D Is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Alphabets) - Hardcover

Grodin, Elissa; Jahasz, Victor

4.17

98 ratings by Goodreads

9781585362349: D Is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Alphabets)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585362344 ISBN 13: 9781585362349

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2004

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Despite the banter in today's media, many Americans are still in the dark when it comes to knowing and acting upon their rights and responsibilities as citizens of a democratic society. In refreshingly candid and straight-to-the-point language author Elissa Grodin takes readers of all ages on an A-Z trip through our government's structure, from its earliest beginnings to definitions of basic components and concepts (including immigration and taxation). Engaging, disarming, and frequently thought-provoking artwork from illustrator Victor Juhasz emphasizes the magnitude of the subject. From founding fathers, first ladies, and the First Amendment to the presidential oath of office, D is for Democracy details the political processes, parties, and people of democracy, American-style. Elissa D. Grodin grew up in a large family in Kansas City, Missouri, and was fifteen years old when she started to write short stories. While living in London in the late '70s, she wrote for the Times Literary Supplement and New Statesman. After moving to New York, she studied at the School of Visual Arts and met her husband, actor Charles Grodin, while interviewing him for American Film magazine. D is for Democracy is her second children's book with Sleeping Bear Press. She also wrote N is for Nutmeg: A Connecticut Alphabet. Elissa lives with her family in Wilton, Connecticut. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Victor Juhasz began illustrating in 1974. His humorous illustrations and caricatures have been commissioned by major magazines, newspapers, advertising agencies, and book publishers both national and international, and his clients include Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and GQ. Victor lives in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

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From Booklist:

Gr. 5-8. The organizing device for this book on the U.S and its government is the alphabet, with each letter introducing a person, place, thing, or concept. From "Amendment" and "Bill of Rights" to "You and me" and "Zeitgeist," each letter inspires a rhymed couplet about the topic, though some are a bit arcane: "X marks the spot / for a meeting one fall / of the very first Congress / in Philadelphia's Carpenter's Hall." The accompanying text includes two or three informative paragraphs written in polysyllabic words at a much higher reading level than the verse. The book's intended audience is a puzzle, as readers old enough to understand the text may well be put off by the alphabet theme and the verse. However, the broad appeal of Juhasz's colorful artwork is clear. Sure to please anyone from young children to adults, the drawings have an informal, accessible look bolstered by abundant energy, evident skill in caricature, and a sure sense of composition. For larger collections. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review:

"Clever, colorful cartoon illustrations and caricatures help make this book attractive and fun...The text offers a great deal of information about the history of democracy, the development and processes of American government, and the people who have contributed to our country...A charming and informative volume."
--"School Library Journal" (October 2004)

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