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.  

Children waving American flags.

Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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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...

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Apple Pie Fourth of July

By: Janet Wong

Age Level: 3-6 years old

A young girl worries that no one will buy the Chinese foods made by her family, especially on the...

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Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z

By: Laura Krauss Melmed

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Take a tour of our nation's capital — from A to Z — including both lesser and well-known sights...

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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 —...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney!

By: Leslie Kimmelman

Age Level: 3-6 years old

As Jenny rides her bike through town on the Fourth of July, she sees the townsfolk preparing for...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Plant a Little Seed

By: Bonnie Christensen

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Nonfiction

Two children start to plan their community garden while snow is still on the ground. Come spring...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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-...

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You Matter

By: Christian Robinson

Age Level: 3-6 years old

In this brightly illustrated picture book, many different perspectives around the world are...

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Age Level: 6-9 years old

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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...

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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...

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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-...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Carl the Complainer

By: Michelle Knudsen

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Fiction

Carl complains about everything until he discovers how to turn complaints into action — by writing...

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Celebrate Independence Day with Parades, Picnics, and Fireworks

By: Deborah Heiligman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Celebrate the birthday of the United States with food and fun while learning the history and...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen By Both Sides

By: Rosalyn Schanzer

Age Level: 6-9 years old

The Georges most prominent in early America — England's George III and America's George Washington...

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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...

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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....

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Grace for President

By: Kelly DiPucchio

Age Level: 6-9 years old

An inspired teacher, the discovery of the fact that all U.S. Presidents (so far) have been male,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote

By: Linda Arms White

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Hatmaker, wife, mother, pioneer, and activist, Esther Morris was instrumental in getting the vote...

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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...

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Ida B. Wells at her typewriter in illustrated book cover

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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 —...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Red, White, and Boom!

By: Lee Wardlaw

Age Level: 6-9 years old

From one end of the United States to the other, the 4th of July is celebrated: on beaches, with...

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Revolutionary Friends

By: Selene Castrovilla

Age Level: 6-9 years old

The friendship between Lafayette and Washington is dramatically told for sophisticated readers in a...

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Rutherford B., Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents

By: Marilyn Singer

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Sophisticated readers will appreciate the snippets of presidential history presented in a variety...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Shhh! We're Writing the Constitution

By: Jean Fritz

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Long ago in 1787, a group of men known as the Founding Fathers of the United States met in...

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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...

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Smart About the First Ladies

By: Jon Buller

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Brief, lighthearted looks at the wives of the U.S. Presidents from Martha Washington to Michelle...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Those Rebels, John and Tom

By: Barbara Kerley

Age Level: 6-9 years old

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were very different in everything from appearance to what they...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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""

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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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Age Level: 9-12 years old

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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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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cover of "Generation Fix" showing six teenagers, a lightbulb, and a tree

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...

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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...

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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,...

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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-...

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""

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...

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""

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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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....

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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""

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....

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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""

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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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""

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...

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illustrated cover of When You Grow Up to Vote showing kids around the word vote.

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...

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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...

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""

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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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