The President: America's Leader (Good Citizenship Library)

A look at the office of the President of the United States describes his/her powers, who can become president, the roles of the president, presidents who have changed the office, wartime presidents, and more.

Grade 3-6-- Even after the recent election hoopla, these titles will be useful for general information for the curious as well as for reports. The President summarizes the role and the powers of that office as originally defined in the Constitution, and then comments briefly on presidents up to 1991. There are two pages on some of the First Ladies. Notes on the changes in the presidency are interspersed with sideline issues such as the order of succession, primaries, and conventions. The Perot campaign is not mentioned. The Vote discusses the changes that have taken place concerning who can vote, noting in particular the problems faced by African-Americans and women. Subsequent chapters discuss how Americans register and vote, from paper ballots to machines. The final chapter tries to prepare young readers to make intelligent choices, covering the role of the media and how to get beyond ads to the facts. Both books use black-and-white and full-color illustrations, mainly photographs, for information and interest. Simple, clear writing covers the basic facts only. A small glossary and list of further reading are appended. Although there are many books on these topics, these two focus on useful specifics for students just learning about these important areas of citizenship. --Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus, OH
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