Election and Civics Resources: Civics and Government

The donkey wants your vote. So does the elephant. And each will do just about anything to win your support. Brag? Sure! Flatter? Absolutely! Exaggerate, name-call, make silly promises and generally act childish? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Soon, the tension mounts, and these two quarrelsome candidates resort to slinging mud (literally) and flinging insults. And what happens when the election results are in? Well, let's just say the donkey and the elephant are in for a little surprise -- and a certain bewhiskered, third-party candidate is in for a first term. Vote for Me! is a timely satire of American politics, but it's a story readers of all nationalities and ages will recognize. Grades PreK - 2.

Rhyming text explores citizenship, showing readers how seemingly unrelated actions, such as planting a tree or joining a cause can create a community. Grades PreK - 3 (Lexile 340).

V Is for Voting is an ABC book that introduces progressive families to concepts like social justice and civil rights and reminds readers that every vote counts!

A is for active participation.
B is for building a more equal nation.
C is for citizens' rights and our duty.
D is for difference, our strength and our beauty.
An engaging introduction to the tenets of democracy, V Is for Voting is a playful, poetic, and powerful primer about the importance of voting and activism. Featuring Kate Farrell's rhyming text and Caitlin Kuhwald's bold art, plus thoughtful back matter, the book is a gorgeous, and crucial, addition to every young reader's library. Grades PreK - 1.

Using accessible dinosaur characters and clear language, Democracy for Dinosaurs explores key civic values on every adult's mind and helps show young readers how the things they do every single day can be guided by principles we must share in a democratic society: freedom, fairness, the rule of law, equality, respect for free speech, and respect for the truth. By modeling accessible ways to practice being a good citizen, children will understand they are part of their country and that they have an important role to play. Grades K - 2.

Every two years, on the first Tuesday of November, Stanton Elementary School closes for the day. For vacation? Nope! For repairs? No way! Stanton Elementary School closes so that it can transform itself into a polling station. People can come from all over to vote for the people who will make laws for the country. Sure, the Stanton Elementary School students might be too young to vote themselves, but that doesn't mean they can't encourage their parents, friends, and family to vote! After all, voting is how this country sees change--and by voting today, we can inspire tomorrow's voters to change the future. Grades K - 3.

I Voted explains the concept of choosing, individually, and as a group, from making a simple choice: "Which do you like better, apples or oranges?", to selecting a class pet, to even more complicated decisions, like electing community representatives. Grades PreK - 3.

Did you know that we have more than ninety thousand state and local governments in the US? Or that Election Day celebrations two hundred years ago featured marching bands and bonfires? How about that George Washington was our only president who ran unopposed?
Elections allow adult citizens the chance to choose how our cities, states, and country are run. Even kids who can't vote yet can make their voices heard by helping the candidates they like get votes! Our elections can seem complicated, but at their core they're all about having a say in our own lives and future. In this fun and fact-filled chapter book, readers learn just how important being an active participant in our democracy can be through one simple message: Elections matter, and we can all play our part.
Grades 1 - 4 (Lexile 1030).

Describes how the electoral college works and answers such questions as "What is the difference between the popular vote and the electoral vote?" and "Why doesn't the popular vote decide the election?"

A primer of critical events in American history and the structure of the U.S. government provides insight into the American electoral system, the world economy, the role religion plays in world conflicts and America's place in world affairs

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution. Each chapter in this timely and thoughtful exploration of the Constitution's creation begins with a story-all but one of them true-that connects directly back to a section of the document that forms the basis of our society and government.

Guardians of Liberty explores the essential and basic American ideal of freedom of the press. Allowing the American press to publish-even if what they're reporting is contentious-without previous censure or interference by the federal government was so important to the Founding Fathers that they placed a guarantee in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Citing numerous examples from America's past, from the American Revolution to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement to Obama's and Trump's presidencies, Linda Barrett Osborne shows how freedom of the press has played an essential role in the growth of this nation, allowing democracy to flourish. She further discusses the diversity of American news and explores why freedom of the press is still imperative to uphold today. Grade 6-10

See Sidebars - How readers can access the accuracy of news.

"Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction era raised a new question to those in power in the US: Should African Americans, so many of them former slaves, be granted the right to vote? In a bitter partisan fight over the legislature and Constitution, the answer eventually became yes, though only after two constitutional amendments, two Reconstruction Acts, two Civil Rights Acts, three Enforcement Acts, the impeachment of a president, and an army of occupation. Yet, even that was not enough to ensure that African American voices would be heard, or their lives protected. White supremacists loudly and intentionally prevented black Americans from voting - and they were willing to kill to do so. In this vivid portrait of the systematic suppression of the African American vote, critically acclaimed author Lawrence Goldstone traces the injustices of the post-Reconstruction era through the eyes of incredible individuals, both heroic and barbaric, and examines the legal cases that made the Supreme Court a partner of white supremacists in the rise of Jim Crow. Though this is a story of America's past, Goldstone brilliantly draws direct links to today's creeping threats to suffrage in this important and, alas, timely book.

The story of the American women who demanded, fought for, and finally won the right to vote