Vote for Me!

Vote for Me! is a funny, witty picture book by Ben Clanton. It features two characters on opposing sides of the political fence: donkey and elephant. Each character is encouraging the reader to vote for him by using a variety of political tactics that we, unfortunately, see in real-world politics all the time: flattery, empty promises, bribery, even spreading misinformation and lies about the opposing candidate.

For those who don’t follow American politics (so, likely the majority of Canadian children who would read this), some of the references and jokes might not land. However, the jokes aren’t obscure enough to muddle the point of the story. In essence, they are a little bonus for those who “get it”. The comedy holds up even for a reader who isn’t familiar with, for example, Uncle Sam.

The illustrations are clean and simple, with a minimalist colour palette. Donkey’s side of the page is primarily blue while elephant’s is mostly red—again, this adds a layer of meaning for those who “get it” without excluding those who don’t know that those colours connect to a specific political party. Cartoonish and fun, with the text all done in black-on-white speech bubbles, the book is eye-catching and engaging the whole way through.

I see a lot of potential uses for Vote for Me! as a classroom text at any age/grade level. It could easily be used as an introduction to elections, but there are also a lot of ethical issues raised here—is it right that Donkey tries to guilt the reader into voting for him using a family connection? Do we always HAVE to vote the way our family does? My copy of this book will definitely float between my house and my eighth-grade classroom.

Vote for Me! would appeal to fans of Clanton’s “Narwhal and Jelly” series, Mo Willems’ “Elephant and Piggie” series, or Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Duck! Rabbit! Good for adults and children alike, and a perfect discussion starter, Vote for Me! would make a great addition to any collection.