The Capitol: A Meet the Nation's Capitol Book by Lindsay Ward
Published by HarperCollins US on November 30, 2022
ISBN: 0063203804
Pages: 40
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

The Capitol: A Meet the Nation’s Capitol Book is a non-fiction picture book about the capitol building in Washington DC and the many people who work there. The book starts by introducing readers to three kids who are visiting family members who work at the capitol in different capacities. These children team up to find a missing cat that is loose on the Capitol grounds. Readers follow their search for the cat as they travel to different parts of the building, reading about the Capitol and its employees along the way. The text is presented in a variety of styles to keep the readers’ interest. Some pages have pictures of people with captions, while others pages include maps and diagrams of the building itself. Pages that are more text driven include highlighted interesting facts and questions that make this book interactive. The backstory of the missing cat and the dialog in word bubbles will also keep readers entertained. The pictures of the capitol employees and politicians show diverse representation and are not gender stereotyped.

This book would be great for elementary students beginning to learn about the United States government or for a unit on different types of occupations. There is a lot of great basic information that teachers or parents can add to. There is no table of contents, but there is a glossary that defines the bolded words found in the text. Sources and other notable facts are also included at the end of the book.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library