Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez Reviews

• 
  Amy

  I wanted to love this book, but I only liked it. The story in and of itself is lovely, particularly Sofia and Abuelo, but the connection to the title is made only at the very end and seems a bit more of an afterthought rather than a statement to drive the story--and with a title like that, I expected it to be more of a force or theme of the book. I don't like to compare, but I can't help but think that I enjoyed Rosie Revere a bit more.
• 
  Reading_ Tamishly

  Well....it ended too soon. It felt like it's just half the story.
  
  A little girl gets fed up with the mount of trash gathering in the neighborhood and wants to build a park instead in its place. The adults want the park and tells her to tell them when its done. Yes, adults are plain clueless most of the time in real too. So this little girl works up a plan to make the dream possible by protesting. Well, the story ended then and there. I wish the story was complete with a few more pages or sketches.
  
  I love the artwork. It's good 💯
• 
  Chelka Posladek

  WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE TRASH???? When Sofia & her abuelo come across the giant, dangerous landfill, I assumed they were going to do something about it. Their answer, though, is to build a new park. It's never straight up said that they replace the trash pile with a park. And if that is what they do, where did they move the trash? I love the idea of people getting rid of landfills, but it doesn't change the fact that we still make trash, and our garbage has to go SOMEWHERE. Do they ship their garbage to another town? Did they bury it? I was hoping there would be some environmental action in here. I like the citizen action, and I LOVE the sentiment that even a kid can make a big difference...but I'm so confused by the trash part. Is it just me?
• 
  Lata

  I love these positive and inspiring stories with their whimsical illustrations, and how kids from one book show up in the background or participate in the activities in the current book.
• 
  La Coccinelle

  Unlike the other characters in this series who are focused on STEM pursuits, Sofia is more of a community activist. After her grandfather injures himself on a mountain of trash, Sofia decides that the community needs to get rid of the unsightly mess... and have a park instead. But just having an idea isn't enough. After consulting with her neighbours, she sets off for City Hall to try to make things official, only to run up against bureaucracy. Will Sofia be able to achieve her goal?
  
  I didn't like this book as much as Rosie Revere, Engineer (which is my favourite), but it's still a solid addition to the series. The illustrations are cute and diverse, the rhyming text is fairly easy to read (making it a good prospect for story time), and the overall message of perseverance in standing up for the good of the community is a nice one. I'd recommend this book to fans of the series, as well as to kids who are interested in community activism.
• 
  Panda Incognito

  Preachy, unrealistic, and disappointing. And, as another reviewer already pointed out, what did the town do with the giant pile of trash that just disappears by the end?? This is a message book, not a well-developed story.
• 
  Stefanie

  I especially loved all of Sofia's Sade posters!
• 
  Mimi.Y

  Great series but what did they do with all that garbage? Love that they was protesting for a park but where did the trash go?
• 
  Jeimy

  Sofía Valdez is a young activist who will steal your heart with her determination to improve her community.
• 
  DIVISHA MITHAL

  Sanaya Talks Books:
  
  I like the Questioneers series because I like science and engineering as well as art and the books feel like the combination of both subjects. I also like it because the books are like poems. The sentences rhymes. It was fun to read them.
  
  Premise of the books:
  The questioneer series is a lovely set of books, each book telling the story of one child who questions, thinks and acts! There are five characters in the series as of now, each book dedicated to that one character.
  
  We have Ada, who always questions things with What, Why, When and How and shows traits to be a scientist. Then we have Rosie who wants to be engineer. She tinkers and tries to come up with new inventions. There is Sofia, who shows signs that she will be an activist one day with her actions to create change in the society. There is also Iggy, who loves to build and hence wants to be nothing but an architect. A new book in the series is about Aaron, a dyslexic child who loves stories but can't differentiate written words. To tell his stories he takes the route of art.
  
  Learnings from the books:
  These are picture books with colorful illustrations which are very funnily depicted. Just the illustrations would have the children cackling with laughter. The stories are all narrated in rhyming pattern thus making it fun for kids to listen to them.
  
  Each character's picture book also has a corresponding workbook available, which is a great resource to enhance the kids' creativity and imagination.
  
  Each book is a treasure trove of sweet messages. Where, Rosie Revere, Engineer teaches us that "Life's true failure comes when you quit" ; Ada Twist, Scientist taught us that it's ok to ask questions and to have a curious mind. Sofia Valdez, Future Prez was a book which showed kids what courage truly is. She teaches us that "Being brave means doing the thing you must do, though your heart cracks with fear".
  
  Mommy's Verdict:
  These books are fun without being preachy and yet teach the kids something important. Do give these books a try.
  
  For full review of the series you can check my blog at
  www.inbetweenbookmarks.wordpress.com.
  
  
• 
  Austria Kovalenko

  Not my favourite of the series - but still a good story. I think the others had a more childlike imagination to the character's. This one has the child character, with a strong backstory, but there seems to be a secondary force coming out of this whole book. It's one of those 'let's show the adults that even kids can be adult-like'.
  The more I think about it, if I had a child like Sofia then I'd help her bring out that strength in her - probably in the same way as this book pushed it - but I'd see her ideas and drawings first. This book only showed ONE page spread of her plans!
  
  It's almost like this books is to satisfy mature readers only - but even us adults have childlike imagination.
  
  I'm not saying that this book is too realistic, no, I'm saying it needed more of Sofia's thinking and ideas put into the pages. Not how the world sees her.
  
  
  This is something I love about this series. You get to read about a child and their goals when they're young based on their strengths. You get to see this from the outside perspective, we watch the child grow into this role of theirs, and we get to see from the child's perspective too!! Big plans beyond our adult imagination.
  
  There's not enough of that in here. There's too much outside sources looking in on Sofia the go-getter. I wanted to see how this gift of her's played out in her imagination.
  
  I would recommend the other books over this one - though this is definitely worth the read.
• 
  Jennifer

  I like the idea that one person can make a difference but that is on the whole community, their government included, to make real change. However, things were wrapped up way too easily for Sofia with next to no resistance, and there was never a great illustration of the finished park or the demolished landfill trash pile. The reading level of this book is also hard to nail down—I am thinking it might serve best as an early reader for 1st and 2nd graders rather than as a read-aloud book. Even though it is a picturebook, I could see much of this going over the heads of younger children. I read this e-book for free on the Libby app through my library.
• 
  LauraW

  I have read several of the other books in this series, and have been a bit ambivalent about them. This one, however, I found I liked a lot better. The ways in which the child is helpful and proactive are mostly appropriate to a 2nd grader. It wasn't about making a big deal about some future nebulous (and a bit unrealistic) goal, but rather about things that real kids could potentially do. Sure, it has the tag-line of "Future Prez", but that is more in the spirit of "you can do anything", rather than "this is probably what you are going to do". I found the difference more appealing.
• 
  Lia

  okei mut tän Beatyn kirjat nousi mun listalla kärkeen! hänel on tällai vähän kirjasarjamainen juttu, jossa jokanen kirja on omansa, mutta laajempi ajatus on sama. Eli on joku lapsi hahmo ja sitte hänellä joku kiinnostuksen kohda, joka osassa kirjoissa on tällanen suurpiirteisempi ja joissain joku ihan ammatti.
  Etenki tää oli jotenki tosi symppis. käytiin läpi toisten auttamista ja erilaisuuden hyväksymistä ja sitä miten pienetki ihmiset voi vaikuttaa asioihin. sivuttiin roskaamista ja tuotiin esille yhteistyötä ja jotenki super kivs.
• 
  Nancy Kotkin

  A rhyming picture book about being courageous to help others and your community. The child-grandparent relationship is touching.
  
  The title is a stretch since Sofia is a young community organizer, not a politician-in-the-making. (I used to be a community organizer myself and it isn't training to become president; the skill sets required are actually rather different.) The "future prez" is only a mention tacked on at the end because it rhymes with "Valdez."
• 
  Kelly

  I liked the story a lot. A young girl takes action when her Abuelo gets injured on a pile of junk. The only thing holding me back from giving this book 4 stars is the title; it is briefly mentioned at the end. I think that it would have meant more to me (personally) if the title reflected the girl's activism, not just trying to continue the series with a cute title.
• 
  Gabi

  Sofia Valdez is a strong young girl who works with her Abuelo to build a community garden out of what once was a landfill. When they spot this landfill on their walk, Sofia knows exactly what she wants to do and begins to get the ball rolling. She is told no countless times until she is in front of City Hall delivering a speech! She is a brave example of working hard for your goals and dreaming big despite what others say.
• 
  Nikki

  
  Rosie Revere, Engineer is my favorite book in this series, but Sofia Valdez ranks high up there too. Such a great book!
• 
  Chance Lee

  A valuable and important message about social organization paired with the stunning illustrations I expect from David Roberts. The poetry doesn't flow as well as I'd hoped here. Little details, like a statue of Ida B. Wells, add to the atmosphere and themes of the story. Sofia for Prez 2048!
• 
  Karrie

  Purpose in mind - check, but told with humour charm, rhyme, something for the adults and illustrations you can keep finding things in.
  
  My favourite line “most people like good, but Sofia likes better”.
• 
  Mr Payne Reads

  You cannot read this books in your head. It must be read aloud.
  
  I'm a huge fan of the entire Questioneers picture book series and read the first three to my Year 4 class. These are the types of books the children complain at if you happen to stop midway through reading for a sip of water. They're wonderfully written and you could spend twice as long looking at the images than reading the book itself. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read this book to my class so instead I sat on my bed, and read it aloud to myself (which is definitely an underrated thing to do).
  
  I love that they've branched away from STEM and into politics in Sofia Valdez. Andrea Beaty explains how politics works to children in a way they can clearly understand. Now, even more than ever, this is vitally important. We want children to understand the way they can promote change in their communities and countries and this book might be the first stepping stone in doing so.
• 
  Melinda Beatty

  Probably my favorite of Beaty's wonderful rhyming picture books! A fantastic tale about how one person can change their community for the good.
• 
  Guilherme Semionato

  This collection is actually quite nice. I'm glad it was translated to Portuguese.
• 
  MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book

  A great addition to Beaty’s Rosie Revere series. Strong woman getting things done. It’s too long for a Storytime, but perfect for parents to read with/to their kids.
• 
  Laura

  I really liked the character Sofia and the theme of the book.
• 
  Lynn

  Community Engagement
  
  Sofia Valdez wants to get rid of a dump in her neighborhood and open up a park instead. She learns to go to her local politicians and lobby for a park. She then learns the process to get support and finding. A nice book.
• 
  Gina

  I wanted to enjoy this book so much more-pics were cute, message was girl empowering, but it was just missing something.
• 
  Shari (Shira)

  While I love this series, this book doesn’t quite hit the mark. I had high hopes for the book. A latina president? It’s quite a dream, however the book focused on community activism.