The President of the Jungle

* “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