I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the main character, Katie. It's nice to see women in politics as well. I think kids will relate well to Katie and will learn some new things.

This is an addition to the Katie Woo series. Katie goes with her mom to a community meeting led by the mayor. The mayor happens to be her aunt. As people of the city mention ideas for their neighborhoods, Katie listens closely. Then she thinks of the best addition to her own, helping kids like her. Young readers will learn new words, (in bold lettering) as well as a very basic knowledge of how things could get done in their community. This early reader concludes with thoughtful questions, a glossary, and an interview with the mayor. The illustrations are vivid and appealing, adding to this informative story about an elected, community helper.

Review from final edition of the book as an ebook. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the e-galley.

"Helping Mayor Patty” is such a great book children and emerging readers. Katie Woo is a beloved character and this book is a great addition to the series..

This book shows children how to creatively problem solve and how they can participate in local government long before they are old enough to vote. It will bring up interesting conversations with children and I recommend it for any family or teacher.

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts

My kids were a little young for this book so they did not particularly care too much about about the story. I do see how this would be a great book for an older child that needs to learn more about local politics and the importance of giving back to the community.

The story was well thought out and the artwork was perfect.

A multicultural book for 5 to 7 years old. I am not sure how to write about this book without telling the whole story, however its about a little girl who is Chinese American whos aunt is running for Mayor in a town that need the extra help.

Helping Mayor Patty is a cute, emerging reader/early chapter book that kids, especially girls, will enjoy. Katie Woo is a great character for young children to relate to. In this story, her Aunt Patty has been elected mayor and is asking the townspeople what they think the town should work on. Katie and her friends attend the community council meeting and bring their ideas to suggest to the council. Katie's idea was based on her observations of children playing in the street, which is dangerous. She told the council, a park was needed to keep the children safe, and it was something for everyone to enjoy. There were other ideas presented as well and decisions were eventually made. I liked that the children were from various backgrounds and ethnicities. The story was quick, with good description and language for early readers. I also enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They were cute, vibrant and well executed. The end pages include a glossary, questions for discussion about being a mayor, and an interview with Mayor Patty. I would recommend this book to families, schools and public libraries.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was released August 1st, 2019, by Capstone Books.

This is the second in Fran Manushkin's new Katie Woo series, Katie Woo's Neighborhood. Right off the start, I've got to tell you, I'm excited by Helping Mayor Patty.

Katie Woo is fashioned after the author's niece who according to Fran Manushkin, doesn’t get into nearly as much trouble as Katie does. When I was working, I purchased many titles in the series so that my beginning Chinese readers would to see them selves in the characters on the shelves in their school library. They circulated well enough that I never felt the need to read and push them. I confess that I only read one Katie Woo chapter book prior to this one.

In this book Katie attends the first council meeting with her Aunt Patty as mayor. At the meeting they are deciding how to spend their tax money. Different people have different suggestions based on what they think their community needs: a fire station, better streetlights, better garbage service. I loved the humorous asides between Katie and her friend Pedro including suggesting that their neighborhood needed more ice cream. Together the two of them realize that their community is full of children playing in the streets and they need a park. Eventually the council votes to support many of the ideas, including a park.

I love the community these beginning chapter books represent. Laura Zarrin's art represents the multicultural world children here in Vancouver, BC, grow up in. I appreciate that readers discover a bit about how municipal governments work. It shows them that they too can become activists who have a say in how to make their communities better places. I will have to check out the rest of the series to see if they make sense in the context of Canadian communities, but for now, I recommend this one.

Great book! Well thought out book. Excellent for teaching kids about government. It is perfect for children who are starting chapter books. Would definitely recommend!

Very cute early chapter book, though with a slightly unrealistic view of how a community council works. Still, kids will find it utterly entertaining.

The Katie Woo series is one that I think my early readers will love! This book in particular was great for teaching about government in a very relatable, down to earth way and I think kids will have lots of questions, be inspired and enjoy reading the book. The first chapter felt a little disjointed to me, but the rest of the bool flowed well. I like the variety of characters and conversations.

Well done newest addition to the series. Good for a civics or voting/elections theme. Like the subtle representation of different abilities and races.

Katie goes to a city council meeting. Mayor Patty and the other council members need to vote on what improvements should be made in the community. Several community members share their opinions on how the tax money should be spent. Katie brainstorms and comes up with her own idea.

There’s not a lot of meat to this story other than the basic idea of taking care of community needs. There is no real character development and nothing that endears you to them. There really wasn’t even a decision to be made. They just went ahead and made all of the improvements suggested.

At one point in the story, Katie said, “I love money!” That’s not a value I’d want to encourage in children.

I was offered an electronic copy from netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Helping Mayor Patty, written by Fran Manushkin is a great book for primary grade children. This is a perfect book for classroom libraries and school media centers. Highly recommend!

Special thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Katie Woo has another adventure, this time, learning about local government. I read this with my daughters, ages 3 and 7 and they both gave this book 5 stars. The 7 year old's favorite part of the book was that Katie thought of others when deciding her neighborhood needed a park. The 3 year old's favorite part was when Katie got to play at the new park. This book is appropriate for early readers and isn't politicized, just informational about how local governments work. Nice breath of fresh air in this climate!

What a lovely book!

"Helping Mayor Patty" is a wonderful book for kids who first learn to read by themselves or be read to by or with an adult.

Haley is introduced as the new kid in the neighbourhood and soon becomes friends with Katie and the other children. The kids attend the city council meeting along with their parents, caregivers and other people in town. While the adults name practical things they need in their town, such as a new fire station and streetlights, the kids agree their neighbourhood needs ice cream, and, thinking of what else they might need, Katie starts drawing a map of their block. Meanwhile, the adults are pictured helping each other out with their needs. All the kids agree they need ice cream until Katie comes up with the idea that they need a neighbourhood park to be able to play safely and have fun. This idea is then voted on by the council and it is agreed that there will be a park. Katie mentions it to Haley as a surprise, and the children are then seen playing in their new park.

At the end of the book Katie interviews her aunt, the new mayor, who explains what it means to be a mayor and how to become one, and there is a glossary of words (city council, mayor, neighbourhood, ..) with helpful explanations what they mean and how to pronounce them.

What I really loved about the book is that it was very inclusive of all nationalities, painting a realistic picture, and also that it shows how children can change their world and their future, without waiting for adults to do it for them.
It's easy for kids to relate to Katie and her friends, especially when they think that ice cream is the most important improvement!
I would have liked to see more of Haley in the book as her introduction in the beginning seems important, but she is only mentioned again at the very end.

Thank you to Capstone for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley!

Katie Woo grows up a little bit into early reader chapter books. In this one, her aunt Patty is the new mayor of the town, and Katie, her mom, and friends go to Mayor Patty's first town hall meeting, where they are discussing how to spend the town's money. Katie and her friends have several ideas, but not all of them are needs, and some of them don't really contribute to the betterment of the community. After thinking about it, they propose a park to keep kids from playing on the street, and theirs is one of the funded ideas. There is a brief discussion about elections included, as well as a TOC and glossary. This book will be well received by advancing readers who already like Katie Woo.

My daughter loves Katie Woo. I liked this particular one because it taught her about the city council and the process of how things get passed in a town (in kid friendly terms). I will be on the lookout for more of the “neighborhood” series.

In Helping Mayor Patty, Katie goes with her mom to support Aunt Patty at her first town hall meeting as Mayor, that will focus on how best the community should spend the tax money. Attendees have the chance to share their thoughts on what the neighborhood could really use. Katie comes up with an idea that would provide a safe space for children to play outside. A park is just what the town needs! Join Katie and her friends as she learns to use her voice to make a difference in her own town. Through the story, glossary, and Katie's interview with Aunt Mayor Patty, readers will learn what it means to be mayor and to participate in the city council.

Fran Manushkin's Katie Woo series provides practical scenarios in each book that even our youngest school-aged children can relate to. I own a number of the books from the series in my elementary library and I will certainly add Helping Mayor Patty to my K-5 library collection. I can see reading it with 2nd-grade students when they begin their unit on community helpers.

Katie Woo is popular with my preschool aged daughter right now so I was really excited to see this ARC available. She enjoyed the story, and I didn't mind it, which is saying something for the I Can Read genre.

Things I liked:
The neighborhood kids attend a civic event, and the author introduces beginning readers to the idea of community leaders.
Katie and her friends have to think about what their neighborhood is in need of and then present the idea to a roomful of official adults.
Their problem solving and courage are rewarded with a new, safe place to play.

Thinks that made me go hmm:
The introduction of a new neighbor at the beginning of the book seemed a bit random and unnecessary. I doubt any child reader you met would think so, though.

My kids love reading Katie Woo books, and as a librarian I love their simple readability for children, as well as the diverse aspects of the series. They teach respect for others differences from our own, including race, color, and have stories that include so many aspects and lessons about life as a child today - friendship, loyalty, fun, adventure, even the loss of a pet.

In this story, Katie gets a new neighbor, and Aunt Patty has become mayor of the town. One of her first jobs is to decide where the community needs financial support the most. The neighbors all want different things; a new fire station, new streetlights, new garbage cans, and so on. Katie and her friends put their heads together to help decide what it is that will make their community even better.

These are simply written and sweet stories that show a side of life lacking in many more urban areas. They are about community and standing together, even in diversity. As a librarian, I stand behind their shining example and would love for more children to experience life through Katie Woo's adventures.