McCain’s daughter visits to promote her book

GLENDALE — The presidential campaign trail once again included Glendale and Burbank on Monday when Meghan McCain, daughter of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, visited the region during a multi-city tour for her recently released children’s book, “My Dad, John McCain.”

Meghan McCain’s whirlwind swing through Southern California started with an 11 a.m. book reading and signing in front of about 50 friendly revelers at the Barnes & Noble in the Americana at Brand, continued with an afternoon session with California Republican Party officials in Burbank, an address to college Republicans at USC and ended with a Larry King interview on CNN. She is slated to appear Wednesday on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“It’s exhausting,” said Meghan McCain, 23, of the extensive campaign trail and book signing that included stops in New York, Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis. “I drink a lot of Red Bull and Diet Coke.”

The 32-page picture book details John McCain’s rise from Navy pilot and prisoner of war to his political journey from congressman to U.S. senator and presidential candidate. It includes experiences with voters in New Hampshire and personal anecdotes from the campaign trail.

“This was a labor of love for me,” she said of the book, which debuted Sept. 2. “All these personal elements, that’s what this election is about.”

The book, which includes illustrations from artist Dan Andreasen, is one of three biographies aimed at children released this campaign season from publisher Simon & Schuster to focus on a major presidential candidate. The others are “Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope” by Nikki Grimes and Bryan Collier, and “Hillary Rodham Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight,” by Kathleen Krull and Amy June Bates, both of which were unveiled Aug. 26 to coincide with the start of the Democratic National Convention.

“It’s dinner-table conversation,” said Paul Crichton, director of publicity of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. “It’s about getting kids an education with what their parents are talking about it and understanding that this is historical. No matter who is elected, we will be making history.”