TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Introduction
Chapter 1: An Announcement
Chapter 2: Sadiq Makes a Decision
Chapter 3: A Friendly Competition
Chapter 4: Campaign Week
Chapter 5: Election Day!
Glossary
Talk About It
Write It Down
Make a Campaign Poster
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Copyright
Back Cover
Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Start of Content
Main Body
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back cover
Hi, I’m Sadiq! My family and I live in Minnesota, but my parents are from Somalia. Sometimes we speak Somali at Home.
I’d like you to meet my family and learn some interesting facts and words from our culture.
Facts about Somalia
Somali people come from many different clans.
Many Somalis are nomadic. That means they travel from place to place. They search for water, food, and land for their animals.
Somalia is mostly desert. It doesn’t rain often there.
The camel is an important animal to Somali people. Camels can survive a long time without food or water.
Around ninety-nine percent of all Somalis are Muslim.
Somali Terms
baba (BAH-baah)—
a common word for father
hooyo (HOY-yoh)—
mother
qalbi (KUHL-bee)—
my heart
salaam (sa-LAHM)—
a short form of Arabic greeting, used by many Muslims. It also means “peace.”
wiilkeyga (wil-KAY-gaah)—
my son
Chapter 1
An Announcement
Sadiq walked into class on Friday morning. Some kids were standing in groups talking about their plans for the weekend. Others were settling into their chairs when Ms. Battersby came in.
“Okay, everyone, please be seated!” said Ms. Battersby. “I have an exciting announcement. Do you know what elections are?”
Sadiq’s friend Manny raised his hand.
“It’s when you vote for someone to do something,” Manny said.
“Good answer, Manny!” said Ms. Battersby. “We vote for people to be leaders. Next week, we will be having our own elections. Our class will have a student government.”
“That’s awesome!” said Manny.
“Yes, Manny, it is,” said Ms. Battersby. “Our student government will have four different roles, including president. Does anyone know what the president does?”
“They run the world!” said Zaza.
“Not quite, Zaza,” said Ms. Battersby, smiling.
Zaza shrugged and smiled back.
“A president leads the government in making rules to help people,” Ms. Battersby said. “The U.S. government makes rules for the country. The student government makes rules for the class. We will have a treasurer who will keep track of money and a secretary who will help things run smoothly. A vice president will help the president lead.”
“Student government sounds like a lot of work,” said a shy girl named Suliat.
“Can we choose to be what we want?” asked Aadya.
“You can run for what you like, Aadya,” Ms. Battersby said. “But people have to vote for you. And Suliat’s right. It can be a lot of work—and a lot of fun!”
“I want to be in charge so I can cancel school,” said Owen, laughing.
“Nice try, Owen,” said Ms. Battersby, shaking her head. “That is not what government is for. You have to try and make things better. You can’t use it to cancel things.”
Ms. Battersby explained how voting would work. The students could submit their names for the election next week.
The kids were still chatting excitedly as they took out their books for the science lesson.
“Salaam, Hooyo!” said Sadiq, walking in the door after school.
“Salaam, Sadiq,” said Hooyo. “How was your day, qalbi?”
“It was great!” said Sadiq. “Ms. Battersby said we will have elections for student government. I am thinking about running.”
“What do you want to run for?” asked Hooyo.
“I haven’t decided,” said Sadiq. “There are four spots. President, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.”
“Well, those all sound great,” said Hooyo. She finished writing a check and pointed to an envelope on the table. “Hand me that, please.”
“What are you mailing, Hooyo?” asked Sadiq.
“I am paying the electric bill,” she replied. “These are our bills for the month. I send checks to cover the cost.”
“Is it really hard to do?” asked Sadiq.
“It can be if I don’t budget well,” said Hooyo.
“What does it mean to budget?” asked Sadiq.
“I calculate all our bills for the month,” said Hooyo. She placed the check in the envelope as she explained.
“I make sure we have enough money to pay them. I also try to save a little every month. That’s why your baba and I go to work. We use the money we earn to take care of our family.” Hooyo smiled at Sadiq.
“Budgeting sounds like a hard job,” said Sadiq. “Is that what a treasurer does?”
“Yes, it is, qalbi,” said Hooyo. “Is that what you want to run for?”
“I was thinking about it,” said Sadiq, tilting his head. “But now I am not so sure. I like math. But I’m not interested in budgets.”
“Well, that’s okay,” said Hooyo. “You can run for one of the other positions.”
“I’ll think about it,” said Sadiq. “Thanks, Hooyo.”
Sadiq went upstairs to talk to his sister, Aliya. Maybe she would have some advice. When he got to her room, she was watching a video on her tablet.
“What are you watching?” he asked.
“It’s for my history class,” replied Aliya. “I have to take notes and write a report.”
Sadiq flopped on his sister’s bed. He liked Aliya’s room. The green color on the walls reminded him of the soccer field.
Aliya stopped working. “What’s going on with you?” she asked.
“I want to run for student government,” he said. “I thought about being treasurer. But now I’m not sure.”
“How about secretary?” asked Aliya. “You could take notes for all the meetings.”
“Is that what a secretary does?” asked Sadiq, frowning.
Aliya nodded. “It helps keep
a record of decisions the group makes. I like taking notes for my homework. It helps me remember what I’m learning.”
“I don’t want to take notes all the time. My hand would get tired!” said Sadiq. “I don’t think I want to be the secretary.”
“You will run out of positions soon,” said Aliya, grinning.
“I have two more I can think about,” said Sadiq. He tossed a pillow at his sister.
“Sadiq!” shouted Aliya, laughing.
Sadiq went to the room he shared with his brother, Nuurali. He turned on the computer to do some research. Sadiq wanted to learn about presidents.
Sadiq learned that presidents listen to what people need. He learned that presidents sign laws. He learned that presidents try to make things better for everyone. That sounded great to Sadiq!
“I think I want to run for president,” he whispered to himself.
Chapter 2
Sadiq Makes a Decision
It was a bright, sunny morning as Sadiq walked to school. He saw Zaza ahead of him and ran to catch up. Soon Manny joined them too.
“I am really excited about student government,” said Sadiq. “I wonder who’s going to run.”
“I think it would be a lot of fun,” said Zaza. “Are you guys going to run?”
“Well, I—” Sadiq started.
“I’m running for president!” interrupted Manny. “I think I would make a really good one.”
Sadiq was surprised—and worried. Could he run against Manny? Would they still be friends? Maybe he shouldn’t run for president after all.
“I talked to my baba, and he thinks I would be great!” Manny continued.
“Were you going to say something, Sadiq?” asked Zaza.
“No,” said Sadiq, shaking his head.
The boys went into the classroom and sat down.
“I think I’ll run for secretary,” said Owen. “I like taking notes. I could also organize the meetings.”
“How about you, Suliat?” asked Zaza. “Will you run?”
“I want to be treasurer,” said Suliat. “I like math, and my mama says I am good at saving money.”
Sadiq quietly took out his books.
“Salaam, Baba,” said Sadiq, walking into the living room.
“Salaam, wiilkeyga,” replied Baba. “Are you okay? You don’t look happy.”
“I am okay, Baba,” said Sadiq, sitting next to his dad. “I wanted to run for president, but I can’t now.”
“Oh? Why not?” asked Baba.
“Manny said he wanted to run,” said Sadiq. “He said it before me.”
“But wiilkeyga, more than one person can run,” said Baba. “It’s great if Manny wants to run, but so can you.”
“I know,” said Sadiq. “But I don’t want to run against Manny. He might get mad at me and stop being my friend. That would make me really sad.”
Sadiq looked down at his feet. He didn’t know what to do.
“Tell me why you want to run,” Baba said. “What are some of your ideas?”
“Sometimes recess time isn’t fair,” said Sadiq. “Some kids don’t get a turn on the climbing wall. Some of the bigger kids take extra turns.”
“What would you do about that?” asked Baba.
“I would make rules about taking turns,” replied Sadiq. “Everyone gets to go at least once. If there is time left, they can go a second time.”
“That’s really nice of you to think of everyone,” said Baba. “What else would you like to do?”
“I wrote down a list, Baba,” said Sadiq. “Would you like to see it?”
“Of course,” said Baba. Sadiq reached into his backpack. He brought out a notebook and opened it.
“These are great ideas, Sadiq,” Baba said. “Did you think of them yourself?”
“Yes, I did!” replied Sadiq. “But it doesn’t matter now. I will never be president.”
“You can try,” Baba replied. “I know it’s scary to compete with a friend. But if you believe in your ideas, you have to. That’s how you follow your dreams.”
“I think I could help people, Baba,” said Sadiq. “It’s my dream to make things better for my class at school.”
“You never have to give up just because it’s scary,” said Baba. He rubbed the top of Sadiq’s head. “I get scared sometimes too, but I don’t let that stop me from doing important things.”
“You get scared?” Sadiq could not imagine that!
“Of course!” said Baba. “Everyone does.”
“Thank you, Baba,” said Sadiq. “I think I will run for president. I hope Manny doesn’t get mad at me.”
“Well, he might,” said Baba. “But he will get over it. Your friendship is strong.”
Chapter 3
A Friendly Competition
The next morning, Sadiq met Zaza and Manny on the playground. They had a few minutes before they had to go into class.
“Are you guys going to sign up for student government today?” Zaza asked.
“I am,” said Manny. “I can’t wait to run for president. How about you, Zaza?”
“Oh, I am not running,” said Zaza, smiling. “I thought it would be more fun to vote for my friends.”
“Well, you can vote for me for president!” said Manny, puffing up his chest.
“How about you, Sadiq?” asked Zaza.
“Well, I … ,” started Sadiq as he kicked the curb.
“Maybe you can be my vice president,” said Manny. He gave his friend a big smile.
“Come on, Sadiq, tell us!” said Zaza. “Will you be Manny’s vice president?”
Sadiq hesitated. He didn’t want to upset Manny. But he knew he had to follow his dream, so he spoke up.
“I … wanted … to run for president too,” he finally said.
Manny stopped walking. “You can’t!” he said. “I am the one running for president.”
“Sadiq can run too, Manny,” said Zaza. “You both can. That’s how elections work.”
“Are you taking his side?” asked Manny. “Are you going to vote for him?”
“I don’t know,” said Zaza. “I need to think about it.”
“Fine!” said Manny. “You can vote for him. I don’t care anyway.” He walked away.
“I think he’s really mad at me,” Sadiq said. “I was worried this might happen.”
Sadiq and Zaza went into class.
Ms. Battersby had posted some rules about running for student government. One of them said that candidates had to give a speech. That way the other students could hear their ideas. It would help them choose who to vote for.
The idea of speaking in front of the whole class made Sadiq very nervous!
“Here’s the sign-up sheet,” said Zaza.
“I am going to think about it,” replied Sadiq. He wasn’t so sure about running for president anymore.
After school, Sadiq waited around. He wanted to speak with Ms. Battersby.
“What’s up, Sadiq?” she asked.
“I have a hard decision to make,” he replied. “I want to run for president, but Manny is really upset with me. He wants to be president too. I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”
“I don’t think that will happen, Sadiq,” said Ms. Battersby. “I am sure he doesn’t want to lose you as a friend, either. If you focus on your campaign, it will be okay.”
“I am also scared to give a speech,” Sadiq admitted. “Maybe running for president is too hard.”
Sadiq was worried, but Ms. Battersby smiled at him.
“It’s nice you’re thinking about your friend,” she said. “And I know that speaking in front of the whole class can be scary. But doing hard things is how you grow.”
“So, you think I should run?” asked Sadiq.
“Elections are about ideas,” Ms. Battersby said. “You always have interesting ideas. I think the class would like to hear them.”
“Thank you, Ms. Battersby,” said Sadiq. “I think I will give it a try!”
Sadiq wrote
his name on the sign-up sheet. Then he picked up his backpack and walked out of class. Zaza was waiting for him.
“What did Ms. Battersby say?” he asked.
“She said Manny will be okay,” replied Sadiq. “She also said I should think about my ideas. That’s what elections are about. She thinks I should run.”
“That’s good advice, Sadiq,” said Zaza. “So, what did you decide?”
“I decided to do it,” said Sadiq. He smiled. “I’m running for president!”
“That’s awesome!” said Zaza. “But now I have a problem. Who will I vote for? You’re both my best friends.”
“That’s okay, Zaza,” replied Sadiq, smiling. “I will work on my speech to convince you. You don’t have to choose now.”
“What are some of your ideas?” asked Zaza. “Will you say that we can play video games in class?”
“Hahaha. No, Zaza, don’t be silly,” laughed Sadiq. “I want fairness at recess for the climbing wall.”
“If you say yes to video games, then you can have my vote!” Zaza teased.
“You will have to listen to my speech,” said Sadiq. “I think you’ll like my other ideas too!”
The two friends chatted and laughed as they walked home.
Chapter 4
Campaign Week
Sadiq opened the door to his house and took off his shoes.
“Salaam, Baba!” he called out to his dad.
“Here comes the candidate!” said Baba.
“How is it going, qalbi?” asked Hooyo.
“I don’t know, Hooyo,” said Sadiq as he hugged his mom. “Manny is mad at me. I have to give a speech. It’s A LOT.”
“Help me set the table,” said Aliya. She handed Sadiq a stack of plates. “You can tell us about it.”
“I have to use my speech to get votes,” said Sadiq. “I can talk about my ideas and why they’re the best.”
“Does everyone have to give a speech?” asked Nuurali.
“If you want to get votes, yes,” replied Sadiq. “Ms. Battersby says it’s important. You can change people’s minds.”
“I think you’ll do great,” said Nuurali. “You are very convincing. We always end up watching your pick for movie night!”
Sadiq and the Big Election Page 1
