Law excels in bringing political system to kids

“Capitol Cat & Watch Dog Unite Lady Freedoms,” by Janice Law, illustrations by Jason Eckhardt, Eakin Press, 68 pages, $12.95

Reading books is a special time for both adults and children.

Whether reading a book together or spending time together enjoying different books, the joy of reading is transmitted across the generations.

It has been shown children who read books do better in school, have broader vocabularies and can express themselves better than those who do not read regularly. Adults who read to children learn too by reading.

Here are just a few things I learned from Janice Law’s newest book, her first children’s book.

The statue atop the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., is Lady Freedom.

Each state has donated two bronze statues of people from the state, inventors, explorers, teachers, past U.S. presidents and scientists.

Among the group is a humorist as well as a king. They are in the U.S. Capitol building complex. There has always been a Capitol cat to monitor the mice population.

Sorry, that’s all I’m sharing. You’ll need to read the book to find more amazing facts.

Using poetry and prose, the author, former journalist, travel columnist for The Daily News and current federal judge, merges her legal background and joy of writing to create a book for middle school-age children.

The book introduces our country’s political system and describes the buildings where our representative government is held in Washington, D.C.

Through a delightfully innovative format, with beautifully detailed illustrations by Jason Eckhardt, the story line demonstrates the importance of working together to get things done — the ultimate goal of government.

In the back of the book, the author lists subjects children can explore on the Internet, which are mentioned in the book. There’s also a vocabulary list to look up in a dictionary.

If you are planning to read the book to a younger child, I suggest reading the book first, noting the words your child might not know, i.e. “briefed” (meaning — told him/her about).

Another suggestion is to have coins, bills and a magnifying glass for children to find the words: “E pluribus unum,” Latin meaning “out of many, one.” Hint: It’s on the Great Seal of the United States and on U.S. coins — somewhere.

In reading this cleverly conceived book to your child, taking time to look carefully at the helmet and other features on the dress, you’ll both learn much about the statue.

My hunch is you will find more subjects to explore each time you or your child read “Capitol Cat & Watch Dog Unite Lady Freedoms.”

Margaret C. Barno, a retired social worker, lives in Galveston.