5 Politically-Minded Picture Books for President’s Day

President Squid, by Aaron Reynolds and Sara Varon
In this hilarious picture book, squid thinks he has what it takes to be president—he’s neon pink, bossy, and determined to be “the greatest president who ever lived!” He studies presidents to figure out how to become one, and concludes that they wear ties, live in big houses, are famous, and “do all the talking.” He orders the sea creatures to hail him, but nobody listens to him until he actually does something valuable for his constituents: freeing a small sardine trapped in a clam. The sea creatures tell him that this is what presidents do: they help people. Squid concludes helping others is too much work, and he’d rather be “King Squid! All-Powerful Ruler of the Entire Universe.” Well, as British historian John Dalberg-Acton famously wrote, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Even when it comes to squids.

Duck for President, by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
If a squid can’t muster the magnanimity it takes to be president, maybe a duck can? In this contemporary classic, the animals at the farm become fed up with all the chores Farmer Brown wants them to do. Duck asks, “Why is Farmer Brown in charge, anyway?” He mounts an election, and wins. Duck discovers that running the farm is “very hard work,” and decides to get out of it by running for governor. That’s hard work, too, so he sets his sights on the presidency. In the end, Duck seems to enjoy running for office a whole lot more than actually doing any of the work of governing.

Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham
Okay, so neither a squid nor a duck have what it takes to be president. What about a determined girl? When Grace learns that no women have ever been president, she decides she will be the first. When she declares her ambition, the other students laugh. But her teacher says that Woodrow Wilson Elementary will have an election. The candidate from the other class, Thomas Cobb, is Mr. Everything—spelling bee champion, science fair king, and soccer star. So Grace does the hard work of talking to her constituents and figuring out what problems she can solve for them, while Thomas figures he can coast on his awesomeness. Plus, he determines that the boys have more electoral votes than the girls do, so he’s got the election in the bag along partisan lines—unless one clear-thinking kid determines to vote for “the best person for the job.”

So You Want to Be President?, by Judith St. George and David Small
This book, filled with David Small’s funny caricatures of familiar presidents, highlights the good and the bad things about being the president. On the plus side, the president gets to live in a big house with his own swimming pool, bowling alley, and movie theater, and he “doesn’t have to eat yucky vegetables.” Judith St. George notes that George Bush never liked broccoli, so as president he never had to eat any! The negatives of being president: he has a lot of homework, always has to dress up, and never can go anywhere alone. Read on for more amusing anecdotes about presidents—there have been six Presidents named James, and William Howard Taft, the heftiest President at over 300 pounds, had to build a new bathtub in the White House. “One thing is certain,” St. George writes in this Caldecott-winning book originally published during the Clinton administration, and then updated to include George W. Bush, “If you want to be President—and stay President—be honest.” She notes that presidents who couldn’t tell the truth have paid the consequences.

The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt
Okay, so you’re finally president. Your days consist of hanging out in the White House, basking in the glory of your admirers, and golfing when you feel like it, right? Wrong. Presidents have constituents who speak up when they’re not happy. In Drew Daywalt’s charming book, each crayon writes to Duncan, the boy in charge of their usage, with complaints. Blue crayon appreciates being the favorite, but has been used so much that now he’s quite stubby. Orange crayon wants Duncan to declare him the official color of the sun, despite yellow crayon’s insistence that he should be the sun color. It goes to show that being in charge of anything, whether it’s the country or a crayon box, is hard work.