities for some of the main characters which is amazing!!
Overall I think this book did a fantastic job in passing on such an important message to our little ones because ultimately they are the ones who will be taking over in a few years.

[Liv Mothershead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations immerse the reader in an election season for a fictional mayor. The story explains what voting is and gives examples of other times that people vote, such as choosing within a family on a new pet. Two dogs, Elmer and Sparky, walk the reader through the process of voting and the history of voting rights in America, while tackling other election related questions. On the inside cover there is lots of interesting information about past presidents, the American political parties, and elections. However, the data is from 2003 and thus somewhat outdated. This book is a good introduction for students about elections in our democracy.

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was informative. It made it so that kids could understand the election process and how people vote. It covered what people vote for and how they get people's support- including rallies, fundraisers, and ads. There was a point where the little girl was upset because the other candidate lied about his mom in her ad, which I found to be very real.
It then went over actually voting, counting votes, and what happens after.

Some adults should read this book.

[Madeline Conzett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun and different picture book that tells the story of voting through the perspective of dogs. It's very informative and helpful to learn the process of running for something all the way to voting. It includes history and facts as well. Hilariously told by two dog characters, this book will not bore you!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice simple text explains the election process of Chris Smith, a woman running for mayor in a small town. Two dogs carry on most of the conversation to make is a little more appealing to kids.

Includes a Timeline of Voting Rights, additional information on political parties, a glossary of terms and a bibliography of additional online resources.

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good introduction to the election process and voting.
My kids enjoyed how the dog of one of the candidates teaches his fellow dog about voting and electionsthroughout the book.
Topics covered include the history of voter rights, voter registration, researching candidates, volunteering for campaigns, polls, advertising, voting and what happens in a recount.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, straightforward explanation of voting for school aged kids. The pairing of comic book style story with the simple text is well balanced. The information is clear. The example of the mayoral race running through helps to illustrate the concepts. Good introduction to voting.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using a fictional character running for mayor, this book gives a detailed look at what all goes in to running for political office. The candidate's children are shown helping with the campaign in a way that makes the concepts easier for younger children to grasp. Multicultural characters abound.

[Libby Burak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to inform kids about voting and takes them through the experience. Voting is important and its good to teach kids about at a young age. This is a fun book that would be good to read during any type of election.

[Alyssa Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great book during election time! It talks about voting in such a kid friendly way. The dogs are a hilarious part to the book as well. I loved the comics!

[Sarah Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book, and I learned something. Voting is really complicated

[Caitlyn Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not a fan of this book. I thought it gave a good rundown of how boring work,but I thought that it was too long and gave too much detail for a children’s book.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is very accessible to all ages on the basics of how and why we vote. Wonderful first step in explaining the process.

[Linda Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dated look at elections for early elementary ages. The plot that carries this informational book forward is an imagined election for mayor. Serviceable as an introduction.

[Jenn Georges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Loved the comic stips. There was so much information shared. There are many text features in this book. Great resource for teachers to teach about election day!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book introducing the process of running for office and how an election works.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good info. It was a little more than I bargained for, but it's great for older kids wanting some age-appropriate info.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty thorough introduction of Election Day. Little long for two year old, but if I cut out the speech bubbles, it was just right!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent way to explain the voting process to kids. Add a couple of talking dogs and it's a sure hit.