By Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press, 2012. Unpaged picture book.
With the election year heating up, I had hopes that this picture book by Ben Clanton would be a fun way to include children in the political conversation. This book features a campaign between (appropriately) Donkey and Elephant. Rooted in truth, these two argue, insult each other, and use smear tactics to sway the reader-voter. There are some puns that are sort of funny, but there are too many pages of "Big, STINKY pooper scooper," "Snot Sucker," etc., as the characters literally fling mud at each other. For parents who have children who argue and name call, this will only add to your headache. I like silly humor, but this felt never ending and laborious. Although I didn't care for the story, I loved the artwork. The illustrations are colored with muted patriotic tones, and the characters and drawings are reminiscent of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie. The election result is a nice little surprise.
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