Nonfiction Children’s Book Review: How The U.S. Government Works

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

How the U.S. Government Works: A Kid’s Guide to Civics by Syl Sobel is a nonfiction guide to understanding the United States government suitable for children ages 7-10. This is a newly updated and improved version of the book. This book does a wonderful job explaining the basics of the United States government in a way children will be able to understand. It provides a glossary in the back for more difficult to understand terms, and diagrams to understand processes, and a comprehensive summary. The book covers the three branches of the government, the responsibilities of the president, how bills become laws, taxes, what judges do, and more. It would be a great resource for homeschooling and supplemental education.

How the U.S. Government Works: A Kid’s Guide to Civics is written in a textbook format and, as such, is very text heavy. The book provides a ton of information and is easy to understand. It provides questions at the end of each topic to help engage children in the conversation and provide them with critical thinking opportunities.

My only issue with this book is the use of illustrations. This book is targeted for younger children, but is very text heavy. While there are several useful diagrams, the images used throughout the book are black and white drawings that do not do much to hold a child’s interest or reinforce the points being made. Several pages hold nothing but text. Though the information provided is good, I could see a child easily becoming bored during the reading because of this.

** Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Kids for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.