Joanne Stanbridge, the author of Famous Dead Canadians and a former children’s librarian, knows how to make a potentially lifeless subject accessible and lively for children. That skill is evident in Who Runs This Country, Anyway?

Through the conversational voice of Zoe, the young narrator, and her classmate, Nathan, students are challenged to learn all they can about Canadian government, if only to show up adults, who probably won’t know as much about the topic as will the kids who’ve read the book.

Stanbridge provides accurate, thorough, yet concise explanations of the differences between municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal governments, and also outlines the differences between the three branches of federal government. Packed into a mere 76 pages is information on the Constitution, elections and voting, bills, sessions of Parliament, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Assembly of First Nations, and a typical day in the House of Commons. There’s also a detailed index.

The author also provides black-and- white, cartoon-style vignettes of Nathan and Zoe demonstrating some of the topics presented, such as the right and wrong way to fill out a ballot. Lorna Bennett (who illustrated the award-winning picture book C Is for Chinook) has created an appealing cover scene that visually states the book’s theme, as well as introducing Zoe and Nathan. Historical photographs and interesting, relevant sidebars supply bursts of information throughout the text.

Zoe makes a few bold promises in the introduction, as she explains the purpose and scope of the book. “Our talk will be short,” she says. “It will be easy to understand. And it won’t be boring. Honest.” Do we hear a collective cheer from social studies students across the land? We should, because Zoe makes good on her promise. If you’re looking for a book that covers everything kids need to know about Canadian government for social studies or for general interest, this is the best book I’ve seen on this topic.