The President of the Jungle

by André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, Pedro Markun

Overview

In this fabulous and funny introduction to how elections work, the animals decide they are tired of their king and that it is time to vote for a president.

Lion may be King of the jungle, but lately he only seems to care about himself. His subjects are fed up, so they decide to try something new—hold an election! Once Owl explains the rules, the fun begins, and Snake, Sloth, and Monkey all announce they will be candidates. But oh no, Lion is going to run too! It's a wild campaign season as the animals hold rallies, debate, and even take a selfie or two, trying to prove why they'd make the best president of the jungle.

This funny, non-partisan story features lively illustrations, a helpful glossary, and colorful characters who have an infectious enthusiasm for the election process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984814746
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,167,441
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Paulo Desgualdo, a journalist working on a master's degree in education, writes for children and in the areas of health, education, and culture.

Pedro Markun, a hacker and an activist for transparency and open data, writes books and designs games that help adults and children talk about politics.

André Rodrigues, a graphic designer, aims to connect his work with social and cultural causes related to minority rights, mobility, the environment, and education.

Larissa Ribeiro is a graphic artist, children's book illustrator, and cofounder of AzMina magazine and Mulheres Ilustradoras, a directory of professional women illustrators.

Editorial Reviews

11/25/2019

When Lion, the King of the Jungle, reroutes the river to create a swimming pool at his house, his subjects promptly launch a demonstration (“#OCCUPYTHEJUNGLE”). But the King is unmoved, so Owl advocates for a new form of government: democracy. After a brief how-to, election rules are drawn up (“Candidates cannot eat their opponents”), and Monkey, Sloth, and Snake announce their candidacies and platforms, with Lion quickly following suit. Debates and mudslinging ensue until Sloth wins and gives a gracious speech promising a coalition “to help us make the jungle a great place for every animal”—while the final page reminds readers that dissatisfied voters will have their say again in a year. Originally published in Brazil (the creators are artists and activists), this savvy, compellingly instructive book uses bright, giddy images created from digitized cut paper and charcoal to embrace the circus-like atmosphere of elections. Ages 5–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

* “A refreshing look at the way democratic elections work. . . . Important vocabulary such as ‘candidate,’ ‘campaign,’ and ‘vote’ are set in bold in the friendly typeface, and their definitions are presented in a glossary on the final page. Narrative text combines with dialogue bubbles to keep the pace lively and the concept engagingly simple. . . . Friendly-looking illustrations. . . . The visual result is casual, integrative, and altogether fun. Together, the words and pictures bring to life a democratic election that is stripped of acrimony, divisiveness, and ignorance and is instead full of engagement, discussion, and earnestness—but not sappiness. Young readers are introduced to the idea of an engaged electorate, a concept whose empowerment will hopefully stay with them as they age. A fun, lively, accessible primer on the democratic process (good for weary adults, too).”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Kudos for hitting most of the important election notes, including campaigning, ballots and voting, and how democracy works (a glossary is also provided). Children will be attracted by the lively, brightly colored art, combining cutpaper shapes and loose pencil lines. A clever introduction to a newsworthy topic.”—Booklist

“Digitally colored and assembled cut paper and doodles make this a cheery event, the seven rules for the election are sensible yet sufficiently thought provoking to invite discussion, and the fractious jungle denizens present an apt analog to the real-life political squawking kids are bound to have noticed.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This savvy, compellingly instructive book uses bright, giddy images created from digitized cut paper and charcoal to embrace the circus-like atmosphere of elections.”—Publishers Weekly

“Even though the subjects are animals, their election is a modern one with TV interviews and social media campaigns. The text is nonpartisan and animals come from a variety of real-world equivalent political backgrounds, such as political dynasties or grassroots candidates. . . . Ironically, a herd of animals may be a smart way to humanize presidential elections for our young future voters.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2019

Gr 2–4—The animal kingdom decides to replace its monarchy with a democracy after Lion, King of the Jungle, reroutes a public water supply for his own private swimming pool. Candidates for anthropomorphic animal president include Snake, Cobra, and Sloth. As they begin their campaigns, bolded vocabulary words like debate and rally are defined. The back includes a glossary of all the election terms. Colorfully busy compositions of the political creatures are unpolished, but convey bumbling charm. Even though the subjects are animals, their election is a modern one with TV interviews and social media campaigns. The text is nonpartisan and animals come from a variety of real-world equivalent political backgrounds, such as political dynasties or grassroots candidates. However, considering President Obama's 2008 campaign featured numerous slogans that included the word "change," making Monkey the candidate for change is a less-than-thoughtful choice. VERDICT Ironically, a herd of animals may be a smart way to humanize presidential elections for our young future voters.—Chance Lee Joyner, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, NH

School Library Journal

★ 2019-09-15
From Brazil, a refreshing look at the way democratic elections work.

Lion, the King of the Jungle, wants a swimming pool, but when he diverts all the river water to fill in his front yard, the other animals begin to wonder if he "should not be King of the Jungle." Deciding they want a new leader, the animals plan to hold an election, and Monkey, Sloth, Snake, and Lion decide they want to be candidates. They campaign and hold debates. Important vocabulary such as "candidate," "campaign," and "vote" are set in bold in the friendly typeface, and their definitions are presented in a glossary on the final page. Narrative text combines with dialogue bubbles to keep the pace lively and the concept engagingly simple. The equally friendly-looking illustrations were made using paper cutouts with pencil and charcoal "doodles," the animals fancifully colored against a largely gray-and-white jungle background. The visual result is casual, integrative, and altogether fun. Together, the words and pictures bring to life a democratic election that is stripped of acrimony, divisiveness, and ignorance and is instead full of engagement, discussion, and earnestness—but not sappiness. Young readers are introduced to the idea of an engaged electorate, a concept whose empowerment will hopefully stay with them as they age.

A fun, lively, accessible primer on the democratic process (good for weary adults, too). (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews