Children's Book Council Publishes Online Election Bibliography

With the 2004 presidential election process in full swing, the Children's Book Council (CBC) has made available on its Web site, www.cbcbooks.org [1], an annotated bibliography of election-related titles for young people in grades K - 12.

The list, which is divided into the categories of Grades K - 3, Grades 4 - 6, Grades 7 - Up, and About the Presidents, provides a wide range of fiction and nonfiction titles for classroom and home use. In addition to bibliographic information, each entry includes a brief description of the book, as well as grade and age ranges.

"Current controversy makes it clear that booksellers are a prime source for political information in their communities," said CBC Marketing Director Michelle Bayuk. "We also know that in a presidential election year parents and teachers are particularly eager to introduce kids to the political process.

"Our new Election Bibliography was conceived as a comprehensive look at the books available on the electoral process and the history of U.S. politics from Children's Book Council member publishers. It was our intention that booksellers could use it as an easy reference for their customers. More to the point, thanks to some great coverage on list-servs, Web sites, and online newsletters, as well as the huge number of regular visitors to the CBC Web site, we are sure that many parents and teachers will seek out their local bookseller to obtain these titles."

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the fight for women's right to vote and the trial of the "Chicago Seven," even a look at the controversial presidential election of 2000 and important Supreme Court Decisions are among the subjects of titles featured in "Election-Related Books for Young People." Biographies range from the two President Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington.