Book Review: I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference

There may not be a more topical book for the year 2020 than I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference.  In the book, author Mark Shulman provides an introduction for what it means to "vote" at a level aimed at children four to eight.

The beginning of the book starts with simple, relatable voting scenarios for children.  Which do you prefer, cupcakes or ice cream?  Apples or oranges?  Bunnies or turtles?

Then, the ground rules for voting are discussed as the author gets into the difference between silent votes vs. public ones, as well as how people campaign to sway others' opinion (or how your opinion could be changed).  Once the vote is over, one side will win and one side will not.  And although your side may not always win, following the voting rules means a fair outcome for everyone who participated.

The second half of the books transitions into how voting works within our government.  The non-partisan discussion details how elected officials believe different things and ultimately impact the way our laws work.  Shulman introduces the term "candidates" and talks through how we can become more aware of what each person believes by reading, listening and talking to people we trust. The book closes by walking through what happens on Election Day in the United States, even including the reward of the all-important "I Voted" sticker at the end of the process.

I Voted is an excellent picture book for parents and teachers to help discuss our election process and what it means to make a decision.  The step-by-step guide for preschool and elementary children is a timely, important book worth giving a look.

Voting & Making Decisions

The obvious theme of I Voted is very plainly highlighted within the book's title.  Mark Shulman does a great job of defining what a vote is in relatable terms for children before transitioning into more complex scenarios where voting occurs.  While the books is presented in very simplistic terms, it also covers a lot of ground by discussing how we vote, why we vote and who is allowed to vote.  There is a lot of depth which is great for productive conversations with inquisitive children.

The book successfully builds off of a foundation that ultimately allows it to transition to an introduction to government and elected leaders.  Shulman does a great job of remaining non-partisan and keeps a lighthearted tone while still stressing the importance of the subject.  Considering how topical the book is for 2020, it's a great tool for adding context to a subject many young children have likely heard about within their households already.

Role of Government

As mentioned in the summary above, I Voted dives into the subject of voting and its importance for choosing our leaders.  In addition to going over the steps of voting on Election Day, the book also gets into how to become more educated on what each candidate stands for and why that is important.

After the conclusion of the story, the book also has a lot of great informational pages.  Not only does it provide definitions for each branch of government (along with the different between local and state government), it also gives instruction on how kids can play a role in elections, even when they're under the age of 18 (i.e. voting in school elections, encouraging parents to vote in government elections, etc.).  The summary of how our government works is a perfect guide for elementary children interested in learning more about the process.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of I Voted is its role in teeing up conversations with your children about voting.  The book's presentation not only educates kids about what it means to vote, but also helps increase enthusiasm about it.

To help keep the conversation going, make sure to check out the final page of the book.  There you'll find other books and online resources about voting that are geared for younger audiences.