School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-With 24 pages per book, these titles are brief. Even so, elegant design and substantive content make them strong contenders. Each one tackles a specific component of U.S. government and describes, in brief, the influences and other formative issues surrounding it. For instance, in How the Government Works, the author explains that even though the original 13 colonies technically rebelled against Great Britain, they still borrowed ideas from the British government when forming their own. Contemporary aspects of each subject are described as well, such as the ongoing debate about the merits and demerits of the electoral college in How Elections Work. The nature of how the U.S. government is structured means that some content overlaps (the need for a constitutional convention is described in The Bill of Rights and The U.S. Constitution), but not so much that one title can be overlooked when ordering. The illustrations are a solid balance of archival paintings, maps, photographs, and graphics. VERDICT Just in time for the election season, a great primer for U.S. government classes. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Part of a middle-grade series about the workings of the U.S. government, this book gives basic historical information about the founding document. A choppy text discusses the rift with England, the Declaration's writing and dissemination, ratification, adaptation, and its continuing value as an instrument of "liberty and equality." Illustrations, archival document images, and sidebars add interest to the brief narrative. Reading list. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
