Introduction
There’s an election coming. Well, there’s always an election coming. And if there’s not, there’s always lobbying, decision making and activism underway.
It’s easy to forget that the topics of government, politics, elections, the law and activism are fundamentally relevant to children even though they are not yet voters.
These topics are perennial favourites in classroom and books are a great way to instruct, engage and activate children in these matters. The Little Bookroom’s list below covers books for all ages, and ranges from the practical to the philosophical with a particularly Australian bent.
See the list below and more books via the Little Bookroom’s website.
Non-Fiction About Government, Democracy, Elections and Political Theory
Picture Books
Vote 4 Me
Written by Krys Saclier, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox
A highly illustrated book about how preferential voting works.
Say Yes
Written by Jennifer Castles, illustrated by Paul Seden
A story about the 1967 Referendum in which the Constitution was changed to ensure that the Commonwealth could make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and that they were counted as part of the population as all other Australians were.
Finding Our Heart: A story about the Uluru Statement for Young Australians
Written by Thomas Mayor, illustrated by Blak Douglas
A picture book version of the comprehensive and beautifully illustrated Finding the Heart of the Nation: The Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth about the author, Thomas Mayor’s exploration of the importance of the Uluru Statement and the movement towards constitutional change to enshrine Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders’ voices in the constitution.
We Are Australian
Written by Duncan Smith and Nicole Godwin, illustrated by Jandamarra Cadd
What it means to be a citizen of Australia for all Australians through an Indigenous lens.
Middle Primary
The Little People, BIG DREAMS series has a huge range of biographies of activists and politicians including:
Emmeline Pankhurst
Written by Lisbeth Kaiser, illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo
Martin Luther King Jr.
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Mai Ly Degnan
Greta Thunberg
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Anke Weckmann
Corazon Aquino
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Ginnie Hsu
Mahatma Gandhi
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Albert Arrayas
Camp Canberra
Written by Krys Saclier, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox
The students of Mount Mayhem Primary school learn about Australian history and government on their school camp to Canberra.
Suffragette: The battle for equality
By David Roberts
An illustrated history of the women’s suffrage movement covering a wide range of suffragist experiences.
So, You Want to be Prime Minister?
Written by Nicolas Brasch, illustrated by David Rowe
A humorous look at facts and stories about some of our former prime ministers.
Upper Primary and Secondary
The following books are suitable for a wide span of ages and purposes as they can all be read on a range of levels. Don’t underestimate how much you will learn as an adult reading these books too.
Usborne Politics for Beginners
This book is an absolute must-have for every school library and any family interested in politics. Succinct, clear and engagingly illustrated, we promise that you will learn something from reading it.
The Politics Book
by DK
This is an illustrated non-fiction book in similar vein as the Politics for Beginners title, but is aimed at older children.
The Power Book: What is it, Who Has it and Why?
by Claire Saunders, Georgia Amson-Bradshaw, Minna Salami, Mik Scarlet, Roxane Gay.
A thorough yet accessible book about power and how children fit into systems of power. It’s another one of those books that is likely to open floodgates of interesting conversations with children.
If I Ran the Country
Written by Richard Knight, illustrated by Allan Sanders
The witty political handbook for the child who wants to take charge covering leadership, political systems, elections and justice.
Is Capitalism Working?: A primer for the 21st Century
by Jacob Field
There are some very big ideas in this book made accessible in part by the layout and illustrations. It doesn’t pull any punches with its vocabulary so it may be necessary to support your readers with vocabulary and content for this one, but once you do, be ready for some fun debates.
The Story of Australia: for the young (and the curious)
by Don Watson
Whilst this is a book about Australian history in general it covers significant moments in Australian political history.
Democracy and Australian Government Series
by Peter Turner
If you are looking for a classic-style non-fiction series, the Democracy and Australian Government series offers information on various topics linked to the Australian Curriculum. Titles include:
The Citizens Who Vote
Why Do We Have a Governor-General?
Elected to Parliament
All the Prime Ministers of Australia
Activists and Young People Having Their Say
Whilst children can’t vote, there are other ways they can influence the world around them. There a lots of ways children can be activists and plenty of activists too look up to. Some of these stories might inspire them to start campaigning for what they care about.
Picture Books
A is For Activist
by Innosanto Nagara
An ABC board book about community, equality and justice.
When We Say Black Lives Matter
by Maxine Beneba Clarke
Written with African Diaspora kids around the world in mind, this picture book follows a black child’s parents as they explain what Black Lives Matter means to them.
Freedom Day: Vincent Lingiari and the story of the Wave Hill Walk-Off
By Thomas Mayor and Rosie Smiler Illustrated by Samantha Campbell
A story of the protest in which over two hundred Aboriginal people walked off the Wave Hill Cattle Station in the Northern Territory in a fight for equal pay and land rights.
Biographies
Biographies can provide great inspiration for children. Hugely popular child activists Greta Thunburg and Malala Yousafzai are perpetually fascinating to children, and they have a mountain of books written about them. Don’t forget the Little People, Big Dreams series mentioned above for stories about the lives of many more activists.
Greta’s Story: The schoolgirl who went on strike to save the planet
by Valentina Camerini. Illustrated by Veronica Veci Carratello
The story of how Greta Thunburg became a high-profile activist against climate change through her school strike in front of Sweden’s parliament building
I am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and Changed the World
by Malala Yousafzai
The young-reader version of Malala’s biography.
Kids Who Did: Real kids who ruled, rebelled, survived and thrived
by Kirsty Murray
Stories of influential children throughout history including ‘rebels and rulers’ who directly influences the politics of their countries.
Inspiration
No One is Too Small to Make a Difference
by Greta Thunberg
A collection of Greta Thunberg’s speeches.
We are all Greta: Be inspired to save the world
by Valentina Giannella. Illustrated by Manuela Marazzi
A handbook on how to become a climate change activist.
What if? Fiction (and some non-fiction) that explores what would happen if different governance structures ruled.
I’ll let you in on a secret. You can use almost any fiction book to explore governance structures. All world-building has some sort of explicit or implied form of government in it and often an understanding of this system is essential to making sense of the plot. Some of the best examples are dystopian fiction or stories set in imperial contexts. A great way to engage children is to look at the way politics and governance structures work in their favourite fiction.
Picture Books
If I Was Prime Minister
by Beck and Robin Feiner
A favourite picture book that encourages children to think about what they would do if they were in charge.
Primary School
Help Around the House
by Morris Gleitzman
Ludo’s dad is elected to Federal Parliament, and Ludo decides that he is going to do his bit to make Australia a better place too.
When the Lyrebird Calls
by Kim Kane
A timeslip novel in which Madeline finds herself back in time in 1900. She and her new ‘sisters’ try to make their mark on a country struggling with federation, emancipation and Aboriginal rights while trying to find a way to get her home.
Young Adult
The PM’s Daughter
by Meredith Costain
Cat wants to fight the powers that be, but what happens when her mother becomes Prime Minister.
Dystopian fiction is a mainstay of the Young Adult category, and the genre is perfect for exploring the what-ifs of politics, power and governance. Also useful for this purpose are the political classics that remain favourites of English teachers for a reason.
Scythe
by Neal Schusterman
How do you govern and manage a population that you have effectively made immortal?
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
In a dystopian world, what happens when one young person decides to publicly defy the ruling powers?
Nineteen Eighty-Four
by George Orwell
Also available as a graphic novel.
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Also available as a graphic novel.
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
About Author
Gisela Ervin-Ward teaches children with learning difficulties how to read and provides literacy consulting to schools @podliteracy. She is obsessed with children’s books and writing and muses about them at @giselaervinward. www.giselaervinward.com
You can see our other articles and their accompanying book lists HERE.
Explore Further
- How to inspire a young activist? A collection of books for kids and teens
- The Power to be a Changemaker: Resources for Teachers and Students
- Social Justice Resources for Teachers: Topic Guide
- 25 Kids’ Books About Female Environmentalists, A Mighty Girl
- Books to inspire young activists, Common Sense Media
- 40 picture books for young activists, All the Wonders