V Is for Voting

by Kate Farrell, Caitlin Kuhwald (Illustrations)

V Is for Voting is an ABC book that introduces progressive families to concepts like social justice and civil rights and reminds readers that every vote counts!

A is for active participation.
B is for building a more equal nation.
C is for citizens' rights and our duty.
D is for difference, our strength and our beauty.

An engaging introduction to the tenants of democracy, V Is for Voting is a playful, poetic, and powerful primer about the importance of voting and activism. Featuring Kate Farrell’s rhyming text and Caitlin Kuhwald’s bold art, plus thoughtful back matter, the book is a gorgeous, and crucial, addition to every young reader’s library. It makes the perfect gift for fans of A Is for Activist, Woke Baby, and Feminist Baby.

Genres: Picture Books, Social Justice, Activism, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2020

Reviews

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ABC book about political participation, this book is great in terms of depicting diverse historical figures and for attempting honesty about the origins of the US ("H is for homelands we've occupied"). Unfortunately, the trade-off of having straightforward and simple text is that this book is a little blithe/glossy in its simplicity and still centers settlers (I.e. the "we" of "Homelands we've occupied"-- why not just say "H is for homelands occupied?!"). This is an earnest and well-intentioned political ABC book that is also just a jumping off point for much deeper discussions and learning. Useful for a family or classroom to work through!

Themes: Voting, History, Hero/ines, Speak Up
Age range: 5-9

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok the title is a bit generic but wow the concepts within! H is for homelands that we've occupied! I is for inching ahead bit by bit! The importance of suffrage, protest, knowledge, questions, and representation. I like it!!

[Steff Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most kids reading this book aren’t going to have a clue what a large portion of it means. This is the kind of book you buy and follow up with multiple long conversations. I generally wouldn’t consider it something kids would engage in by themselves. Not only is the language not right for that, but there’s just too much about this topic that requires a follow up conversation, especially with all the references the book makes.

Full review to come.

[Hannah Franks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an ABC book that not only teaches kids about the ABC's but also teaches kids about what they can do to get involved in their community and social justice. The book describes the history of social justice in America, how far the the United States of America has come and also how far we still need to go. This would be a great book for a pre-school or kindergarten class to read to learn or reinforce the ABC's while also learning an important social studies concept: how to get involved in their community.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the time we first enter this world, until we exit, we are, by tiny steps or great leaps, a growing part of a glorious whole. Whether we act alone, or with others, we are striving to not only find our place in society, but to help others find their place. We protect. We preserve.

If the last few years, specifically this year, have taught us nothing else, from this collection of days we know to take nothing for granted. We know deep gratitude. We know we cannot be silent, except when it is necessary to fuel our determined actions.

Within the last two months four special books with a common theme have been released. Each provides us with information, guidance, and inspiration. They, individually and together, work as a means for discussions. V Is For Voting (Henry Holt And Company, July 21, 2020) written by Kate Farrell with illustrations by Caitlin Kuhwald is an alphabet book designed to explain how each individual can make a difference. It's an invitation we cannot refuse.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my journey searching for children’s books to gift to friends…

I think this is a great ABCs book for also educating young readers about voting. Clever, educational, historical, progressive. I do think you start teaching ABCs (~2-5 years old as far as Google AI suggests) earlier than when a child would be able to have deeper conversations around some of this content. But learning can be a subtle process. I would recommend only for friends that you confidently know want to proactively educate on using their voice and the importance of voting.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

H is for Homelands We've Occupied....

Yep some will say this book is too woke.

But y'all it honestly covers social activism and our role in shaping our country (and its past history) accurately. If we don't like something that is on us

[Annese · Rating 4 out of 5]

U was my favorite letter. More books about Shirley Chisholm please!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the rhymes and diverse representation in the illustrations.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic alphabet book for kids that is all about voting!

We read this before the election to explain a little about why we vote!
It's a wonderfully inclusive and positive picture book!

[Cameryn Olesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on the 2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People on page 15 of the pdf. This text follows the format of the ABC’s, where each letter represents the importance and privilege it is to vote, to live in a democratic nation. Though, the layout it quite simple, the images and references enrich the text. It is an easy read, yet it has so much instructional value. Reading other reviews, a primary complaint was that the concepts might go over children’s heads and would not be something that they pick up to read on there own. However, this is what makes it such a great trade book for teachers! Almost every letter holds the potential to act as a supplement to a history lesson. In addition, the format shows allows children to visualize how events in history have contributed to the voting as we know it today. It was not just suffrage or civil rights, but a combination of many aspects of history. The big picture, or theme, is that it is our civil duty to use our right to vote, as the journey to get here has been rough for many. This would help children understand the value of their voice and could even spin off into a classroom election to exercise these rights.

[Gabi Bunten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of the story is that the author goes through each letter of the alphabet and relates it to voting. The story explains why we vote in a simplified way that younger individuals will understand more clearly. The characters in the story varied on each page and included some real people that have impacted the government/politics in some way. The text structure of the book is symmetrical because the picture match the words on each page. Most of the pages did have negative space and illustrations that took up the entire page, rather than having borders. I like how the book explains what voting is for and why we do it. It is much easier to understand for students that other texts that describe the voting process. Not to mention that the illustrations clarify what the words are referring too if the reader is still confused. This book could be used in a classroom to introduce the topic of voting when teaching a history unit.

[Alex Svenpladsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to read with kids. Each page is a celebration of diversity. As librarians, we say that we need to provide children both mirrors and windows, meaning we need to have a collection that kids can both see themselves in and see others in. This book is the epitome of that mantra.

I love that this book doesn't shy away from our country's dark past yet still is so hopeful for what we can be. I teared up when I saw RBG's famous dissent collar on the J is for judges page.

I think the best thing about this book is the discussions it can start. The text already contains a lot of important discussion points that help introduce kids to the concepts of voting and elections. But the images allow parents and storytellers to delve so much further.

Loved this one. Can't wait to read it again.

[Anne Biondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes through all the letters in our alphabet, and how each letter is the start of a very important part of voting. For example, A is for Active participation, E is for Engagement we all need to care, M is for Matter and every vote does, V is for Voting to make your voice heard. We vote for presidents, governors, mayors, judges, student council at school, etc. When we vote for these things, we vote for who and what we believe in, and it is an important part to helping making our needs and wants to happen. This would be good to have in the classroom to start early and have children be told how much their voices matter and to vote on things they believe in. If it's something as "major" as who our next president will be, or as "minor" as whether they want to play jump rope or tag on the playground, their voices and beliefs matter.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

V is for voting is a book that goes through each letter of the alapbet and his letter their is a saying that Strats with that letter that relates to civil duty and citzen participation, in a way that young children would be able to understood. An example of this would be, K is for knowing your part that you can take part, of this letter the image is gardening. While I was reading the book I was thinking about how I could take this and relate it to an activity one that I thought of was from the letter k and have an activty to do with the children such as gardening. One note that I will take from this book and relate it back to my classroom is, having books that relate to the big topic of politics but in a way that the books aren't too focused on the politics part but instead what we could do as citizens to help our community and parpicate in our civic duty

[Henry Holman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book for young children to learn about their rights and responsibilities to act on them. It uses the letters of the alphabet to teach about voting, civic duty, and how representation is important. It also uses illustrations of diverse American families to represent the melting pot of Americans who have the civic duty to vote. This book can be very useful in a classroom because it can help introduce big concepts in an easy-to-understand and manageable way for early learning. It frames voting in a very important sense and does not give in to patriotism. Instead, it conveys the idea that voting is something everyone should take seriously. I am not sure I could use this book in my classroom because it is probably a lower-level read than my content level, but I would still recommend it for young readers who are ready to learn about voting.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alphabet book read with Henry. I adore the simple, yet colorful and diverse illustrations of people in the book. My only issue was that the illustrator added a snake, a large mouse, a giraffe, a monkey, a panda and a large cat with a marching drum to the pages with people at marches and protests. This book chooses Shirley Chisholm's "unbought and unbossed" for the letter U. The letter T is for talented teachers telling kids about protests, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Sojourner Truth, MLK, Angela Davis and the 15th amendment. There were a number of activists that I need to learn more about pictured on the N is for "never forgetting what was page." So the silly animals in the protest marches really don't make sense. That's the only thing that makes this a 4 star book rather than 5.

[Maggie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story teaches children about the aspects of fighting for what they believe in and voting for who pushes those beliefs. Going through each letter of the alphabet, this story shows children how their voices can be heard in society by starting local. They can fight for what is right, win or lose. When they fight for what is right, those who have those beliefs can be voted for and put in power to lead the country to inclusivity and power. This story can be used in the classroom to teach students on the importance of fighting for what they believe in. This story allows for children to listen to the power they have in society and how they can use their voices to stand for what they believe in and feel is right for the world to take part in.

[Erin O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

V Is for Voting goes through the alphabet A through Z and each letter had a word that was related to voting. It didn't just say "V is for voting" it said "V is for voting make your voice heard!" I also really liked that for the letter X the author wrote, "X marks the spot on the ballet you choose." So with the word the author chose for a letter she also gave a short description of what that word means. I think this is a great book to read to children especially younger early childhood students because they can still learn about voting just in simpler terms. In the future after reading this book I can have letter cards with an uppercase letter and a lowercase letter and children have to find their matching pair (A/a).

[Gia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"V is for Voting" is an engaging picture book that introduces young readers to the essentials of democracy and the right to vote. Through an alphabetical format, Farrell explores key concepts related to voting, from registration to the importance of every voice being heard. The Illustrations promote and encourage diversity and community involvement, making the message of empowerment resonate strongly with the youth. This book encourages children to understand their role in shaping the future, instilling a sense of responsibility and engagement. A must-read for parents and educators looking to impose civic values in the next generation. It’s an informative and inspiring addition to any library/nook area.

[Stephanie Sawicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book with it going through the alphabet and using the first letter of the alphabet to use a word that involved voting and the government. I do think that this book is for children who are a lot older and understand the concept of what voting is and how important it is. If I were to read this to a preschooler, they would be more focused on the alphabet, and not what came after the alphabet, which is the whole point of the book. If I were to use this in my classroom, I would use it for studying the alphabet, and if it comes up to Election Day, I would read that to the children as well.

[Morgan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story teaches children about the tenants of a democracy and the importance of taking a stand and having a say in our government. This is a great story to help students learn the alphabet while also learning about social activism and the importance of voting. I could use this story in my classroom to teach students about literacy and word recognition and also the alphabet. I could also use this story as a precursor to a lesson on social activism and the importance of voting and having them practice with their own ballots. This story could help them understand that they matter and will instill self-confidence.

[Ellie Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

V is for Voting is a book that covers a lot of concepts in democracy and voting is a "A is for...B is for..." way. This book gives an overview of how voting works and what that means for our country. It is simple but gives lots of context, and the pictures really help with what is being said.

This book could empower children to learn more about the world they live in and want to make a difference. Teaching kids about why voting is important is vital for their everyday lives because you want them to know that their voice matters. This book could be a great way to introduce or elaborate on this.

[Abbi Sammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

V stands for Voting was a great interesting and educational book. It does an excellent job of empowering young readers and making the significance of voting understandable. The book is entertaining and teaches important lessons about civic engagement by using the alphabet to break down important democratic ideals and concepts. The topic is made more exciting by the vibrant and colorful pictures. My favorite part was how it helps kids realize early on their place in society and the strength of their voice. I was motivated to vote and take an active role in determining the future after reading this inspirational book!

[Kailey Angelacos · Rating 4 out of 5]

V is for Voting is an alphabet book that celebrates democracy, fairness, and the power of participation. Each letter introduces a word or concept related to civic engagement, like A is for Active, J is for justice, and V is for voting. The bold illustrations highlight diversity, activism, and community voices, showing children that everyone has a role to play in making the world a better place. I love how this book makes big ideas about fairness and leadership understandable for young children. In my future classroom, I would use this story to introduce conversations about fairness, kindness, and making choices together as a class, helping children see that their voices matter too.

[Emily Bremer]

V Is for Voting uses the alphabet to introduce big ideas like fairness and teamwork. Each letter highlights a different way people can work together to help their community. I could use this book in my classroom to help students learn about fairness and having a voice. Instead of focusing on voting itself, we can talk about how we make group choices in our classroom. Throughout the day, before reading this book, I will include opportunities for students to vote, like choosing which book to read. After reading, we can talk about how everyone's voice and vote matter and how even if the choice we voted for didn't win, it was important that we shared our opinion and worked together.

[Abbie McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

V is for Voting is an alphabet book about the political and activist rights we have as American citizens. It introduces concepts about social justice, civil rights, and the citizens right to vote and voice their opinions.
This book would be great to have in a classroom, especially during voting times. It will help children understand the importance of voting and why you need to vote. This could be used during a lesson on voting and then we could host a mock vote with the students in the classroom, so they begin to understand the process of democracy and how a vote works.

[Emma Hoeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how simple but impactful this book was. I also liked how the author at the end put the timeline of when people were allowed to start voting, because it is important for students to know. This book also showed all types of diversity, and a student could hopefully find a window or a mirror in this book. I feel like this would be a good way to introduce the idea of voting to students since it shows a general idea of how you decide who to vote for and how important it is to vote when you are of age.

[Ali Manspeaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes through the ABCs giving each letter an important word/phrase in regards to making your voice heard and fighting for change. Because of the repetitive nature of the book, I would not read it aloud but I think it is a good book to have in the classroom library for the students to read. I could make sure to suggest it/put it out in front during related topics in class. I also think it could double as a good book to help with sounding out/spelling if it were to be a read aloud for younger children.

[Natalie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. Not only is it an ABC book, but it also holds honest and important concepts. These all are acts of community involvement and our social system that children need to learn. Each letter represents an important topic while also having some sort of repetition or rhyme, which keeps children hooked into the story. I also love the illustrations throughout. Even if the story is simple, the illustrations on each page connect to the letter that phrases the lesson being shared. I would use this for a read-aloud 100%!