If Elmo ran for office
The lives of U.S. presidential hopefuls inspire children's literature
Katie Rook, National Post Published: Monday, September 08, 2008

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The cast of princesses, tank engines and talking animals that typically populate children's books recently received three unlikely additions: Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

As the political conventions give way to campaigning, the presidential race has moved to the new and somewhat unlikely frontier of children's book publishing. It is not the first time publishers have targeted youngsters with stories about politicians, but it is certainly rare for these public figures to be lionized in such a manner.

The three new books, on sale now across North America, add another dimension to a campaign already rife with rich narratives and stranger-than-fiction characters.
With their colourful illustrations and lyrical prose, the books elevate the stories of each of the candidates far above what would be acceptable in official biography.

Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope charts the candidate's early life in Hawaii as well as his life-long struggle living without much interaction with his father. Hope is personified in the book and crops up throughout the narrative.
Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight uses the analogy of flying to explain the one-time presidential hopeful's soaring ambition, while the story of John McCain, as told by his daughter Meghan, amounts to a glowing review of her father's military past.

Officials at Simon & Schuster, the publishing house behind all three books, insist that the life tales of the three candidates are meant to capture the imaginations of children, rather than indulge partisan parents aiming to indoctrinate their progeny.

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