After a trying experience with his father, in which he isn't allowed to watch television, even after completing all the tasks required of him, Luke Pennybaker come to conclusion, as have many before him, that life is unfair. Deciding that he will make it fair, he runs for President of the USA, with his dog Lily as his Vice Presidential candidate. As he explains to a reporter, he is not a member of either the Democratic or Republican Party, but he is a member of the birthday party. But when Luke and Lily win by a landslide, our hero discovers that being the President isn't everything it's cracked up to be...

I had mixed feelings about President Pennybaker, which features a story by Kate Feiffer and watercolor artwork by Diane Goode, an author/illustrator team who also collaborated on the amusing My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life. On the one hand, I can see that the premise is meant to be humorous, and taps into that universal childhood feeling that limitations are unfair, and adults sometimes unreasonable and inconsistent. The artwork, as is usually the case with Diane Goode, is delightfully charming. On the other hand, there is a general pettiness to the instances of unfairness that Luke decries, and a smallness to what he promises the people of the country. I imagine some will think it's cute, and appropriate for children, but I couldn't help but think, as I read through, that children are often disproportionately affected by real unfairness, and there isn't (sadly) anything unchild-like for many young people, in worrying about such things as poverty or abuse. I did like that Luke realizes that what he really wants after all is to be a normal kid again, but all in all, this one didn't really hit the mark for me, and I prefer such titles as Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin's Duck for President or Ben Clanton's Vote for Me, when it comes to picture-books about elections. ( )

Sweet and to the point...life isn't fair. Sometimes even when you do all your chores you still don't get the "prize." And even being the President doesn't change this simple fact of life. ( )

When Luke Pennybaker asks his father if he can watch TV he doesn't get the reply he wanted. Instead he gets 5 questions, and in the end the answer is still no. That's when Luke realizes that life isn't always fair, and decides to do something about it: he'll run for president. He not only promises to make life fair, he promises that every kid will get "a dog or a cat or a hamster or a gerbil or a rabbit or an iguana." But is being president really everything Luke wants?

This is a cute book with a funny story and reminds me of a lot of the stories I remember as a kid. It's not heavy-handed on teaching a moral or anything, it's just a fun book that kids can relate to. The artwork is well drawn and colorful, yet simple, and my wife and I enjoyed it as much as our daughter. ( )

I thought this one fell short of the reviews. A small boy runs for president on the platform promise that he will make things fair! This book has some clever moments but as one reviewer stated...it is funny the author made a big deal on the legal voting age - but not on the legal age to run for president. So life is not fair and the grass is not always greener. I prefer Duck For President as an election time read (or anytime for that matter)![b:Duck for President|96128|Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))|Doreen Cronin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171309664s/96128.jpg|2819058] ( )

This book is great for first grade and up. I used it to open up a writing piece with my students about what they would do if they were President. Works perfect for election time and to send the message of how tough the President's job is. ( )