Check out some of the best children’s books about elections and voting! This list of the best picture books to read about elections, voting, U.S. Presidents and more are perfect for elementary students. A good mix of both fiction and nonfiction books to engage your students in learning about elections, presidents and the political process
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Check out the books:
The Next President
Did you know that at any one time, about 5-10 presidents both living, current and future are alive? I never thought about it that way, but that’s why Kate Messner is such an amazing author. Between this ingenious idea and Adam Rex’s thoughtful illustrations, students will see how when one person was president, others were growing up or getting ready to lead the country.
Get the lesson plan and activities for The Next President HERE
Lillian’s Right to Vote
As Lillian, a one-hundred-year-old African American woman, makes a “long haul up a steep hill” to her polling place, she sees more than trees and sky—she sees her family’s history. She sees the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment and her great-grandfather voting for the first time. She sees her parents trying to register to vote. And she sees herself marching in a protest from Selma to Montgomery. Finally she reaches the top of the hill to cast her vote for the first Black president of the United States. This is also one of my favorite books for Black History Month. Based on a true story.
Get your lesson plan and activities for Lillian’s Right to Vote HERE
President Taft is Stuck in the Bath
Who knew that President Taft loved baths so much? This is a hilarious, account of the president based on what MAY be a true story. Your students will DIE laughing and you likely will too! Mac Barnett’s signature humor is in full effect for this story of how President Taft got stuck in a bath and was removed. At the end of the book, Barnett describes his inspiration for the story with several real life examples of his affinity for baths.
If you think that learning about presidents was dry and boring, this book will change your mind. Great for units on problem-solving and perspective.
Get your lesson plan and activities for President Taft is Stuck in the Bath HERE
Miss Paul and the President
This makes my list of the best children’s books about elections and voting because it also works as a great segue into March’s Women’s History Month. This book by Dean Robbins details how Alice Paul creatively campaigned for women’s suffrage. It fits in with elections because it focuses on how she convinced President Woodrow Wilson to push for the women’s right to vote.
This book is a great introduction to women’s suffrage and a lesser known president that even primary students can access.
Get your lesson plan and activities for Miss Paul and the President HERE
Grace For President
Kelly DiPucchio, who is also the author of Gaston and Antoinette, wrote this amazing picture book. Grace’s class is learning about the presidents and the voting process. Grace learns that not a single woman has ever been president and she wants to remedy that. Her class holds an election for class president.
This is a great introduction to the electoral college for grades 1-4. It also shows the importance of courage and not going along with the group.
Get your lesson plan and activities for Grace For President HERE
Grace Goes to Washington
This book is the sequel to Grace For President, and is just as enjoyable as the first. In this one, Grace’s class is learning about the branches of government and traveling to Washington D.C. On the trip they have the difficult task of deciding how to spend money from a fundraiser.
They visit many major monuments and debate how to use the funds. A great way to talk about the branches of government. It also shows how public servants decide how to spend public funds.
Marching With Aunt Susan
An inspiring story of the fight for women’s suffrage, based on the experiences of a real girl. All Bessie wants is to go hiking with her father and brothers. But it’s 1896, and girls don’t get to hike. They can’t vote either, which Bessie discovers when Susan B. Anthony comes to town to help lead the campaign for women’s suffrage. Stirred to action, Bessie joins the movement and discovers that small efforts can result in small changes―and maybe even big ones.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Marching With Aunt Susan HERE
Duck For President
If your students love Doreen Cronin books like Click, Clack, Moo, then this is a great one for learning about elections in a fun way! One day, Duck decides that he doesn’t like his chores on the farm, so he campaigns to replace Farmer Brown. He holds an election and wins, however, being a farmer is hard work. Duck then runs for governor and finally for president. He realizes that running a country is rather difficult so he goes back to the farm.
This is a great book for K-2. It includes information about the electoral process and math appropriate for the lower grades. Even though it doesn’t contain information about the presidents, its focus on voting makes it a great introduction for primary.
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George Washington’s Teeth
Everyone thinks that our first president had wooden teeth. This book seeks to examine this myth using evidence from Washington’s letters and diaries. It follows him through history as he lost teeth until having only 2 real teeth. The entire story is told in verse making the book rather funny. A timeline is also included at the end of the book to show portraits of Washington over time. You will never look at a portrait of the Father of our Country the same ever again after reading this book.
Check out my lesson plan and activities for George Washington’s Teeth HERE
Elizabeth Leads the Way
Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood up and fought for what she believed in. From an early age, she knew that women were not given rights equal to men. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and later gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote.Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
A great children’s book about elections and voting to celebrate women’s right to vote.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Elizabeth Leads the Way HERE
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Are you a fan of any of Andrea Beaty’s other Questioneers books like Iggy Peck, Architect or Rosie Revere, Engineer? This is another book in her series about a very helpful girl named Sofia Valdez. She is trying to create a park after her abuelo gets hurt one day. She organizes groups and goes to City Hall to try to create a park. This book relates to elections and voting because it shows why people get involved in politics and push for change. As with other books in the series, it is told in verse. Also amazing is that this book is also available in Spanish as Sofia Valdez, Presidenta Tal Vez.
Get your lesson plan and activities for Sofia Valdez, Future Prez HERE
Best Children’s Books About Elections and Voting
Is there a children’s book about elections and voting that I missed? One that you love that you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments below!
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[…] elderly African American woman, en route to vote, remembers her family’s tumultuous voting history in this picture book publishing in time for the […]