The Barneses' Books Are a Hit With Children

0 Comments | Insight on the News, August 7, 2000 | by Stephen Goode

CB: Peter had a particularly rough time with the Supreme Court book.

PB: It took twice as long to write because it merest explaining constitutional law to kids in rhyme! "This work can take weeks -- sometimes it takes months,/ While the Justices study and meet more than once/In private, `in conference,' to talk and review,/ To decide on each case, to decide what to do!"

In order to pull the kids into the book, Cheryl does some fun stuff with hide-and-seek in the pages.

CB: In the pages of the Supreme Court book, there's a turtle hidden. The turtle symbolizes the slow and steady pace of justice. There is a secret turtle in every illustration, so if the kids aren't old enough to get the material, at least the parents can pull them into the book by getting them to search for the hidden turtle in the pictures.

Insight: You now are addressing such problems as voter turnout in elections.

CB: We do the books because they're fun and they make a little money. But the more we've done this, the more we've become passionate about the issue of declining civil responsibility, declining voter turnout.

This has become our big mission in the books. We feel, as many educators feel, that it is very important to get kids introduced to these concepts as early as possible, start teaching them about volunteerism, civics, voting, even to start getting them going to the voting booths with their parents when they're 3, 4, 5 years old.

Look at the trends: Voter turnout was 62 to 63 percent in 1960; it was 49 percent in 1996--and those were for presidential elections. It can be as low as 13 percent in off-year elections, primaries and things like that. Between ages 18 and 24, turnout is about 30 to 40 percent, which is disturbingly low.

CB: Kids have been very helpful in getting people to use seat belts, in recycling, stopping smoking. We think there's going to be a trickle-up effect here as well. That's what Kids Voting USA, a nonprofit group out of Arizona, says. The idea is to get youngsters to bug their parents and get them to the polls in the next presidential election. At the end of the Woodrow for President book, there's a "Contract to Vote" and we've designed it to look like a serious contract between America's children and adults.

PB: In the contract the parents agree that if they haven't registered to vote they will do so and then vote. They agree to take their kids to the polls with them and show them how the process works.

The children promise as their part of the contract that they're going to keep track of Election Day, because many parents will say, "Oh it's Election Day? I forgot!" or 'I'm too busy!" So the kids have this contract and it's their job to remind their parents the month before, the week before, the day before, that it's Election Day.

And the kids promise that when they're 18 yearn old they'll also register to vote and start voting.

Insight: You've designed the character Woodrow to be a shining example for young readers.

PB: When you read the text, it's not all about politics. We wanted Woodrow to be a role model for children. Even before Woodrow is elected to his first public office he's a volunteer: "He helped at the hospital, he helped clean the park,/ He helped walk mouse ladies home safe after dark./ He coached kids in soccer, and Little League, too --/ For mice with no jobs, he found jobs they could do."