The Next President

The first political debate I ever engaged in was during the 1976 election between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. I was nine. I remember arguing with this girl Danielle on the playground at recess about why Carter was the better candidate, while she was sure that Ford was the best one. Of course, at that age we were mostly parroting the views of our parents, but that didn’t make our “debate” any less real or unimportant.

There are kids of all ages who are probably having the same kind of argument on the playground right now (or over Zoom). Many are part of a generation that is far more politically engaged than previous ones. My 17 year old niece is writing postcards to undecided voters, for example. But with all of the ugliness and negativity around this years’ race, and the daunting task of sifting through an avalanche of political news and information, how do you inspire children to pay attention to the presidential race and maybe even think about becoming president themselves?

First, by giving them the truth, of course. And I believe hope and optimism will always be a better teacher than fear and pessimism. I’m not talking about blind patriotism, but showing how the hard work of public service can be rewarding even if it is done by imperfect men and women.

There are many books for young readers about voting, how government works, and about the presidency. There a lists of these all over the internet and in bookstores and libraries. (Go check them out!) But I liked the unique premise and the hopeful optimism of Kate Messner’s The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future Of America’s Presidents, with illustrations by Adam Rex.

Couldn’t we all use some hopeful optimism right now? In this book we can imagine a future president who might be one of those kids debating on the playground. The Next President opens by telling readers that:

America has only one president at a time. But no matter who holds the job right now, the presidents of tomorrow are always out there somewhere.

The author then breaks up the presidents into groups of four time periods that show what other presidents were alive during each term. For example, during JFK’s presidency we learn that ten future presidents were alive, and we find out interesting facts about them. Lyndon Johnson was the Vice President who had shined shoes as a kid. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer, and four future presidents were kids, including a saxophone playing Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush who had joined the cheerleading squad at his school. These tidbits are relatable to kids and humanize the people who become our nation’s highest office holder. The illustrations that cleverly number each president reinforce the idea that presidents don’t just come out of nowhere. They are all out in the world doing everyday jobs and living ordinary lives. But of course this is no ordinary job. The cover illustration of a shadowy figure in the entrance of the White House illuminated by a golden, glowing light is not a King, but a public servant that is dwarfed by the size of the White House, and of the magnitude of the job.

But the over riding message is that you too, kid on the playground, can become president. The end tells children that there are probably three kids who are alive right now who will become President one day. She asks the reader:

What are they doing right now?

And then she answers by giving ordinary things that children do like schoolwork and learning to dance and:

Making art…or making change. For now, they’re busy growing up, growing into the job.

I like that. Growing into the job. Good advice for young readers no matter what they want to do.

The last pages list all of the states that have sent a president to the White House, and the ones that have not. And then it says:

But maybe YOU will be the first!

Indeed. After reading this book some child just might be. No, they will be.