A review of: Duck For President
Publishing Details: Duck For President
Author: Doreen Cronin
Year: 2004
Publishing: Simon & Schuster
Introduction: This book continues the story of Farmer Brown and his rebellious farm animals. Duck becomes tired of his endless chores on the farm, so he seeks to overthrow Farmer Brown and run the farm himself. He doesn’t stop there, though, and continues up the political ladder until he realizes that maybe his first job wasn’t so bad after all...
Description: Every day, Duck is responsible for mowing the lawn and grinding coffee beans. He quickly grows tired of the mindless chores, and decides to run against Farmer Brown for control of the farm. After the animals register and vote, Duck wins by a landslide. He soon tires of the job and decides to move on to running for governor. He wins the campaign, but the same situation happens all over again and he grows bored with the work. As a result, he decides to run for president. He barely wins and sets to work at his new job. Just as before, he finds the work difficult and loses interest. He sees a want add for a farm duck, and finds himself back on Farmer Brown’s farm. Somehow, he manages to avoid work and starts to write his autobiography.
Text Judgment: This animal fantasy story models repetition for students, because Duck goes through the same process of boredom, campaigning, winning, and boredom each time. The pictures are lively and colorful, which is perfect for keeping younger students interested. This could be a good beginning book for learning about the political system of America. The book portrays the campaign process and how candidates move up the political ladder. It also demonstrates America’s commitment to democracy.