Every four years, Americans get to cast their ballots and decide who should be the next president of the United States. Election Day this year falls on November 5th, and as children watch the adults in their life travel to their local polling stations or mail in their ballots with their pick for president, they are sure to have lots of questions about elections, voting, and democracy. This month’s S-Collection blog features books that explore democracy and voting rights in America through both fiction and nonfiction texts. The picture book section features books that illuminate the history of voting rights and its continued importance, while the juvenile chapter book section explores elections, voting, and civil justice through the eyes of fictional kids just trying to make it through the school day. Finally, the juvenile nonfiction section expands upon the history of democracy and voting rights in America, with a focus on how far we have come and how much father we still must go. Whether your reader wants to read pictures books, chapter books, or longer-form nonfiction books to explore the history of Americans’ trips to the polls, you can find it all in the SSHEL S-Collection!

Picture Books

Duster, Michelle
Illustrated by: Laura Freeman
Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth: Educator, Feminist, and Anti-Lynching Civil Rights Leader. 2022. Picture Book.
No discussion of voting rights history is complete without exploring how racial discrimination marred the women’s suffrage movement and was confronted by trailblazers such as the inspiring Ida B. Wells. This narrative biography of Wells, written by her great-granddaughter, reveals how African American women played an important role in the womens movement from the very beginning. Young readers will be amazed by the story of this civil rights leader, feminist, and co-founder of the NAACP who stood up for social justice and helped shaped American democracy.
Q. SB. W453du

MacLeod, Elizabeth
Illustrated by: Emily Chu
Get Out and Vote: How You Can Shape the Future. 2023. Picture Book.
In this nonfiction picture book, author Elizabeth MacLeod explores the (sometimes strange) history of democracy and voting all around the world and particularly in America. Through accessible language and colorful illustrations, readers will be introduced to a variety of complex topics in the world of voting rights, including accessible ballots, the voting process, and voter suppression. The message about how your vote can help change the future shines throughout this informative and engaging read.
S.324.65 M225ge

Shulman, Mark
Illustrated by: Serge Bloch
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference. 2020. Picture Book.
In this book about the importance of making your voice heard through voting, author Mark Shulman describes all the factors that go into casting a ballot, from researching candidates to watching debates to talking with others in your community. Simple descriptions of the government branches and voting mechanics add further depth to this informational book. Shulman also encourages grown-ups to bring the kids in their lives with them when they go to cast their ballot in November to introduce them to the power of doing your civic duty.
S.324.6 Sh925i

Juvenile Fiction

Beaty, Andrea
Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote. 2022. Juvenile Fiction.
Sofia Valdez and her classmates have a difficult choice to make: Should their class pet be a turtle or a bird? There is no better student to organize this important election than Sofia herself, who was first introduced in the picture book Sofia Valdez, Future Prez. When the tie-breaking ballot in the election goes missing, however, Sofia’s skills are put to the test. This chapter book expands on Sofia’s story as she and her classmates learn about voting, journalism, and campaigning in this fourth installment of the Questioneers series.
Available online

Sales, Leila
Illustrated by: Kim Balacuit
The Campaign. 2020. Juvenile Fiction.
Seventh-grader Maddie Polanksy is looking forward to staying out of the spotlight throughout her middle school career. After all, while she doesn’t have many friends, she has her art class with Mr. Xian to look forward to each day, and that’s all she really needs! However, when Maddie realizes that unopposed mayoral candidate Lucinda Burghart is planning to cut funding for arts education when she wins office, Maddie decides it’s time to advocate for what she believes is right. After convincing her babysitter Janet to run for mayor as Lucinda’s only opposition, Maddie learns about democracy, campaigning, and activism in this lighthearted yet suspenseful juvenile chapter book.
Available online

Weaver, Lila Quintero
My Year in the Middle. 2018. Juvenile Fiction.
This book transports readers back to 1970s Alabama, where sixth grader Lu Olivera is struggling to find her place in the budding civil rights and desegregation movements. Lu, a first-generation immigrant whose parents are from Argentina, finds herself “in the middle” as some students in her class stick to the status quo and while others bravely campaign for change. The backdrop of George Wallace’s 1970 reelection campaign, as well as how civil rights supporters have always had a powerful role in the history of voting and democracy in America, adds context and historical insights to this touching story of a young activist finding her voice.
S. W3796my

Juvenile Nonfiction

Levinson, Cynthia, and Levinson, Sanford
Fault Lines in the Constitution, the Graphic Novel: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today. 2020. Juvenile Nonfiction.
The U.S. Constitution was certainly an impactful historical text, but was it a perfect one? In Fault Lines in the Constitution, authors Cynthia and Sanford Levinson bring light to the various issues embedded in this document through both a historical and present-day lens. Through informative text and illustrated infographics, readers will begin to learn what flaws exist in the Constitution and how there is potential to change it for the better – after all, the Constitution’s own authors designed it to be ever-evolving. The book is made even more engaging by its graphic novel format. Tune in to figure out what letter grade Cynthia and Sanford ultimately give this important historical document…it could be lower than you might think.
S.342.73029 L578f2020

Miller, Marilyn and Scordato, Ellen
Illustrated by: Mary Kate McDevitt
Words that Built a Nation: Voices of Democracy that have Shaped America’s History. 2018. Juvenile Nonfiction.
This collection, updated from the original 1999 version, compiles the voices of dozens of civil rights advocates, U.S. government officials, and other powerful figures who played a large part in shaping America’s history. Essays and speeches from notable people such as Barack Obama, Shirley Chisholm, Red Cloud, Frederick Douglass, César Chávez, and more are placed alongside important American documents such as Supreme Court decisions. Each first-hand entry is accompanied by illustrations and commentary that add context and nuance to these foundational documents that have changed American politics forever.
S.973 M616w2018

Rubin, Susan Goldman
Give Us The Vote!: Over 200 Years of Fighting for the Ballot. 2020. Juvenile Nonfiction.
While many may assume that the struggle for voting rights and universal suffrage are in America’s past, author Susan Goldman Rubin’s book shows that this is far from the truth. In fact, the fight for the right to vote continues to this day. Modern-day voter suppression in realms such as gerrymandering, as well as the often-untold history of suffrage movements in the African American and Native American communities, are explored in depth in this illuminating book that is sure to interest anyone who wants to learn more about democracy and elections this November.
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