Disclosure: I participated in the blog tour for this book. Post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.
One of my family’s favorite trips was our visit to Washington D.C. My kids loved seeing the government buildings, museums, and historic monuments. I had the chance to visit again a few years ago on an extended field trip with my school. Many children will not have the opportunity to see Washington, at least while they’re young, so I’m grateful there are books like Grace Goes to Washington to support what they’re learning in the classroom.
This picture book presents the three branches of government in a colorful diagram. The main character, Grace, isn’t afraid to ask questions that help her connect these concepts to familiar situations. Subtle references to current political vibes (such as referring to a female president) open the door to fresh conversations with young minds. I love that Grace is presented in a leadership role via student council; this is a great way to encourage children to put themselves forward to bring change.
I did not receive my copy of the book in time for the tour, so my observations come from the online preview. The illustrations feature students from various ethnic backgrounds, a nod to diversity. I’d like to see some special needs students pictured as well.
About the Book
Title: GRACE GOES TO WASHINGTON
Author: Kelly DiPucchio, LeUyen Pham (Illustrations)
Pub. Date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 40
“Who’s in charge here?”
When Grace learns about the three branches of the United States government, she and the rest of the student council put the lesson into practice as they debate how to spend the money from a school fund-raiser. Should they buy new sports equipment? Books for the library? Instruments for the music room? The arguments continue as they travel to Washington, DC, for a field trip. Exploring government buildings and national monuments, Grace feels closer than ever to her dream of becoming president someday. But she and her classmates have a lot to learn about what it means to serve the needs of the people, especially when the people want such different things!
In this follow-up to New York Times best seller Grace for President, Kelly DiPucchio not only introduces how our government makes decisions, but also shares what it takes to be a true public servant.
About Kelly:
Kelly is the award-winning author of several children’s books, thousands of To-Do lists, and a few recipe cards. Two of her books, Grace For President and The Sandwich Swap, were New York Times bestsellers.
Like most kids who grew up in the 1970’s, Kelly had a pet goat and bought all her clothes from the Sears catalog. Like most teenagers who grew up in the 1980’s, Kelly had really big glasses and feathered hair.
Today, Kelly lives with her husband and three children in southeastern Michigan, where she enjoys writing just about everything except her own bio.
looks like a cute book and great to get kids away of politics
One of my fondest memories was a trip to Washington with my mom! This looks like such a great little book to reinforce the learns to kids!
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this looks so cute!
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This sounds like a fun way to discuss politics with kids. I love books that entertain and educate at the same time!
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Very cute cover, my granddaughter would love to read this book.
This looks like a wonderful book. My kids would definitely enjoy reading it.
I always have books for my grandkids to read in our home! Their minds are young and ready to mold into anything they want to be!
My niece would enjoy this book. A great way to have a discussion starter and I love the cover!
The cover is really cute, this sounds like a great book
This looks like such a cute book!! I hope I win!!
Looks like a great book for my grandsons
This book looks SO incredibly cute! We just adopted a little girl while we were serving overseas and she’s in first grade and we’ve been struggling to explain how American is different from her birth country. This looks exactly what we were looking for! I even love that the kids are so diverse looking.
This looks like a fun and informative book.
Great to start engaging on civics so early and be able to have a conversation about bettering community, state, nation and even world. I like civics myself but it seems a little twisted right now, not focused on the can but on the what was. I don’t like that.
I look forward to reading it with my granddaughter who lives in Washington DC
This looks perfect for our constitution homeschool study.
This book looks so cute!