I recently stumbled across The Cookie Vote, a 2025 picture book by Margaret McNamara, Daniel Berstrom, and G. Brian Karas.
If you remember Schoolhouse Rock fondly, and, specifically, “I’m Just a Bill,” then you’ll like The Cookie Vote.
It tells the story of the kids in “Mr. Tiffin’s class,” and the process through which they develop an idea to make their state a better place. Their brainstorming moves smoothly into a competition for the best idea, which will in turn become a bill to be proposed to their state representative.
There’s a lot of good civics education in here, and a lot of realism about how kids think and how group discussions can go off the rails or get stuck. As the title suggests, they eventually settle on the idea of a state cookie…and then have to reach an agreement on which cookie to propose. They do a lot of experimentation (with recipes and baking) and a lot of debating. Eventually, they settle on one idea, and take it to their representative and Representatives Hall.
After their quest reaches a successful conclusion, and the story ends, the authors include factoids on various state cookies—and the recipe for Mr. Tiffin’s class’s recipe.
Good for bakers, teachers, and citizens.
