ROCK THAT VOTE

Choosing a class pet has never been so tough.

The democratic process is in full effect when a classroom of students must vote on selecting and naming a new classroom pet that will join their existing pet rabbit, Mango. The students work in small groups to make posters that promote their animal of choice. After a brief kerfuffle between two friends (one saw the other voting for a different pet after both agreed to vote for a tree frog) is resolved, a pet duck is chosen, and the students elect to call their new pet Froggie. The brightly colored illustrations—a mix of gouache, colored pencil, brush marker, and digital finishing touches—present a vibrant classroom full of diverse children, and the text features a flowing rhyme scheme that reads aloud beautifully. But the message of the importance of voting feels superficial. The drama of the friends voting different ways is resolved a shade too quickly and without visual or textual clues supporting the importance of anonymity in democracy. If you’re looking for a “B side” book about voting for storytime, this is acceptable; if you’re looking for more…keep looking. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The vote was not rocked.