If I Ran for President

by Catherine Stier

If you ran for president, you would have to do a lot of hard work. You would study the nation's problems, tell the American people about your platform, select a running mate, and debate your opponents on live television.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Presidents, Nonfiction, Politics, Government, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run for president? Voting is so much fun. I am proud to be an American.

[Ashli Harper]

If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier is a fictional story about the steps to becoming president. I thought this book was actually going to be about a black boy becoming president but it actually wasn't. The book presented it step of the process with a different character representing every racial group and gender throughout the entire book. Basically saying anyone can run for president if they want to. I love how at the end they have the little black girl becoming president since that's something that has never been done yet. This book was a good read for my 1st-3rd graders. Good language and it made understanding the process to becoming the president easier to comprehend. The illustrations were nice and detailed done by Lynne Avril. Although this book isn't specifically focused on african american boys I still felt like it fit my topic. It was still encouraging to all.

[Emma Hartis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a story about what you have to do to run for president. The book talks about the understanding problems, how to select a running mate, debating your opponent, using your platform, the different parties and the inauguration.

I this this is a really good book that helps children to understand what is going on during election years in the country. I like this book because it uses the actually vocabulary words that the children would actually hear on the tv, like inauguration.

I think this book would be really good to read around the time the country votes for a new president. I think after reading the book I would have the students make posters of themselves as if they were running for president of the school. I would have the students come write small speeches about things they would do if they were to become president of the school and have them read them to the class to work on talking Infront of people.

[Bethany Pollock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super informational for littles!

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple breakdown of what it takes to run for president 🙂 I’d say it’s geared towards 8-12 year olds.

[Benjamin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier, which is a contemporary realistic fiction picture book. This book is about explaining how the Presidential election works in a story about how these children would accomplish that. The first page explains the basics about the election. Then the book explains if you want to be president, first you have to run a campaign. Then win the primaries and caucuses in the states that choose the delegates that go to the national convention for the party that you represent. Then, at the convention the delegates vote for who won the primary or caucus in their state. Then in November the general election is held, and determines the winner. Then, if elected on January 20th, which is the Inauguration Day, you will take the oath of office. This story is great because it shows how the election works, with pictures that explain it very well. The Illustrations are cartoonish in media and technique, but very bright in colors. It is a great book to explain the election of our presidents to children. I personally love the book because the cover has Vote for Ben on the front. This book is meant for Primary students which is ages 5-8, because it uses pictures and a decent amount of words.

[Akilah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder how long it will take for me to not be sad when I read a book that treats the presidency as a serious job that the person running for the office should take seriously.

"Then I'd ask myself: 'Am I the best person for the job? Am I ready to work VERY, VERY, VERY hard for my country? Do lots of people believe in me, and will they help me run for office?'

If I could answer yes to all of those questions [emphasis mine], then I'd declare my candidacy."

Sigh.

As for the book itself, it's a little boring, though straightforward and informative. I enjoyed the watercolor art on some of the pages.

Read Harder 2016: Read a book out loud to someone else / Read a book about politics, in your country or another

[Maija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adults should read this book too. Favorite quote:""If I ran for president and lost...I'd make a telephone call to offer my best wishes and support to the winner-our next president!" Just sayin...

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I can work with this
Very detailed but I can cut stuff out for my student

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book walking readers through the steps that someone would take to become the President of the United States of America. The story is extremely informative. It explains so many of the steps and processes involved in running for president in easy to follow terms with simple explanations. The art also helps build upon the text really well, with clear pictures and models that really help visualize the situations that might be a bit complex otherwise. The book is an excellent way to introduce and teach these kinds of political processes. Teachers could absolutely use this book in their classes to help teach and discuss things like voting and campaigning. It lends itself really well to an activity where students could follow the steps it details and vote for a class representative or something in the classroom. This could get the students physically involved in the topic, and the book could be great inspiration for them.

[Joey Gossett · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I Ran for President is a story that is written by Catherine Stier. This story follows a boy who is not named and he is talking about what it would be like if he ran for president, the story explains presidents like George washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The story talks about the whole process of the presidential candidacy and how much work it really is. It talks about the two parties that you can side with and which each one stands for, it basically is walking you through what it takes to become president and how once you are elected president the process you have to go through before you step foot into the white house.
Stier does a good job with this book, when it comes to presidents and what it takes to become one it can get very confusing, but she keeps it very simple and puts it in a way that everyone can understand. There are a few illustrations per page and it is basically showing the steps that one has to take to become the president.
I gave this book 4 stars because it holds a lot of information and she puts it in a way that everyone can understand. It is an interesting book and a lot of kids can relate to it because at one point or another we all thought we were going to be the next president of the USA.

[Yesenia Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did an assignment on this book, at first glance it caught my attention because it showed to be entertaining yet informative for young children. I think this book can be a great introduction to a lesson about American history/politics. The story teaches the reader about the process of running for president, the voting process, political parties, and overall how politics in the U.S works. Some vocabulary words that stood out throughout the book were things like "casting a ballot, voter registration, debates, and inauguration day". I would highly recommend this book to teachers because the book covers a lot on American politics which can be a useful tool in the classroom.

[Maniyha Andrews]

The summary of the book is about what you have to do to run for president. The book also talks about understanding problems, how to select a running mate so on and so on. The genre of the book is historical. The book can teach children in a way that's more understanding for them on how to run for president and everything that comes after that. This is a WOW book for me because, it's this youtuber that does the same thing as the character in the book. I remember in 6th grade watching the little boy talk about elections his energy made me love it, another reason as to why I chose this book. I like that the author made the book very informative. I don't believe the book is bias.

[Lilly Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young children who are going through what he would need to do to become president. There are many steps to becoming a president and it takes hard work. But it also shows if you put your mind to it, you can work hard to make a difference in the world and can become president. They also show which each child would want to do if they become president by expressing thier feelings and what they woud want to change. You can introduce this in the classroom if an election is coming up and ask the students to write down some things they would change or incorporate if they become President.

[MacKenzie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I Ran for President talks about the process, and steps that it takes to becoming president. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. The main reason being that it had someone from every racial and gender group, showing that anyone can become president if they want to. I liked that it didn't focus on one particular race or gender making others feel left out. This would be a great book to use in the classroom during the election or when learning about presidency, politics, and the government.

[Brooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Informational Nonfiction

Grade Range: 2nd-3rd

Book Review: I think introducing politics this early in children's books isn’t such a bad idea. The book does a really good job of explaining politics! I am excited that I discovered the book because I have not read a book that goes this much into detail. I believe this book should be required to be read in classrooms. I cannot wait to add this book into my collection. By having educational books like this, it can help students become more exposed and might have more interest to be involved in contributing to the government.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4:5 stars
2-3rd grade
Nonfiction-informational
I think that this book gives a great introduction to how the presidential election works and it gives easy details to understand. If I would have read this when I was little, i think it would have been easier to understand the election as I was growing up. This also could give kids ideas of how they can make an impact in their community or country someday!

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great way to introduce kids to the presidential election process! It has a lot of information about the process, from campaigning to primaries, to the election itself. The information is presented in a fun and narrative way that gets kids excited about American politics. The illustrations show several different diverse students as the possible presidential candidate, which is important because it gives kids the idea that they could really be president one day.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I Ran for President (Hardcover)
by Catherine Stier
Read on line by the three child actors from this is us. They each read part of the book, showing that assumptions is not as important anymore. A black man could be president, a young girl.. even a boy who would change the world because of his understanding of other people. The book shows what can happen if we work toward a dream. The book shows how to work for presidential campaign.

[Dawn Laws · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the election process. The first page explains the election process. The book goes through the process through the voice of a student and defines terms along the way.

I rated this book 5/5 because it is a good read for students. It portrays the process and events leading up to an election and becoming president. It would be a great addition to a social studies unit.

[Cheyenne Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. This is such a great book to read for an introduction to politics. Being an election year, I thought that this book, really helps younger children understand what is going on in words that they would understand. The book is serious, yet fun and related to children. I like this book because it is about politics but not political.

[Yvette Tellez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a lot information! I liked how it provided basic knowledge about the U.S. political system and presidency. From the cover, I assumed it would possess a traditional story plot however I was incorrect. The main purpose of the book is to articulate factual information about voting and the process of an election.

[Maia Binswanger]

This book is a way to explain how the presidential campaign works, and the democratic parties in a simple and non-bias way. It was a cute stray and a good way to explain it to children. The main character was African-american, and there were other background characters of all races, and I really liked that detail because it shows diversity and now everyone can feel included.

[Sarahs Reads ToKids · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story for children to read as supplement book for their Social Studies in regards to becoming president and elections.

The book starts from the very beginning about what would inspire a candidate to run for office and how the candidate gets started, all the way up through the process and then election night.

[Isabella Hoffmaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I Ran for President is a great book to help break down the steps it takes to run for president. The book uses specific vocabulary and explains each term to help your children understand the election process, while still keep them interested through the illustrations. This book is great to display to children that they are capable of becoming President.

[Jonah Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome read for young people who are learning more about the in's and out's of the government. It demonstrates all the steps that each candidate must take in order to run for president: the fun and not-so-fun ones. Readers are engaged with the book as the character is relatable and it allows them to feel really connected to the story. It's an all-around great book.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about running for president, the process of candidate selection by parties, the election, and inauguration. My favorite line in the book was during campaigning the candidate might "crunch corn with farmers in Kansas." Read by Lonnie Chavis, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, and Parker Bates on Storyline Online.

[Danny Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

explains the process of elections to kids, nice that it has a collection of children in the story that run for president of all races and most genders. Not very exciting though, wont be using it for storytime.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great introduction for kids on the presidential election process. However, I wished there had been more detailed illustrations for some of the harder to understand concepts.
I read this title via storylineonline.net.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

newbie to this author, i read 3 books from this author: If I Ran for President, If I Were President & Bugs In My Hair?! ...my fave was this one a bit more than the other ... the illustrations are more fun and more colorful. fun times