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Summary
Summary
A hilarous and satisfying election story from renowned author-illustrator Rosemary Wells.It's election time at Barkadelphia School, and popular kids Tiffany and Charles are already in the running. Unfortunately, they care a bit more about winning than they do about their voters. Before long, little Otto thows his hat in the ring; he doesn't have a flashy campaign, but he does have a big heart and a great idea -- he polls the students and asks them what THEY want for the school. When the ballots are finally counted, Otto wins by a landslide -- but he learns that while it's hard work running for president, it's even harder work BEING president.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-For a while it looks as though Otto doesn't stand a chance in the three-way race for president of Barkadelphia School. Tiffany's a cute and popular poodle who promises "More Mirrors in the Girls' Room!" And the platform of athletic bulldog Charles includes "Skateboards in the Halls!" Otto takes a different approach, though, and asks his canine classmates for their ideas to improve the school, such as healthy cafeteria foods and a homework help line. While the other two ramp up their rivalry with mudslinging, self-promotion, and parent-funded events, Otto's strategy of listening to everyone, "even the kindergartners," results in victory. Wells's skillful drawings highlight a host of appealing characters who are doglike in appearance, but clearly human in their actions. Individuals have distinct personalities. Most pages are neatly framed by borders decorated with paw prints, ballots, and other images related to the story. The author pokes gentle fun at election excesses to contrast her positive message of community and inclusiveness. Tiffany attracts other female poodles and Charles's all-male supporters all come from the bigger dog breeds, while Otto's good-hearted campaign reaches both genders and all types of dog. The satisfying conclusion demonstrates how a school election can lead to worthwhile change and be fun at the same time.-Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With a heavy-handed swat at big money, egocentric candidates and rumor-mongering, Wells's election-year tale features puppies running for Barkadelphia School president. Unfortunately, stereotyped characters and an unsurprising plot weaken the story considerably. The popular female poodles support cheerleader Tiffany, and the jocks rally around Charles, the bulldog football team captain, while gentle Otto, unlike the competition, actually listens to the desires of a variety of pint-size voters. Wells does portray several standard dirty tricks using devices children can understand. Charles's and Tiffany's rich parents try to buy the election with free burgers and pancakes, and when Tiffany puts post-its on lockers impugning Charles's integrity, he retaliates by accusing her of spending class dues on hairspray. Meanwhile, goody-four-paws Otto asks fellow students what would make their school better--"A homework help line is what I need," says one. Wells's illustrations show occasional flashes of humor, but often the characters seem awkwardly or inconsistently drawn. It's no surprise when Otto wins the election and discovers it's harder than he thought to keep even simple campaign promises. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Finally, a presidential candidate everyone will agree to bark, er, back. At Barkadelphia School, popular poodle Tiffany and athletic bulldog Charles each decide to run for school president. With financial support from their parents, Tiffany and Charles run flashy campaigns and compete for votes with promises such as more mirrors in the girls' room and soda in the water fountains. When classmate Melanie notes that these candidates only care about themselves, Otto is inspired to join the race. His poll of fellow schoolmates reveals that the student body's wants are more practical, such as watermelon in the cafeteria, a homework help line, "five minutes of beautiful music every morning," and bongo drums for the school band. Thoughtful fifth-grader Otto even talks to the kindergartners, who want blankets at naptime. Facial expressions say it all in Wells's art. Otto looks eager and trustworthy as he perks his ears while listening to schoolmates; his competitors smirk and sob when they start lying about who cheated on tests and who spent class dues on hairspray. When election day rolls around, Otto trounces his running mates, who don't have a dog's chance. A final page finds President Otto hard at work, surrounded by happy students busy unpacking bongos, watermelons, and blankets. Entertaining and educational, Wells's campaign coverage is thorough -- from money and smear campaigns to what the people, or pups, really want.From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A dark-horse candidate faces two big political machines in this election campaign at the all-canine Barkadelphia School. Backed by their parents, jock Charles the bulldog ("More Meat for Lunch") squares off against poodle Tiffany ("Vote Cute Vote Tif!") in a campaign that quickly turns ugly, with anonymous accusations of cheating on tests and spending class dues on hairspray flying back and forth. Meanwhile, beneath all the hoopla, Otto (a Jack Russell) quietly polls his schoolmates on what they actually want, taking notes and, with help from his friend Melanie, making yummy cookies. Unsurprisingly, Otto wins in a landslide and is last seen successfully fulfilling his voters' wishes, while his disappointed rivals are being primed for next year by their adult backers, and Melanie betrays a spendthrift liberal agenda: "Let's bake up more cookies," she proposes. "Enough for everyone!" Simplistic, but young readers will get the drift. Place this timely outing next to Mark Teague's LaRue For Mayor (2008) and Doreen Cronin's arch Duck For President (2004), illustrated by Betsy Lewin. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
It's election season at Barkadelphia school, and any student with 50 paw prints on a petition can run for president. Two candidates feel unbeatable: popular poodle Tiffany and captain-of-all-teams Charlie the bulldog. And so the contest begins. With a wink at adults who have endured the 2008 primary season, but always keeping the story right at a kid's level, Wells captures all the highs and lows of an election cycle. There's the pandering ( eyebrow pencils in our pencil kits! ); the dirty tricks (notes on lockers: Charles . . . did he cheat on a math test? ); the money (Whoppo Burgers for everyone). Watching from the background, however, is Otto, a dog of indeterminate species, who decides he wants to run, too. But instead of platitudes, promises, and enticements, Otto actually talks to the other students to find out what they really want and need. After all the votes are cast, it's deserving Otto who gets the nod. Wells' canine coterie, not slickly rendered, is satisfyingly personable and appealing, and kids will find the knowledge they accrue from the book very useful.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist