''Duck for President'' is the title of a
children's book
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
written by
Doreen Cronin
Doreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including ''Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type'', a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.
Life
Born in Queens, New York and growing up on Long Island, Cron ...
and
illustrated
An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video ...
by
Betsy Lewin
Betsy Reilly Lewin (born May 12, 1937) is an American illustrator from Clearfield, Pennsylvania. She studied illustration at Pratt Institute. After graduation, she began designing greeting cards. She began writing and illustrating stories for ...
. Released in 2004 through
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' Best Illustrated Book follows the further adventures of Farmer Brown's animals that were introduced in ''
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type''.
On April 9, 2007, the book was read by
Laura Bush as part of the annual
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
Easter egg roll.
Weston Woods Studios released a 15-minute animated version of the book, released as a bilingual DVD in 2004, the same year the book came out.
Plot summary
Duck becomes frustrated with Farmer Brown's rule over the farm, and holds an election to take over the farm. He goes to the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
and
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
's offices, then even visits the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. He then returns to the farm saying, "running a country is no fun at all."
Reception
Responses to ''Duck For President'' have been generally favorable.
Kirkus Reviews gave it a star review and wrote "Lewin follows Cronin's lead in losing no opportunity to lampoon recognizable political figures." and "the comedy flows freely on more levels than one, and there's sufficient hilarity for all." while the
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
noted "Lewin's characteristic humorous watercolors with bold black outlines fill the pages with color and jokes. Cronin's text is hilarious for kids and adults and includes a little math and quite a bit about the electoral process."
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
found "Though Cronin's latest Duck tale introduces the basic mechanics of the election process, it lacks many of the silly high jinks and clever plot turns that gave its predecessors their charm." but liked the illustrations calling them "a hoot"
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. found it an "Easy, funny intro to politics for your brood."
Awards
*2004 New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book, joint winner
*
2005 Book Sense Children's Illustrated Book of the Year, winner
See also
*
U.S. Elections
References
{{Reflist}
American picture books
Children's fiction books
2004 children's books
Fictional American politicians
Parody books
Books about ducks