Presidential Politics for Preschoolers

I basically only watch Sprout, Playhouse Disney, and Noggin, so if it weren’t for the good old radio and the nice folks at WNYC I wouldn’t really know there was a presidential election this year at all. But it turns out that there is, and kids can be nearly as involved in it as grown ups. As proof, in 1984 I decided to run on an independent Second Grade ticket, with a third grader named Alex as my running mate, on a platform of less homework, increased recess, and “improved relations” with the USSR. Though I’m certain we had a plurality of votes amongst the Crestview Elementary School electorate, sadly none of us had the franchise, and the rest is history.

Times change, but kids don’t. A few months back on Super Tuesday I picked up Loretta from day care then dutifully toted her around the neighborhood trying to find the right school for me to cast my ballot. En route I asked her who we should vote for for President and she immediately said, “Baby John!” meaning the two-year-old brother of her best friend Rose. She’s been enthusiastic about the presidential race, and John's prospects, ever since.

Now, I’m not flippant all the time. I have shown her pictures of the grown-up candidates and tried to use Hillary Clinton’s campaign in particular to show her that girls can be Presidents too. (“I want to be a ballerina and the President,” was the reply.) She’s in Pre-K, not second grade, so her understanding isn’t complete, but I’d like her to at least be aware of who Bush, Obama, and McCain are, what an election is, and what a President is. Thus by 2012 she’ll be ready to embark on her own historic campaign.

There are, thankfully, a few resources to help. My sister-in-law, a former aid to a few Senators and speech writer for Mitt Romney, has “Future President” onesies for her infant that look something like this. (These ones are cute for the Traveling Pantsuit crowd.) But this is not exactly what I have in mind.

Instead, parents and educators can turn to the work of Catherine Stier. In 1999 Stier published her first children’s book, If I Were President, presenting the presidential office on a preschooler’s level. As she says in an article in the 2008 Children’s Writers’ and Illustrators’ Market, she knew, for instance, that preschoolers memorize their addresses, so she wrote about how, upon becoming President, she would have to remember “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”



The book tied in well to tourist destinations like the White House and events like Presidents’ Day, so when the 2008 campaign was approaching she decided to make a sequel: If I Ran for President.


Several resources say that the book would not be released until October, but Amazon thankfully informs us it has been available since April 1, in the midst of the primary season; this also allowed schools, I presume, to have the book on hand when school resumed this month. Here is a brief review by Barbara Katz, posted on the book’s Amazon page, which mentions the book's strengths and apparent flaws:

“Grade 1–3—This title is a step above the usual election books, both in content and entertainment value. Six children take turns explaining the election process as if they were running for president. They discuss their decision to run, campaigning, primaries and conventions, debating, being interviewed, meeting the public, voting, and being sworn in on Inauguration Day. Stier does a good job of explaining election details, both in an introductory note about electoral votes and in the text itself. The fact that one must be 35 years of age is only mentioned in the note. The author adds flavor by providing humorous examples, such as the need to smile despite indigestion. However, the multiple narrators can be confusing. One must rely on the illustrations to know which child is speaking, and sometimes it is not apparent at first glance. The lively cartoons cheerfully clarify the action and reinforce the concepts. Libraries will want to consider this kid-friendly title.”

Other presidential book titles include Grace for President by Kelly Dipucchio, Woodrow for President (about a mouse, not Wilson) and a sequel, Woodrow, the White House Mouse, both by Peter and Cheryl Barnes, America Votes: How Our President Is Elected by Linda Granfield, Otto Runs for President by Rosemary Wells, Duck for President by Doreen Cronin (our family always loves Duck)…


…So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George, Vote! by Eileen Christelow, My Teacher for President by Kay Winters, and Madam President by Lane Smith. I have surely missed a great many.

But Duck aside, I have frankly never heard of any of these candidates. (I will here skip the Sarah Palin jokes to maintain the nonpartisan nature of this blog.) Youngsters—and oldsters—may prefer a candidate they have known their entire lives, a Washington outsider who has nevertheless been a consistent presence in their community and their homes, a candidate who never fails to fail and fail again. It is America’s favorite loser, this guy:


Yes, Charlie Brown is running for President. But he’ll have to face off against Lucy, Linus, his kid sister Sally, and even his own dog (good grief!). The Peanuts franchise has teamed up with Rock the Vote—a historic enterprise on its own terms—to demonstrate to children, and adults, how simple it is to register and vote (true to Rock the Vote’s purpose, assistance in registering for the real McCoy is available as well). Anyone of any age can cast a single ballot online at Peanuts Rocks the Vote, although it’s the debates that I’d really like to watch (we're missing Bill Melendez already). Some information at the bottom of the main page tells us that Charles Schultz was drawing Peanuts during twelve election years, and in 1960, '64, and '68 he had his characters get involved and run for office. So the tradition runs strong, making Rock the Vote a perfect fit with this particular franchise.

Some of Schultz’s political cartoons are available for viewing on the website, but folks in northern California are in even more luck. The Charles M. Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa is featuring an exhibit entitled “Political Peanuts” through November. (Of course, the museum would be worth visiting any time of year.) For those of us unable to get to that neighborhood, we can still watch Bill Melendez’s film from 1972 (a notorious election year), You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown. In honor of the Rock the Vote alliance, a new DVD has been released with a documentary and other, if somewhat slight, bonus features. You can watch a brief trailer—and purchase it—here.

So somewhere between 1) the actual candidates, 2) the plethora of presidential picture books, and 3) the genius of Peanuts and the ability to cast an actual vote online, children and parents should be able to work out the perfect way to foster civic awareness in this election year; the most important component, of course, would be adults setting an example by actually going and voting on election day, perhaps with the young ones in tow. Then on November 5 they can all tune back in to Sprout to see what they’ve missed.