Not only are politicians writing children’s books, but books for children touting the virtues of responsible citizenship are also being released to take advantage of the highly politicized zeitgeist following the 2016 presidential election. In September, Roaring Book Press issued an updated edition of When You Grow Up to Vote by Eleanor Roosevelt, who wrote the book in 1932, the year her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was elected to his first term as president. When You Grow Up to Vote is newly illustrated by Grace Lin, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan before she was born in upstate New York.
According to Katherine Jacobs, senior editor at Roaring Brook, “Eleanor Roosevelt published this book when people across the country felt disenfranchised and let down by their government. The book is her call to the next generation to participate in government, to be informed and engaged citizens—a message that is remarkably relevant today. In addition, Eleanor Roosevelt herself was very devoted to the cause of both women’s rights and civil rights; she’s a figure we would do well to remember and listen to in our own age of wrestling with these same issues.”
Along the same lines as Roosevelt more than 85 years ago, Dave Eggers wrote What Can a Citizen Do?, which is illustrated by Shawn Harris (Chronicle). The picture book provides children with examples of all the things people can do in order to be good citizens. “For some reason, in the fall of 2016, the idea of civic responsibility was on my mind. I can’t recall what was happening in the country then, but there must have been something in the wind,” Eggers told PW, when asked what had inspired him to take such a departure from his usual creative pursuits.
“My picture book is simple on its face, but I tried to sneak in a radical idea, which is that the world is larger than any one person’s selfhood—that we have a responsibility to the whole,” he added.
In recognition that Americans have become more and more polarized in recent years, next April Sourcebooks/Little Pickle Press will publish What Does It Mean to Be American?, written by Rana DiOrio and Elad Yoran, illustrated by Nina Mata, as part of its ongoing What Does It Mean to Be …? series. What Does It Mean to Be American? celebrates our common bonds as Americans, despite our various political views. In fact, Heather Moore, marketing director at Sourcebooks, pointed out: the two authors walk their talk. While DiOrio is liberal in her politics, Yoran, a longtime friend of hers who suggested 10 years ago that DiOrio should write such a book, is conservative in his leanings.
“While politics seem to divide our country into the two opposing teams of red and blue, one truth remains: we are all Americans,” the co-authors declare. “But what does that mean? [What Does It Mean to Be American?] provides a nonpartisan point of view perfect for any and all Americans who are proud of who they are—and where they come from, regardless of their political views.” After all, the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, founded upon the principle that all who live in this country should enjoy the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.
