Ms Kristen Vote for “Pete the Cat” for Best Picture Book
by: Kris1556

At our library, we wanted to involve our kids in the voting process while promoting reading and integrating technology. So we created our own “Vote for Books” campaign.  Our librarians selected five candidates to run in each category: Best Picture Book, Best Chapter Book, and Best Middle School Book. Kids are coming on Oct. 20 and 27 to make campaign posters and campaign video ads. Our local television station ONTV will be here to film students talking about why others should vote for their candidates, or kids can make digital ads like the one shown above (made for free on the Xtranormal website). Campaign videos will run on our website and on our ONTV cable station.  Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 6 are our Election Days, and anyone can vote (no photo ID required!) for their favorite books. We used Survey Gizmo to put together our polls, so kids can cast their vote in our library or “absentee ballots” can be cast via our website.

It has been so fun to use technology this way to promote great books and to encourage civic engagement. If you’d like your students to get involved in the voting, please feel free to visit our library website: orionlibrary.org. Look over our book choices and discuss them with your students – did we leave one of your favorites off of our list? Make posters or videos for your candidates (send us photos or links and we’ll include them on our website!) and encourage fact-based, polite debate.  Most importantly, exercise your right as Americans and vote on Monday, Nov. 5 and Tuesday, Nov. 6 for your candidates. For as President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “”Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

Can’t see the video clip above? Please visit: Campaign video for “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes