In honor of Independence Day, I’m re-posting this little review of House Mouse and Senate Mouse by Cheryl Shaw Barnes and Peter Barnes. As election season ramps up and the vitriol seems to overshadow everything else, this book just might help keep us adults focused on how the process should work as it teaches children about the way laws are made.
House Mouse and Senate Mouse offers a surprisingly accessible explanation for just exactly what happens when our legislators head to Washington, D.C.
The rhyming text is charming, if extremely elementary, and the story is cute. My daughters enjoyed hearing about the third-grade class that drafts a letter to their legislator that the country should have a national cheese. With such endearing mouse-isms as “Squeaker of the House” and “Mousejority Leader,” this book is childish enough to keep the attention of a preschooler, even as it illuminates the path that a bill follows to becoming a law.
The book clearly demonstrates how the bill moves from the idea in the mind of a citizen to their elected representative and on to a snarl of committees on Capital Hill. Of course, in this lovely children’s tale, the bitter disagreements are ultimately worked out to the satisfaction of all, and no major media organization is featured to show how even consensus can be painted as vitriol with a few skewed soundbites.
House Mouse and Senate Mouse is a great book to partner with a letter to your own congressional leaders about an issue dear to your child’s heart, and it is perfect for setting a patriotic stage for the fourth of July.
When was the last time your family wrote a letter to an elected official? What was the issue that inspired you? Share your story!