What Can a Citizen Do?

By Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris

“[This] charming book provides examples and sends the message that citizens aren’t born but are made.” —The Washington Post
 
This is a book about what citizenship—good citizenship—means: Across the course of several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions by different children, we watch how kids turn a lonely island into a community—and watch a journey to what the world could be.
 
With beautiful illustrations and rhyming text, What Can a Citizen Do? is the latest collaboration from the team behind Her Right Foot: New York Times–bestselling author Dave Eggers and acclaimed artist Shawn Harris. It’s a delightfully engaging way for young readers to be inspired about the meaning of citizenship and the positive role they can play in our country and our world.
 
“Obligatory reading for future informed citizens.” —The New York Times
 
“An absolute delight.” —Maile Meloy, New York Times–bestselling author of Do Not Become Alarmed
 
“[A] must-have book.” —School Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781452176338

Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers, a former professional stundman, is the editor of McSweeney's and the author of the New York Times bestseller A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Book preview

Reviews for What Can a Citizen Do?

[J X · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

you're all fuck1ng assh0les not letting me remove my payment method and not letting me delete my account. THERE IS NO DELETE ACCOUNT OPTION IN MORE OPTIONS SECTION IN ACCOUNT PAGE. FCK ALL OF YOU.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Author Dave Eggers and illustrator Shawn Harris, who collaborated previously on Her Right Foot, a picture-book devoted to the story of the Statue of Liberty, join forces again in this look at the role of the citizen. The sing-song narrative sets out the many ways a citizen can get involved, from writing letters to changing laws, while the collage-style artwork depicts a diverse range of children in action...I found Eggers and Harris' Her Right Foot a surprisingly good book, when I read it some time ago. Although I often find that authors famous in fields other than children's literature - Eggers is a celebrated name in the world of adult American letters - erroneously assume that this means they will have the skill to write for children, in the case of that other book, I thought it was a well-told tale, one that would be engaging for young readers. Given that this was so, and that I also enjoyed Harris' artwork, I went into What Can a Citizen Do? with every expectation of enjoyment. Unfortunately, although I found the visuals here quite appealing, with collage artwork that is energetic and expressive, I found the text somewhat muddled. Its heart is in the right place, and the message I think that Eggers is trying to get across - that citizens need to be informed, engaged and active - is a good one. That said, there simply isn't enough here - no explanation of what a citizen is, for instance - to ground the sing-songy list of things a citizen can do. There isn't enough information to be educational, nor enough story to be emotionally resonant.I wish this one had been stronger, and that I could recommend it as a book to introduce children to the idea of citizenship - what it means, and what it entails, in terms of responsibilities and rights - but it isn't, and I can't. This one is nice enough, as a kind of general "get involved" book, but that's about as far as it goes.

[jaxlynleigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book to introduce citizenship! This book presents many different, achievable ways that kids can understand. Can't wait to use to introduce citizenship!