Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg (Who Did It First?)

Recurring motifs lend Sanders's forthright narrative a quality that's reflected in Hastings's digital illustrations. Buttigieg's political life is pithily sorted into wins and losses (a failed bid for high school treasurer is followed by his election as class president, and he becomes mayor of South Bend, Ind., after an unsuccessful run for state treasurer). Given the timing of the book's publication, the 2020 U.S. presidential candidate's most recent political foray is not included in detail, but Sanders closes on a hopeful, open-ended note. Back matter capsulizes the ways in which the politician, in sync with the series title, "did it first": being the first millennial, candidate "married to a partner of the same gender," and veteran of the Afghanistan war to run for U.S. president. An accessible and informative picture book biography. Ages 4-8. (July)

K-Gr 3--"Only time will tell who Pete Buttigieg...will become." This recurrent phrase expresses the theme of this admiring overview of the life of the first openly gay presidential candidate. Sanders ably describes important stepping stones in Buttigieg's life, from his childhood in South Bend, IN, to Harvard and beyond--Tunisia, England, and Chicago--before his return to South Bend, where his early political career was interrupted by his Naval Reserve service in Afghanistan. Sanders notes parallel political life experiences: losing an election in high school before being elected senior class president and losing an election in Indiana before being elected mayor of South Bend. Public service is a major theme throughout the book, but so is Buttigieg's personal identity. The importance of Buttigieg's candidacy is emphasized by the cover's tagline "first-of-his-kind man running." The back matter includes a guide to the pronunciation of Buttigieg, the requirements to become president, a time line, and selected sources. Hastings's digitally created art often shows the former mayor with diverse crowds, reinforcing the writer's reference to South Bend as "a community that welcomed all people." VERDICT An important picture book biography to add to school and public library collections.--Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

An important picture book biography. -School Library Journal

Be inspired by the life of Pete Buttigieg. -Kirkus Reviews