Children's books and activities
Civics and Our Government
Civics teaches kids about the rights each of us has as a citizen, as well as our responsibilities, such as voting or serving on a jury — and getting involved in our communities to make them better for all. Do you know any kids who are eager to volunteer in their communities? Or kids who are curious about the history of voting rights in the U.S., how a bill becomes a law, how we elect our President, and stories about life (and pets!) in the White House? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about civic engagement and our U.S. government.
Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as civics and our government. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
You might also want to look at our free toolkit, Our Democracy, where kids can explore our government, voting and voting rights, and active citizenship through books and activities.
Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Print List
A Is for Activist
By: Innosanto Nagara
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Each spread presents a letter and a bit of social commentary urging children to take a stand...
Apple Pie Fourth of July
By: Janet Wong
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z
By: Laura Krauss Melmed
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Counting on Community
By: Innosanto Nagara
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Concept Book
Counting up from one stuffed piñata to ten hefty hens — and always counting on each other —...
Duck for President
By: Doreen Cronin
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Do you think things would be better if you were in charge? Duck thinks he can do a better job...
E Is For Election Day
By: Gloria M. Gavris
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
An A-to-Z tour of the American electoral process., including B is for Ballots, C is for...
Everyone Gets a Say
By: Jill Twiss
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Pudding the snail and his animal friends give young children a charming introduction to...
Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney!
By: Leslie Kimmelman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Hats Off for the Fourth of July
By: Harriet Ziefert
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Parades are part of the fun of any Fourth of July celebration. Young readers are invited to join...
I Pledge Allegiance
By: Pat Mora
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Libby's great aunt, Lobo, is from Mexico, but the United States has been her home for many years...
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference
By: Mark Shulman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
This picture book explains the concept of choosing, individually, and as a group, from making a...
If Everybody Did
By: Jo Ann Stover
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Imagine the funny and terrible consequences of everyone doing his own thing! Children and adults...
It Takes a Village
By: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
A universal story of a diverse community coming together to make a difference. All kinds of...
Look Where We Live!: A First Book of Community Building
By: Scot Ritchie
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
This cheery picture book emphasizes the importance of community, describing the different facets...
Madame President
By: Lane Smith
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
A little girl does what all kids do at some point—imagines that she is the President of the...
Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile
By: Gloria Houston
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
Dorothy became a librarian to share her love of books and reading. How she started a library...
One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote
By: Bonnie Worth, Joe Mathieu
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The Cat in the Hat is back with Things 1 & 2 for a rhyming introduction to the steps in...
Plant a Little Seed
By: Bonnie Christensen
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Nonfiction
The Impossible Patriotism Project
By: Linda Skeers
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Caleb's class is making projects that represent patriotism but Caleb can't think of a way to...
The Park Our Town Built
By: Diane Gonzales Bertrand
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
In the style of "The House That Jack Built," Diane Gonzales Bertrand offers a lively picture...
Vote For Me!
By: Ben Clanton
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
The donkey wants your vote. So does the elephant. And each will do just about anything to win...
We March
By: Shane Evans
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Fiction
Two children aroused by their parents join a march for equal rights. Short sentences and semi-...
You Matter
By: Christian Robinson
Age Level: 3-6 years old
In this brightly illustrated picture book, many different perspectives around the world are...
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Print List
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
By: David Adler
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Born in 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up to become a civil rights leader whose philosophy...
A Very Important Day
By: Maggie Rugg Herold
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
This multicultural narrative brings 12 families together in celebration of the naturalization...
Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch
By: Chris Barton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An in-depth look at the Reconstruction period through the life of one of the first African-...
America Votes: How Our President Is Elected
By: Linda Granfield
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Elections are anything but dull, and participation is very important in a democracy. Just...
Ballots for Belva: The True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency
By: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
In 1884, when men were the only people allowed to vote in national elections, Belva Lockwood...
Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote
By: Kirsten Gillibrand
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Here are the stories of 10 leaders who strove to win the right to vote for American women--a...
Carl the Complainer
By: Michelle Knudsen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Celebrate Independence Day with Parades, Picnics, and Fireworks
By: Deborah Heiligman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Child of the Civil Rights Movement
By: Paula Young Shelton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The youngest daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young shares a time when she and her two...
City Green
By: DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
There is a garbage-filled, vacant lot on the street where Marcy lives. Instead of growing...
D Is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet
By: Elissa D. Grodin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An A-Z trip through our government's structure, from its earliest beginnings to definitions of...
Dear Mr. Rosenwald
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
A 10 year old girl narrates this fictionalized story, based on real events and people, of how...
Elizabeth Leads the Way
By: Tanya Lee Stone
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The life of early voting rights advocate, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is presented in a compelling...
Elizabeth Started All the Trouble
By: Doreen Rappaport
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Women could not attend college, enter politics or vote when the United States was established....
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty
By: Linda Glaser
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A gentle tribute to Emma Lazarus, who wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus" that gave a voice to...
Equality's Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America
By: Deborah Diesen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A poetic narrative charts the history of voting rights in the United States from the founders to...
Everyone Counts: A Citizens' Number Book
By: Elissa D. Grodin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court? Or, how many branches of government make up our...
Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote
By: Barb Rosenstock
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
When Woodrow Wilson was elected President, he didn't know that he would be participating in one...
First Garden and How It Grew
By: Robbin Gourley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
White House gardens started with John Adams in 1800 and continue with Michelle Obama. History...
Fly Guy Presents the White House
By: Tedd Arnold
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy, share what they learn when they visit the White House in...
Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies
By: Cokie Roberts
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Hear the stories of heroic, patriotic women such as Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Phillis...
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A girl and her mom want to have a sweet treat on a hot day but cannot sit at the soda fountain...
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen By Both Sides
By: Rosalyn Schanzer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Giant Steps to Change the World
By: Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A book about activism and taking the big steps to set things right, using examples of people...
Government for Kids
By: Baby Professor
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
From citizenship to governance, learn the basics about how state and federal governments work....
Grace for President
By: Kelly DiPucchio
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box
By: Michael Bandy, Eric Stein
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Based on the true story of one family’s struggle for voting rights in the civil rights-era South...
Happy Birthday, America
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Realistic watercolors present the summer celebration a boy shares with his family on the 4th of...
Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
By: Tony Hillery
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Discover the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. Tony...
Her Right Foot
By: Dave Eggers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Meet the Statue of Liberty. She came from across an ocean like many of the people she continues...
Hold the Flag High: The True Story of the First Black Medal of Honor Winner
By: Catherine Clinton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The story of the first Black Medal of Freedom winner and a stirring account of one of the most...
House Mouse, Senate Mouse
By: Peter Barnes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A look at the legislative process, from drawing up a bill and committee discussions to voting...
How to Make a Better World: For Every Kid Who Wants to Make a Difference
By: Keilly Swift
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This guide to making the world a better place is packed with inspiring ideas and tips for kids...
Howard Thurman's Great Hope
By: Kai Jackson Issa
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An introduction to one of the first leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, who became a prominent...
I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote
By: Linda Arms White
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
By: Debbie Levy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with...
Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth
By: Michelle Duster
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, feminist, businesswoman, newspaper owner, public...
Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told
By: Walter Dean Myers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Ida B. Wells worked bravely as an activist, educator, writer, journalist, suffragette, and...
If I Ran For President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Six children discuss what they would do if they were running for president, describing the...
If I Were President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Children describe the basic duties of the U.S. President, from campaign speeches to lighting the...
If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House
By: Jane O'Connor
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The "beautiful 200-year-old mansion on 18 acres of land right in the heart of downtown...
Imogene's Last Stand
By: Candace Fleming
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Meet Imogene Tripp, a plucky girl with a passion for history. So it’s not surprising that when...
Independence Cake
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Since little is known about the real Amelia Simmons, the author invites readers to imagine what...
John, Paul, George & Ben
By: Lane Smith
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Fact and fiction, old and new styles of illustration, wit and seriousness combine in this pithy...
Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation
By: Cokie Roberts
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Journals, letters and other primary sources were used to introduce "a few of the women who...
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
By: Andrea Pinkney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Brief sketches of the lives of both well-known (for example, Harriet Tubman) and lesser known...
Let the Children March
By: Monica Clark-Robinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
In 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, thousands of African American children volunteered to march for...
Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
By: Jonah Winter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
As she climbs the hill to the courthouse to proudly cast her vote for elected officials, Lillian...
Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare
By: Gene Barretta
Age Level: 6-9 years old
This brief introduction to two well-known U.S. Presidents presents similarities in their lives...
Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics
By: Catherine Thimmesh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This inspiring look at the role of women in American politics — past, present, and future —...
Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage
By: Claire Rudolf Murphy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
An inspiring story of the fight for women’s suffrage, based on the experiences of a real girl....
Marshall, the Courthouse Mouse: A Tail of the U. S. Supreme Court
By: Peter W. Barnes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Should mice be able to eat any cheese they please? That’s the question in front of Chief Justice...
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
By: Doreen Rappaport
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Martin Luther King Jr. grew up fascinated by big words. He would later go on to use these words...
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children
By: Jan Pinborough
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Here's the true story of how Anne Carroll Moore created the first children's room at the New...
Miss Paul and the President: The Creative Campaign for Women's Right to Vote
By: Dean Robbins
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Cast your vote for Alice Paul! The story of a tireless suffragette and the president she...
My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth
By: Ann Turner
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery but she would not remain enslaved. Instead, she took the...
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
By: Barack Obama
Age Level: 6-9 years old
In this tender letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to...
Out and About at City Hall
By: Nancy Garhan Attebury
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
A group of children go on a field trip for a guided tour of city hall, where they learn about...
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott
By: Dee Romito
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The life story of Georgia Gilmore, a woman whose pies and delicious homemade cooking helped...
Preaching to the Chickens: the Story of Young John Lewis
By: Jabari Asim
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
As a child, John Lewis always practiced his deep religious convictions, even with his much loved...
Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House
By: Julia Moberg
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The White House has hosted U.S. Presidents and their families which have often included First...
Red, White, and Boom!
By: Lee Wardlaw
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Revolutionary Friends
By: Selene Castrovilla
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Rutherford B., Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents
By: Marilyn Singer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Say Something
By: Peter H. Reynolds
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day...
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
By: Duncan Tonatiuh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end...
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World
By: Susan Hood
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
This book of poems introduces fourteen revolutionary young women—each paired with a noteworthy...
She Persisted: Claudette Colvin
By: Lesa Cline-Ransome
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
She was named after a white actress of the time, but this young Black girl’s life took a very...
She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm
By: Katheryn Russell-Brown
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Meet the dynamic educator, activist, and politician Shirley Chisholm. Even as a young child...
Shhh! We're Writing the Constitution
By: Jean Fritz
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb
By: Veronica Chambers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress, famously said, "If they don't give you a...
Smart About the First Ladies
By: Jon Buller
Age Level: 6-9 years old
So, You Want to Be President?
By: Judith St. George
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Anyone can be president, whether fat (William Howard Taft) or tiny (James Madison), relatively...
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
By: Andrea Beaty
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Sofia is a young girl who gets things done and has a great desire to help others. After her...
Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride
By: Andrea Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lively language and energetic illustrations create a memorable portrait of a woman who was to...
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
By: Marianne Celano
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The book follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a...
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx / La juez que crecio en el Bronx
By: Jonah Winter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poverty didn’t stop this girl from working hard, reading lots of books, and graduating top in...
Stand Up! Speak Up!: A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution
By: Andrew Joyner
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Celebrate young climate change activists in this charming story about an empowered girl who...
Start Now! You Can Make a Difference
By: Chelsea Clinton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
What can I do to help save endangered animals? How can I eat healthy? What do I do if I'm being...
Susan B. Anthony
By: Alexandra Wallner
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Susan B. Anthony lived and worked as a teacher when women were paid less for the same jobs...
Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers' Rights
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
After Frances Perkins witnessed the Triangle Waist Factory fire in 1911, she decided to work to...
The American Flag
By: Elaine Landau
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Learn about the history of the American flag in this book from the True Books: American History...
The Ballot Box Battle
By: Emily Arnold McCully
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
The inspiring story of a young girl named Cordelia whose relationship with her neighbor, the...
The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial
By: Susan E. Goodman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
More than a century before Brown v. Board of Education, there was Roberts v. City of Boston....
The Flag We Love
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Read this book aloud to young readers to teach them about the United States flag, its history,...
The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger
By: Colin Meloy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Pete Seeger was a musician, an activist, an environmentalist and more. An overview of his life...
The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams
By: Tanya Lee Stone
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The story of Jane Addams who transformed a poor neighborhood in Chicago by opening up her house...
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America
By: Kathleen Krull
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Discover the incredible life of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential...
The President of the Jungle
By: André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
The jungle animals are tired of being ruled by the selfish king of the jungle, Lion. The animals...
The Voice of the People: American Democracy in Action
By: Betsy Maestro
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
How do our leaders, from local mayors on up to Presidents and Supreme Court Justices, go about...
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
By: Cynthia Levinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Audrey Faye Hendricks was confident and bold and brave as can be, and hers is the remarkable and...
Those Rebels, John and Tom
By: Barbara Kerley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Truth or Lie: Presidents!
By: Erica Perl
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
In a question-and-answer format, proficient readers are quizzed about funny, interesting...
Unite or Die! The Story of the Thirteen Colonies
By: Jacqueline Jules
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Though the first U.S. Census didn't start until 1790, the Forest Lake Elementary School...
Vote for Our Future!
By: Margaret McNamara
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
The students of Stanton Elementary School learn how we can use our voices for change. Every two...
Vote!
By: Eileen Christelow
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The history of voting in the United States is presented using a town's mayoral election as...
Wackiest White House Pets
By: Katherine Gibbs Davis
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How are dogs, alligators, sheep, cats, and a host of other animals similar? They've all...
We Are Good Citizens
By: Ann Bonwill
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Kids can be good citizens, too. They have freedoms within the groups they belong to and...
We Came to America
By: Faith Ringgold
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
America is a country rich in diversity.No matter what brought them here, each person embodied a...
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
By: David Catrow
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
The dry, difficult words from the preamble to the constitution are made easy to understand...
We the People: The Constitution of the United States
By: Peter Spier
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
In this visual celebration of the U.S. Constitution and America's founding fathers, Peter Spier...
We the People: The Story of Our Constitution
By: Lynne Cheney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
An illustrated history of how the Constitution came to be. In May 1787 delegates from across the...
What Can a Citizen Do?
By: Dave Eggers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
Across several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions, we watch how kids turn a...
What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan
By: Chris Barton
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
From a very young age, Barbara Jordan had a voice that stood out. The repeated refrain, “what...
What Lincoln Said
By: Sarah Thomson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lincoln's own words punctuate this overview of his life and times including lighter moments...
What's the Big Deal About Elections
By: Ruby Shamir
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
From ballots to bonfires, from suffrage to stumping, this kid-friendly picture book filled with...
What's the Big Deal About Freedom
By: Ruby Shamir
Age Level: 6-9 years old
From the Constitution to civil rights, from women's rights to the four freedoms, this picture...
When Penny Met Potus
By: Rachel Ruiz
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Penny doesn’t know what POTUS means — she tries to figure it out while she’s with her mother at...
Who Makes the Rules? Types of Government
By: Zephyr
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Nonfiction
There are so many rules in Zephyr's life — rules about when to wake up, keeping his room clean...
Woodrow for President: A Tail of Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
By: Peter Barnes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fiction
Featuring Woodrow G. Washingtail, a civic-minded mouse with presidential ambitions, readers will...
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Print List
101 Small Ways to Change the World
By: Lonely Planet Kids, Aubre Andrus
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Find ways to help out family, friends, yourself and the planet and show how you're never too...
31 Ways to Change the World
By: We Are What We Do
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Small actions multiplied by lots of people equals big change! That’s the driving belief behind...
A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights
By: Kathleen Krull
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Find out what the Bill of Rights is and how it affects your daily life in this fascinating look...
Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights that Changed America
By: Russell Freedman
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Fifty years ago well-known civil rights leaders came together with other lesser known but key...
Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice
By: Debbie Levy
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This graphic biography tells the story of the shy little girl became a child who questioned...
Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony
By: Nikki Grimes
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, a staunch proponent of...
Civil Rights Pioneer: A Story About Mary Church Terrell
By: Gwenyth Swain
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Terrell worked to gain equal rights for herself and other African Americans, and is best-known...
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By: Philip Hoose
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Nine months before Rosa Parks’ history-making protest on a city bus, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year...
Dream Big Dreams: Photographs from Barack Obama's Inspiring and Historic Presidency
By: Pete Souza
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
With behind-the-scenes anecdotes of some iconic photos alongside photos with his family,...
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty
By: Tonya Bolden
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
What led up to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation? Who were the abolitionists and what...
Finish the Fight! The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
By: Veronica Chambers Staff of the, New York Times
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Who was at the forefront of women's right to vote? What about so many others from diverse...
For Which We Stand: How Our Government Works and Why It Matters
By: Jeff Foster
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
An illustrated handbook to active citizenship and our government, including the history of the...
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
By: Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The story of civil rights icon Fred Korematsu's fight against Japanese American incarceration...
Generation Fix: Young Ideas for a Better World
By: Elizabeth Rusch
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Young people see a need and work to better their world in this upbeat chronicle of youthful...
History Smashers: Women's Right to Vote
By: Kate Messner
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Susan B. Anthony wasn't even alive when the 19th Amendment was ratified. The truth is, it took...
How the U.S. Government Works
By: Syl Sobel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This easy-to-read book for children explains the federal system as it works in the U.S. today,...
How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea
By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in America with this story of the little-...
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This fact and fun-filled look at female contributions to the American Revolution provides a...
Kid Presidents
By: David Stabler
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Growing up is never easy, not even when one is on a path to the White House. Though each of...
Know Your Rights!: A Modern Kid's Guide to the American Constitution
By: Laura Barcella
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
In simple, accessible language, this book describes how the Constitution was drafted and who the...
Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger
By: Anita Silvey
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Pete Seeger lived a long life sharing his music and his convictions about equality with...
Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It
By: Andrea Pinkney
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
Inspired by storytelling's oral tradition and through a mix of fictional first-person narratives...
March: Book One
By: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
John Lewis, son of a sharecropper, grew up to become an activist and later, a U.S. Congressman....
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
By: National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Over 100 well-known authors and illustrators have provided pieces to this fascinating compendium...
President of the Whole Fifth Grade
By: Sherri Winston
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
A funny, heartfelt chapter book that illuminates the election process while inspiring determined...
Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote
By: Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The century-long struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States. In addition to its lively...
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Who was Arturo Alfonso Schomburg? He was an Afro-Puerto Rican man whose thirst for knowledge...
Small History of a Disagreement
By: Claudio Fuentes
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fiction
A lively introduction to voting, democracy, and activism for kids. Should an ancient monkey...
State Government
By: Karen Kenney
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Learn what state governments do (such as creating a budget to work on roads, fund schools, and...
The Bill of Rights: Protecting Our Freedom Then and Now
By: Syl Sobel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
When the U.S. Constitution was first written, many of the freedoms we now take for granted were...
The Everything U.S. Constitution Book
By: Ellen Kozak
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This accessible guide contains the complete text of the Constitution, with short, descriptive...
The Kid's Guide to Service Projects
By: Barbara Lewis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This new edition of the best-selling youth service guide includes a refreshed Ten Steps to...
The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America's Presidents
By: Kate Messner
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
A delightful march through our nation’s presidents, focusing on where they were and what they...
Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation
By: Peggy Thomas
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
A well-research picture book biography of Jefferson, with source notes for each quotation....
Together We March
By: Leah Henderson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Learn about 25 groundbreaking protest movements that have shaped the way we fight for equality...
Understanding Your Role in Elections
By: Jessica Gunderson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
What do campaigns, candidates, polls, and the Electoral College have to do with voting for our...
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Stirring poems and vibrant collage illustrations combine to celebrate the life of Fannie Lou...
Voices from the March on Washington
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Poetry
An August day on the national Mall has been made famous by the powerful "I Have a Dream" speech...
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices
By: Wade Hudson Cheryl Willis Hudson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators — including Jason Reynolds,...
We The People: The United States Constitution Explored and Explained
By: Aura Lewis, Evan Sargent
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
See the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. government in a new light with this bold, modern and...
What Does a Mayor Do?
By: David Jakubiak
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Discusses the duties of mayors, how they get into office, the responsibilities of local...
What Is the Constitution?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
The Framers — 55 men from almost all of the original 13 states — argued fiercely for many months...
When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You
By: Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Eleanor Roosevelt’s book on citizenship for young people now revised and updated for a...
Where Do Presidents Come From?
By: Michael Townsend
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Covering political history from the mid-1700s to the present day, this comic book guide uses...
Words That Built a Nation: Voices of Democracy That Have Shaped America’s History
By: Marilyn Miller
Age Level: 9-12 years old
From the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on same-sex...
You Are Mighty
By: Caroline Paul
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Being a good citizen means standing up for what’s right ― and here’s just the way to start. From...
You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?
By: Jean Fritz
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
This biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is as spirited as the women's rights pioneer herself....
Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist
By: Philip Dray
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Nonfiction
Journalist Ida B. Wells faces the greatest challenge of her life as a tireless crusader for...
Hands-on Activities
Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.
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"I Am America" Quilt
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3 Branches of Government Mobile
Start with a Book -
Ben's Government Crossword
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Bill of Rights: Illustrate the Amendments
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Constitutional Amendments Fortune Teller
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Design Your Own Money
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Design Your Own Stamp Template
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Family Postal Service
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Government in Your Community Scavenger Hunt
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Heroes: Fighting for Voting Rights
Start with a Book -
I Have a Dream Mobile
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Issues and Action
Start with a Book -
Kid's Guide to Running for President
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Kindness Jar
Start with a Book -
Making a Difference Pledge
Start with a Book -
President for a Day
Start with a Book -
Red, White and Blue Nature Scavenger Hunt
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Suffrage Cat
Girl Scouts -
Suffragists Trading Cards
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt -
Votes for Women Game
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt -
We Vote!
Start with a Book -
Wishing Tree
Start with a Book -
Writing a Petition!
Summer Writing
Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.
Great Websites for Kids
Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.
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2020 Census Challenge
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Activate: Community Involvement Online Game (iCivics)
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Amazing Apportionment Machine (U.S. Census)
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Argument Wars: Try a Real Supreme Court Case (iCivics)
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Ben's Guide to U.S. Government
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Brain Pop: Elections
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Brain Pop: The Law
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Brain Pop: U.S. Government
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Brain Pop: U.S. Presidents
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Cast Your Vote (iCivics)
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Checks and Balances Game
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Civic Learning Week
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Executive Command: Be President! (iCivics)
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How a Bill Becomes a Law
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How Coins Are Made
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How to Become President of the United States
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iCivics
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Immigration Nation (iCivics)
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Interactive Constitution
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Kid Governor
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Kids in the House
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Law Craft: Be a Member of Congress (iCivics)
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Meet the Helpers (PBS)
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My Voice National Student Mock Election
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Represent Me: Meet the Needs of Your Constituents (iCivics)
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Schoolhouse Rock: America Rock!
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Sortify: U.S. Constitution Game
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Supreme Decision
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The Electoral College Explained
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U.S. Census: Getting an Accurate Count
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U.S. Census: We Count Everyone in the U.S.A.!
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U.S. Census: We Count Everyone in Your Neighborhood
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U.S.Census Quiz for Kids
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We the Civics Kids
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Win the White House (iCivics)
Great Podcasts for Kids
Listen and learn with these podcasts especially for kids. These podcasts are free and easy to listen to from any device via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher — or from Listen Notes, a podcast search engine.
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The Big Fib
Gen-Z Media -
After the Fact: The Birthplace of America
Pew Charitable Trust
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But Why: Who Makes the Laws?
Vermont Public Radio
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Constitutional: Framed
The Washington Post
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Electoral Elementary
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In Memory: Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
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KidNuz: News to Grow On
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Let Kids Vote!
The Fina Mendoza Mysteries
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Presidential Elections
The Children's Hour
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The Magic Sash: Women's Suffrage
TRAX from PRX and Gen-Z Media
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The Notorious RBG
Ear Snacks
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The Past and the Curious: Museum Tales!
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This Day in History Class: Boston Tea Party, Dec. 16, 1773
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US and UK Politics: Constitutions
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Why Can't Kids Vote?
Vermont Public Radio
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Young Ben Franklin: A Declaration of Independence
Educational Apps
Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.
More Themed Resources
Growing Readers Tip Sheets
Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.
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Five Literacy-Based Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
Preparing 21st Century Learners
Download PDF: English | Spanish -
The Importance of Reading Widely
Download PDF: English | Spanish
Our Summer Blog
Washington DC for Kids
