Grace Goes to Washington by Kelly DiPucchio Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Published by Disney-Hyperion on September 3, 2019
Genres: Picture Book, Contemporary
Pages: 40
Source: Blog Tour
"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.
Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD
This book provides a fun way for kids to learn about the three branches of government. Woodrow Wilson Elementary’s student council has to decide how to use the money from a bake sale, but they can’t seem to agree. Grace realized that the way the student council works is sort of like the three branches of government (with the student council itself like Congress). Grace doubts that the student council will ever be able to come up with an idea they agree on. When she goes on a field trip to Washington DC, she sees a quote that inspires her to come up with a new plan, and the vote is a success!
This book is a perfect tool for the classroom and a great way to get kids thinking about how our government works. I love the fact that the author created a setting that kids could relate to (a school’s student council) and related it to something big and mystifying like our government. Plus, the overall message will inspire kids toward kindness, which is always a win. The book might be a little unrealistically optimistic when it comes to the voting results, but it is a children’s picture book—its goal is probably more inspiration and instruction than realism. 🙂
Useful notes at the end of the book explain a bit more about the jobs of each of the three branches of government, as well as list some ideas on how kids can make a difference in their communities!
***Disclosure: I was scheduled to receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but it didn’t arrive in time, so I checked it out at my local library. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Another book about Grace:
I also decided to read Grace for President (since Grace Goes to Washington is a follow-up to it—apparently, even with picture books I feel compelled to read all the books in a series).
This book is a great tool for helping kids understand how our electoral college works. It explains it in a simple enough way for kids to understand and lets them see it in action with a school election. It’s also inspiring for girls to help them imagine that they might one day be able to be president!
About the Author
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.
3 winners will receive a finished copy of GRACE GOES TO WASHINGTON, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/1/2019- BookHounds YA– Review
10/2/2019- Paper Reader– Review
10/3/2019- Cindy’s Love of Books– Excerpt
10/4/2019- Savings in Seconds– Review
Week Two:
10/7/2019- The Pages In-Between– Review
10/8/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction– Review
10/9/2019- Dazzled by Books– Review
10/10/2019- Wonder Struck– Review
10/11/2019- fictitious.fox– Review
Week Three:
10/14/2019- Life Within The Pages– Review
10/15/2019- Spoiled Girl– Review
10/16/2019- Beagles and Books– Review
10/17/2019- Avid Reader– Excerpt
10/18/2019- Nerdophiles– Review
Week Four:
10/21/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads– Review
10/22/2019- Book-Keeping– Review
10/23/2019- Two dogs and a book– Excerpt
10/24/2019- Little Red Reads– Review
10/25/2019- Two points of interest- Review
I’m sure my grandson would like that book.
I hope you entered the giveaway so maybe you can win him a copy!
This sounds like a great follow-up to Grace For President.
It is!
I’m glad this is a good read for grade schoolers, Nicole. It’s nice to have fun ways to be introduced to things like our government. 🙂
Yes, I would have loved a book like this to introduce me to the topic when I was a kid.
This sounds wonderful. I spent the day with my 5 year old nephew on Sunday and I bet that he would love this along with his twin sister.
It would be great for those ages!
I remember the first one, so this one sounds good too! Thanks for sharing!
had heard of the first one but hadn’t checked it out until now. I’m glad I did!
I saw Kelly speak at a conference in Indianapolis last year. I enjoyed hearing her and like several of her books. Thanks for the chance to win!
I love hearing authors speak at conferences and events—it gives you that much more of a connection to their books!