As he heads out of office at the end of this legislative term, openly gay Maine State Senator Justin Chenette has published a full-length children’s book about state government.
In 2016, at age 21, Chenette became not only the youngest legislator in Maine but the youngest openly gay lawmaker in the United States.
The Great Whoopie Pie Debate: A Kids’ Guide to the Maine Legislature follows the steps of the legislative process when legislators actually debated whether whoopie pies should be the state dessert.
“My hope with this book is to help amplify civics education across our state with Maine’s next generation,” says Chenette. “When students understand how their own government works, it leads to better outcomes for our Democratic society.”
Chenette plans to donate a copy to area schools with an ultimate goal of sending a book to every elementary school in the state. He plans to fundraise online to cover the publishing and shipping costs through his newly formed nonprofit, the Maine Democracy Project.
The book is published by Bryson Taylor Publishing, is illustrated by Jefferson Coniaris of Saco, and follows Chenette’s previous published outing with a coloring book similarly titled.
More at whoopiepie.org.
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