"Where are the girls?" asks Grace in regard to a poster of the U.S. presidents. Grace decides she wants to be president, so her teacher sets up an election. Unfortunately, Grace's popular opponent has the numbers on his side. Pham's spirited illustrations showing students of different ethnicities are a good match for the lively text. An author's note explains the electoral college.

When Mrs. Barrington rolls out a poster displaying all the U.S. presidents' portraits, the observing and bold Grace Campbell asks, "Where are the GIRLS?" Learning from her teacher that a female head of state is yet to be, Grace decides she will become the first woman president--of her grade, that is. Running against her rival Thomas Cobb in Mr. Waller's class proves to be more challenging than anticipated. Through the process, Grace campaigns diligently, creates platforms and learns how the Electoral College operates. DiPucchio demonstrates the intricacies of the process with each boy and girl representing one of the states and their corresponding electoral votes. Creating a bit of fait-accompli drama, she has readers assume the favored will be "the best man for the job" Thomas Cobb, since all the boys hold a few more electoral votes than the girls. But true democracy prevails when the last state of Wyoming casts its three remaining votes for "the best person" and Grace is declared the winner. Pham's deeply toned opaque and textured paintings of a multicultural group of children bring out the various details of each phase of a campaign. A timely, well-constructed explanation brought down to a level anyone can comprehend. (author's note) (Picture book. 7-10)

Grace can't believe there has never been a girl president, and decides to run in her school's mock election. Her opponent, Thomas, is tough competition; he's the spelling bee champ, science fair blue ribbon winner, and captain of the soccer team. The students draw state names from a hat, with the number of electoral votes for each state. Thomas isn't campaigning as hard as Grace because he has figured out that the boys have more electoral votes than the girls do. On Election Day, with only one state left, the tally stands at 268 electoral votes for Thomas, and 267 for Grace. Wyoming, with its three electoral votes is last, but Thomas isn't worried--a boy represents Wyoming. However, Wyoming casts his three votes for the best person for the job, Grace. This is an excellent explanation of the Electoral College, which is further explained in the Author's Note. The illustrations are colorful, and depict the various aspects of political campaigns. While the readership of this title is elementary students, Social Studies teachers at upper levels might consider this as a good way to introduce a concept that isn't always easily understood. This is a timely title, with a likeable heroine. Highly Recommended. Tracy Fitzwater, Librarian, Crescent School District, Joyce, Washington

DiPucchio (Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom!) delivers a lively and well-timed lesson on the electoral system. Grace, dismayed to learn there has never been a female U.S. president, announces she'd like to hold that office someday. Calling it a "star-spangled idea," the teacher organizes an election, with each student representing a different state and casting its allotted number of electoral votes. Depicted with comical hyperbole in Pham's (Freckleface Strawberry) characteristic style, Grace's superstar opponent is smart, popular, athletic Thomas. Shrewdly calculating that the boys hold more electoral votes than the girls, Thomas studies and plays soccer while Grace diligently delivers speeches, offers free cupcakes, holds rallies and even begins to fulfill her campaign promises (the text doesn't comment on the other obvious difference: Thomas is white and Grace is a child of color). Not surprisingly, a boy casts the winning ballot for Grace, proclaiming her "the best person for the job." High-spirited images include Grace posing as Lady Liberty, speaking from the top of a bunting-draped jungle gym and kissing a baby. (The don't-miss-it picture is at the beginning, of kids looking at a poster containing the presidents' portraits, all of them rendered to an almost photographic likeness by Pham). An endnote clarifies the workings of the Electoral College. Ages 5-9. (Feb.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Gr 1-4-When her teacher displays a poster of all the American presidents, Grace asks with alarm, "Where are the girls?" Dismayed to learn that there have been no women, she announces that she will run for president someday. Mrs. Barrington proposes that she practice by running for president of the elementary school, and the race is on. Her formidable opponent is Thomas Cobb, spelling-bee champion, science-fair winner, and soccer-team captain. DiPucchio succeeds at the daunting task of explaining the Electoral College to young children as the other students are randomly assigned to represent states and their corresponding number of delegates. The illustrations of Grace capture a sense of boundless enthusiasm. Her loose dreadlocks bouncing, she seems to almost jump from the page as she throws herself into the campaign. Grace is African American, but race is never discussed as the delegates quickly begin dividing themselves along gender lines. Oddly enough for a book about equality, there are a few stereotypes present. Grace gives away cupcakes while Thomas studies his science. At the mock convention, the delegates line up to cast their votes. The boy representing Alaska looks like an Eskimo dressed in a hooded fur coat while the girl from Arizona wears a feathered headdress. The story shows how difficult an election campaign can be, as Grace tries to be everywhere and do everything possible to win support. Thought-provoking and timely, this book will be useful in discussing both the positive and negative aspects of United States election campaigns.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.