Show Up and Vote
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, political activist, and feminist icon comes a story of connectedness and collective responsibility, as told through the eyes of a young child going to vote for the first time.
Singer-songwriter, activist, feminist, and best-selling author Ani Di Franco has penned a lyrical narrative for her youngest audience: a picture book about the eye-opening act of voting. A young girl accompanies her mother to their local polling station and pays witness to the commonality of this experience. Her mother gently reinforces the great responsibility and importance of this act, while the girl moves through feelings of excitement, nervousness, and ultimately, invigoration. Rachelle Baker adds an authentic neighborhood feel in a range of bright, bold colors and familiar faces, establishing a realistic and relatable setting. An age-appropriate call-to-action for all young citizens.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Speaking in flashback, a narrator recalls how "i learned what it meant/ to show up and vote" in this work that offers a pulsing message of empowerment and collective action. Though a child is reluctant to head out to the polls on a rainy November day, their "mama said listen,/ we're on a mission/ that, by definition,/ no one can do for us." At the polling place, a neighbor helps voters sign in, and the presence of friends and acquaintances inspires a key observation: "looks like the whole neighborhood's/ got the same job to do." Musician and activist DiFranco takes a conversational approach to voter education, centering feelings of belonging, pride, and excitement, and describing voting as "where it all starts/ where us people/ have a say." Baker's stylized, poster-like digital illustrations amplify the narrative's we're-in-it-together vibe, visualizing a vintage polling place and its operations (including a curtained booth) as part of community care. The protagonists read as Black; background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3–6.
