Rating: Summary: Cutest Book Ever Review: I love this book. The pictures are sweet, the illustrations are beautiful, and the message is really clever. I am 24, and I love this book.
Rating: Summary: Duck Does NOT Get My Vote for President! Review: I was sorely disappointed in this book. I was hoping it would give young children some idea of presidential characteristics, duties, or responsibilities. This book utterly fails in that regard! Worse, it tells a very cynical tale. It has an "elected official" - Duck -quitting one job for which he is already incompetent to simply run for and be elected to increasingly more demanding jobs, including the Presidency. Kids don't need to be taught such a cynical lesson about politics at ages 4 to 8.
I'd recommend this book only to the most die-hard fans of the "Duck" series. Even then, I'd recommend reading it at the bookstore before purchasing it online to make sure it doesn't disappoint your little fan(s). The illustrations are consistent the rest of the series, but I'd definitely rank this addition to the series as lowest in quality because of the storyline. (Admittedly, I think the other books in the "Duck" series are good. But, they are my top favorites.)
Two much better books exist about the presidency that I highly recommend for this age range. (I've also posted reviews of these books at their webpages.)
For preschool to approximately 1st or 2nd grade, I highly recommend "My Teacher for President", written by Kay Winters and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. It does a great job of summarizing what a president does at a level that's age appropriate.
For ages 8 through adult, I highly recommend "So You Want to Be President?" written by Judith St. George and illustrated by David Small. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2001 and is simply a delightful book filled with great amusing trivia and anecdotes about the past presidents and the presidency in general. It's been revised and updated to include the most recent events.
Rating: Summary: Very Disappointed Review: It is too repetitive, and my son was soon bored with it. Miss Cronin's books have gotten progressively less entertaining and more gimmicky since Click Clack Moo. The pictures are still the best part of this series. This is the last book I'll buy from her.
Rating: Summary: Witty, Charming, Intelligent Review: Laugh-out-loud funny, adults will find this book just as humorous as children. The illustrations are priceless.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious and Clever! Review: My children laugh at this book every time we read it. This sarcastic humor is great for kids and their parents. It won't get boring to read this one over and over.
Rating: Summary: He's Baaaaaaack! Review: Ok - I love Duck. His manipulations, his pencil - I love it all. This book has our favorite quacker reaching new heights. While I would give the first two books in this series 5 stars, Pres gets 4 simply because the prose seemed to be lacking something. Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack flow better when read.
Rating: Summary: Excellent introduction to government Review: The irrepressable Duck decides he doesn't like to work so he does the next best thing: he runs for office. Unfortunately, the high he goes in the government, the more work he encounters.Readers and storybook lovers will enjoy seeing the delightful illustrations by Betsy Lewin as well as the sharp text by Doreen Cronin. Not just for kids, adults may pick up the subtle political commentary made by this wonderful team.
Rating: Summary: Very fun - but ducks a key issue... Review: This book is delightfully written and illustrated, and very amusing. Far from depressing, the electoral overthrow of the despotic farmer is empowering! Well... of course it turns out that running things is hard work, and politics is the hardest work of all in many ways. This too is a good lesson. However, Ms. Cronin loses a star for ducking (sorry) the fact that presidential elections are not decided by the national popular vote. In the wake of the 2000 election, I would have thought the electoral college was worth a nod, even in a kids' book.
Rating: Summary: So the grass isn't truly greener on the other side. Review: This is a very entertaining children's book. I was surprised to see so many references to current events -- events that children most likely will not understand. Those remarks are made for the adults who will be reading to their children. In an election year, this is an important book to help children understand the importance of living within our democracy. But there is another lesson, too: Duck kept getting tired of the position he was in, going from being a worker, to someone in charge, to governor, and then president. In the end, the Duck realizes that he just wants to go back to what he was doing. So the grass isn't truly greener on the other side. He goes back to what he was doing. Isn't that something we all can learn from? Michael
Rating: Summary: DUCK Rules! Review: While I really liked the author's previous works, I think "DUCK for President" is my favorite. The children who grew up reading about Duck's exploits in Click Clack Moo and Giggle Giggle Quack have grown up - and so has DUCK. He now has aspirations beyond the farm. And young children who read the book are educated as to the election process at their level. Ms. Cronin's prose coupled with Ms. Lewin's illustrations do not disappoint. Well Done!
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