Click Here To Purchase Constitution Translated for Kids, Second Edition

Author: Cathy Travis

ISBN: 978-0-9814534-1-5

Publisher: Ovation Books

In a few weeks Americans will once again be going to the polls to elect their forty-fourth President. For those of us who are not familiar with the American Constitution, Cathy Travis’s Constitution Translated for Kids: Third Edition is an excellent starting point even though the title may be misleading in that it implies that it is only written for children. 

As the Forward states, “the U.S. Constitution is the most revolutionary document ever produced by free people, and it set the stage of upheaval in the way nations all over the world governed the people they served. With the advent of the Constitution, for the first time people who were ‘governed’ were the ones who chose their leaders.”

Beginning with the Birth of Democracy and the timeline leading to constitutional government, Travis proceeds to present on the left hand side of each page the actual text of the constitution as well as its amendments and on right hand side their translations in a way that children as well as adults can easily grasp their meanings. It should be pointed out, as mentioned, the U.S. Constitution is the shortest, and the oldest Constitution of any government in the world. It comprises seven articles, however, there are now twenty-seven amendments wherein the first ten are known as The Bill of Rights.

As an example of how accessible Travis has made the U.S. Constitution to children as well as adults, lets look at some of the provisions of Article Two and the matter of the President’s salary. The actual words state: “The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.” Now lets look at the translation that basically tells us the President receives a salary by serving as President, and this cannot be increased or decreased while he serves as President. We are also informed that the President cannot get paid anything but a salary from the United States while President. Furthermore, he cannot receive any money from any state. In other words, the President of the USA may be the chief executive officer, however, unlike CEOs of public companies, his salary is very much controlled and there are no stock options or nice bonuses.

Section Four bluntly reminds us that the President or Vice President and even other officers of the United States can be “kicked out of office (impeached) if they are found guilt of double-crossing (betraying) the country, offering people money, or getting money to do something dishonest, or any other really big crimes. 

After presenting the U.S. Constitution in its entirety, Travis gives us a brief synopsis of how the three separate branches of the US Government work. And as we are informed, by having these three entities, the founding fathers made sure that the power of the United States government was never in the hands of just one person, or one group of people. This is called “separation of powers.” The recent economic problems is testimony to how the system works wherein the hands of the President were tied until he received the consent of Congress pertaining to his wish to bail out financial institutions.

A very helpful section is "Words to Look at While You Are Reading." Thirty eight words are listed that help us navigate the workings of the Constitution. Did you know that the President's cabinet is made up of appointees that is unlike my own Canadian Parliamentary system wherein cabinet ministers are generally elected by the people? Another useful section is that devoted to the Executive Branch or as we know it, the Presidency. What many of us don’t realize, especially if we are not Americans, is that when people vote for president, they aren’t really voting for a person running for president; they vote for Electors, the people who make up the Electoral College. Here is where it becomes very interesting for it is possible to lose the popular vote yet still be elected president. The Twelfth Amendment discusses in further detail the workings of the Electoral College.

As the Constitution is a living document, it is never finished and thus there are entire sections devoted to the Amendments as well as proposed Amendments as for example a proposed Amendment to lower the voting age to sixteen. It is here where the pros and cons are also presented.

The final pages of the book show how in practice separation of powers work, a breakdown of the number of electoral votes each state controls, and a list of questions that violate Constitution Privilege. For example, someone gets arrested, but the police don’t tell him or her the reason for the arrest.

Travis has worked on Capital Hill for many years, most recently as Communications Director of Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz of Texas. She has also worked on several political campaigns and she certainly knows her U.S. Constitution. Parents, teachers, and other educators will certainly welcome this book as a quick and informative read and no doubt will support discussion and learning about many topics related to the U.S. Constitution.

Click Here To Purchase Constitution Translated for Kids, Second Edition

The above review was contributed by: The Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com, Norm Goldman, B.A. LL.L, Retired Title Attorney: Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily, the couple meld Norm's words with Lily's art. To check out their travel site click on Sketchandtravel.com   Click here to view Norm’s Reviews & Interviews.