My Senator & Me: A Dog's Eye View of Washington D.C.

My Senator & Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington, D.C.

By Edward M. Kennedy

Illustrated by David Small

Interest Level: K – 3

Independent Reading Level: Grade Four & Up

            Have you wondered what it’s like to be a United States senator? Or what it would be like to spend the day in our nation’s capitol? As a tribute to his Portugese Water Dog, Champion Amigo’s Seventh Wave, (nicknamed Splash), late Senator Edward M. Kennedy describes a day in life of a senator and his prized pet in his children’s book My Senator and Me, A Dog’s Eye View of Washington D.C.

            Senator Kennedy gives young children insight into life in the capital through the eyes of his dog Splash. As Splash says, there is an old saying, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog;” and that is exactly what happened! After giving a brief background on the Senator and detailing how he came to join the Kennedy family in Washington, Splash chronicles a typical day’s events in his busy life. Through Splash’s narration, readers will learn a senator’s responsibilities, as well as how bills are passed into law.

            The day starts bright an early for Splash & the Senator, and they arrive at the office by 8:45 sharp. Taking readers through the day’s events, Splash describes the daily morning meeting, a tram ride to the Capitol Building, (the highlight of his day), a press conference, and the process of passing an education bill into law. Even on a day filled with important responsibilities, Splash and his senator still make a little time for fun by playing fetch on the lawn outside the Capitol Building.

            Through Splash’s narration, readers will learn a senator’s responsibilities, as well as how bills are passed into law. Caldecott Medal winning illustrator David Small’s watercolor pictures make it attractive and engaging. The illustrations are appropriate and strategically placed to support the text while adding to the content. For young children who have never visited Washington D.C., the illustrations give them a colorful tour of the capitol through Small’s accurate depictions of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Kennedy Center, as well as several government buildings and offices.

            In terms of genre, My Senator and Me, could be considered both informational and biographical. In his writing the late Senator Kennedy gives children insight into a senator’s duties in representing the people of his state, and the creation of public policy. Even though the text is narrated by Splash, the book still supplies a fair amount of biographical background on the Senator. The United States government can be a daunting topic for young elementary students. But the straightforward overview Senator Kennedy gives in the My Senator and Me helps to simplify it enough for young readers to enjoy without blurring his intention to help children understand what public service means. Using his prized pet Splash as the narrator makes the education text more appealing to youngsters. This book would be a great introductory piece to a unit on government or civil service; and could also be used as an authentic children’s resource for biographical information on Senator Kennedy, as it is written by the Senator himself.

Links to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks:

History & Social Science

MA.PreK-K.6 Identify and describe family or community members who promote the welfare and safety of children and adults.

MA.PreK-K.8 Give examples of different kinds of jobs that people do, including the work they do at home.

English Language Arts

MA.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about an informational text read aloud.

MA.2. With prompting and support, recall important facts from an informational text after hearing it read aloud.

MA.6. With prompting and support, “read” illustrations in an informational picture book by describing facts learned from the pictures.