Duck for President

Duck for President by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Caldecott Award Honor Book
Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 0-689-86377-2

My rating: 5 out of 5

This book is a sequel to Click Clack Moo and features the character of Duck, although Farmer Brown and the other barn yard animals and in the book as well. The story centers around Duck and how he disagrees with how things are being done, so he runs for office.

The art in this book is just as good as Click Clack Moo’s. The watercolor paintings create a nice balance of light/shadow and color. I also enjoyed little things painted in the story that older readers will understand. For example, Duck plays the saxophone on a late night TV show. Young readers will probably just think that’s funny, while older readers will remember that that is a nod to Bill Clinton’s run for the presidency when he appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show.”

This would be a good book to use when discussing democracy and voting to students. Although it is geared toward younger readers, there is plenty in this book that can be applied to older grades as well. Duck for President is a fantastic book that all ages will enjoy.