THE CONSTITUTION DECODED

Kennedy and Kirchner present young readers with an introduction to the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, offering a direct, simple “translation” of the original text.

An introduction explains why the Constitution is important before Kennedy launches into her project of presenting the Constitution in its original language and her accompanying paraphrasing and examples, organized by articles, sections, and amendments. Vocabulary words are identified in bold and defined at the bottom of each page and in a glossary. Boxes labeled “Did You Know?” and “Look Back” offer limited factual backstory about how or why a specific part of the document was created. “Constitution in Action” boxes explain how the document is used in practice and further explore how the government works. No overarching narrative ties all the text together. The complete texts of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation are included as further reading but without accompanying simplified versions. Contextual explanations are often vague, the two sentences discussing the freedom of speech not including any of its limitations, for instance. There is no explanation of how the Constitutional Convention was organized or of who participated. The cartoon illustrations depicting diverse but generic-looking figures wearing contemporary and historical garb and a sprinkling of anthropomorphized states are oddly incongruous with the seriously toned, straightforward text. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inchdouble-page spreads viewed at 83% of actual size.)

This effort will leave readers aware of the document but with little understanding of it.