We the People: The United States Constitution Explored and Explained

Sargent and Lewis lead readers through a breezy, informative tour of the preeminent U.S. legal document, opening with a contextualizing note: “because it was written by a small number of white men with power, we have to read it critically.” Short chapters dedicated to each article and amendment are punctuated with “Fast Facts” (the Senate has “100 members”), quiz-style questions (“How many presidents have served in the United States?”), and open-ended prompts (one about whether “people who don’t agree can still be friends and respect each other”). Stylish design breaks complexities into digestible ideas, highlighting key words and phrases and interleaving historical asides, accented throughout in Lewis’s modish digital illustrations. The creators’ progressive lean is evident: Democrats dominate the capsule biographies, and concepts such as intersectionality, the prison-industrial complex, and privilege are centered. Still, it’s an engaging introduction to a document that continues to shape American lives. A glossary and list of further reading concludes. Ages 10–14. [em](July) [/em]