Madam President

This is a brilliant book! Katy uses her executive power to make things happen in her world, and goes about her day as if she is the President of the United States. With hilarious pictures, and sharp, intelligent prose, Lane Smith has created a very informative and funny book. The illustrations are wonderful, and the look on Katy's face as she appoints her Cabinet, deals with the Secret Service out on the playground, and tries to repair the disaster area that is her bedroom is priceless.

I love the fact that this is a book about a woman president, and that she is a strong character who clearly knows herself. It's timely especially since we inaugurated the first African-American President yesterday. Why shouldn't little girls dream of show more being of the first woman President?

The strength of this book is the use of government terms to tell the story and the plays on words that go along with those terms. When the book is all said and done, Katy is just like any other little girl at the end of the day -- tired! show less

Humorous and informative--sometimes in such a way that the latter is lost to the former (eg. Secretary of Fantasy? Naps? Pets Who Should Be in Their Cages?) but that means readers need to be discerning--and it would be a good lesson to have them look up the list of real official secretaries. What is most excellent and important about this book, though, is that it shows a girl dreaming of a position that has yet to be held by a woman. Imagining it is where it starts, after all.

Not sure what to think about this one. The little girl is obnoxious and probably friendless. But I like that she's invented new cabinet positions to give roles to all her toys, including her music box, which is tagged Secretary of Dance. And the details in the art that aren't written about are cute... but how many ppl will notice the bust of Eleanor Roosevelt, and how many kids will understand who she was?

I really am just a Lane Smith fangirl, I will admit that. There is something about his illustrations that can leave me entranced for hours on end, just staring at them. And every time I look at one of his illustrations, I find something new that I love.

Madam President is a charming story about all of the things that a president has to do – everything from kissing babies and attending funerals to cleaning her (or his) room. The highlight of the story (in case you can’t guess it from the previous paragraph) are the illustrations. They add so much to the story, both in the case of adding more humour and adding more dimension to the story.

My favourite spread is the one below (you can click on the thumbnail to see a larger version). The show more typography itself is so beautiful, and conveys so much more than regular unformatted text ever could.

This was definitely up to the standards that I expect from Lane Smith. Beautiful illustrations, cute and charming story, and awesome typography. I will definitely be coming back to this book again and again, no doubt about that. show less

I continue my quest to read all illustrated books by Lane Smith. He is a prolific writer and artist. I'm glad there are many more to read.

In the United States, we do not have a female President, but we do have a woman Vice President!
Thus far the match of President Biden and Vice President Kamilla Harris, are thus far quite a good pair!

In this book, written and illustrated by Smith, Madam President is quite a character. A little girl journeys into a world where she is the President. There are executive orders, daily briefs, photo ops, babies to kiss, treaties to negotiate
And, when Madam President grows weary, she piles the work on the VP.

While this is cute, it isn't one of my favorites of the author and illustrator. But, the show more illustrations are cute and creative, and the premise is a great one! show less

I liked this book for several reasons. First, the character is very likable. She is strong an smart and knows how to get things done. She takes things into her own hands and has big dreams for herself. For example, she negotiates between a cat and a dog and gives speeches to her classmates. She is a great role model for any young child especially girls.

The second reason I like this book is how the illustrations pair with the text. They show that the main character may be in her own head a little bit. She talks about giving an elegant speech but then the illustrations show her roughly carrying a podium and shouting "no comment" at her fellow students.

I think the big picture of the book is how you are never to young to know what you show more want to be when you grow up. She is very confident in her abilities and is starting at a young age practicing all the steps it takes to be president. I also think this book shows how you can be anything you want to be and never stop trying. show less

This may go over the head of most preschoolers, but it's funny and it introduces some terms that kids will probably overhear on CNN. That Lane Smith always cracks me up.