President Pennybaker (Paula Wiseman Books) - Softcover

Kate Feiffer is a writer, a filmmaker, and a mother. She is the author of the picture books No Go Sleep!; President Pennybaker; But I Wanted a Baby Brother!; The Wild, Wild Inside; Which Puppy?; My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life; and Double Pink; and of the middle-grade novels Signed by Zelda and The Problem with the Puddles. She lives with her family on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Visit her at KateFeiffer.com.

Diane Goode is the illustrator of dozens of beloved and critically acclaimed picture books, including several written by Cynthia Rylant: Alligator Boy; When I Was Young in the Mountains, a Caldecott Honor Book; and most recently, Baby Face: A Book of Love for Baby. She is also the illustrator of President Pennybaker and My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life, both by Kate Feiffer. She lives and works in Watchung, New Jersey, with her husband, David, and their two dogs, Jack and Daisy. 

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Young Luke Pennybaker realizes that life is unfair after receiving one too many "no's" from his dad. In response, he decides to run for president. With his dog as running mate and campaign promises that address homework, sleeping late, and the right to a messy room, his candidacy quickly takes off. The "Birthday Party" candidate beats his Democratic and Republican rivals in a landslide. When he moves into the White House, which has been painted orange in response to Luke's persuasiveness, President Pennybaker soon learns that even free ice cream and presents won't please every one of his constituents. He promptly resigns, leaving the leadership of the nation to his dog. Deadpan narration allows the absurdity of the premise to carry the day, with plenty of help from the illustrations. Goode's breezy watercolors set just the right tone. Luke looks amusingly earnest and always very much a regular kid. Other characters are equally expressive, without being too exaggerated. Old-fashioned phones, televisions, and other implements set the action in an earlier era, neatly adjusted to include rich ethnic diversity and a female presidential candidate. The humor is deftly understated, both visually and verbally, making this an amusing and appealing send-up of politics and children's chores.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR
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