Picture Books

Artwork by Betsy Lewin
Image from www.betsylewin.com 

Duck For President
by Doreen Cronin
Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cronin, Doreen. 2004. DUCK FOR PRESIDENT.
Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN 0689863772

PLOT SUMMARY
In Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewis’ third collaborative work, we find a familiar character, Duck, running for president. Fed up with the hard labor of working on the farm, Duck organizes an election to take over the farm from Farmer Brown. Lo and behold, he wins! Soon after, he realizes that running a farm is hard work, so he sets his eyes on the governorship. He wins again! But, like before, he realizes that running a state is hard work. He decides to look for greener pastures and launches his presidential campaign, eventually wining that election as well. In the midst of running the country, “covered from head to toe in face powder, paper cuts, staples, security badges, Secret Service agent, and coffee stains,” he decides to answer a Duck Needed ad and retires from politics.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cronin successfully simplifies the election process for young readers, and gives adults a few chuckles with references to typical political antics along the way. As the story moves along, her words repeat the election process, each time on a grander stage, keeping the reader interested in what Duck and his trusty campaign chickens/staff, come up with next. In typical Cronin/Lewin style, Duck for President brilliantly depicts the expressive nature of the human-speech-less characters and manages to convey a hilarious, almost plausible story of an ambition Duck.

Lewin’s thick-lined water colors seamlessly match Cronin’s words, and manage to depict familiar scenes from political campaigns past and present, adding hints of cultural familiarity --political slogans, patriotic touches, even an upgrade to a computer from the typewriter. Included in the text and illustrations are elbow -nudging references to former U.S. Presidents, and possibly a certain female candidate, that adults are sure to enjoy.

Duck for President is recommended for all ages, and is available in Spanish.

REVIEW EXCERPTS and AWARDS
“Readers will have a great fun learning with this playful poke at American polities.” (School Library Journal, Sept. 2005)

“Cronin's text is hilarious for kids and adults and includes a little math and quite a bit about the electoral process.” (School Library Journal Starred Review, Mar. 2004)

“Just in time for an election year, the feathered troublemaker of Click, Clack; Moo (2000) and Giggle, Giggle, Quack (2002) enters the political arena, with sidesplitting results” (Kirkus Starred Review, Jan. 2004)

“A few nods to past presidents appear in both text and art (Nixon, Clinton, G.H.W. Bush), offering older readers a knowing wink.” (Publishers Weekly, 2004)

School Library Journal Best Books (2004)

New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Picture Books (2004)

New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books (2005)

Book Sense Book of the Year, Children’s Illustrated Winner (2005)

CONNECTIONS
For resources from the publisher of this book, visit Duck for President where you will find downloadable items such as campaign posters and button, discussion questions, and ballots.

Use this book for a lesson on presidential elections. Vocabulary words can include: election, vote, voters, registration, protest, ballot, recount, tally, staff, campaign, campaign trail, speech, poster, governor, president, autobiography.

Use sites such as Fact Monster and Scholastics' Poll Mania participate in online polls for kids.

Visit Time for Kids Election 2012 mini-site for resources related to this year's presidential election.

Other books for children about presidential elections
--Grace for President by Kelly S. DiPucchio
--My Teacher for President by Kay Winters
--If I Were President and If I Ran For President, both by Catherine Stier
--See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the
   Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman

Other books for children by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
--Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type
--Giggle Giggle Quack
--Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure
--Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure
--Dooby Dooby Moo

Visit the illustrator’s website at www.betsylewin.com

View this Duck for President campaign video