BookPage
Turner does a great job of bringing this historical leader to life for children.
Publishers Weekly
"The author chronologically organizes the biography into accessible vignettes, each accompanied by a finely detailed illustration marked by sharp, nearly photographic definitions," wrote PW. Ages 6-9. (Jan.)
Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Minor's (Red Fox Running) stately, lifelike paintings and Turner's (Learning to Swim) anecdotal narrative--written in the conversational voice of Lincoln--shape an insightful portrait of this leader. The author chronologically organizes the text into accessible vignettes, each accompanied by a finely detailed illustration marked by sharp, nearly photographic definition. Turner emphasizes Lincoln's fascination with words and learning with well-chosen similes (as a lawyer, "I practiced my cases out loud as I walked,/ learning how to use words/ like a leading rein on a colt/ to take people where I wanted"), and stresses his early commitment to end slavery, his unwavering ethics and his profound anguish at the destruction and death caused by the Civil War. Cheerful moments inject some levity into the volume, as when Lincoln describes Mary Todd, the woman who would become his wife ("She was bright and brave/ like a flag cracking in the wind,/ all color, rustle, and shine"), and his son Tad's habit of driving his cart and goats through the White House hall. This well-rounded volume ends on an affecting, ironic note: As Lincoln and his wife "wait to go see a play," he thinks back on his childhood log cabin, reflecting on "how much has come to pass since then. How much there is still to be done." Ages 6-9. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
A moving text in poetic prose helps the reader to imagine Lincoln's thoughts about that historic evening when he went to Ford's Theater. He reflects on his childhood, his struggles to obtain an education, his political life and his sorrow about the war that has recently ended. This fictional book is well-based in factual information with a historical note in the back. Minor's full- color illustrations are well researched and present an accurate, realistic vision of Lincoln's life and times. This book could be used effectively with all ages in studies of Lincoln, the Civil War or biographies. 2001, HarperCollins, . Ages 5 up. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-Crisp, richly colored paintings accompany somber prose in this dreamy evocation of Lincoln's life and accomplishments, narrated in the first person by a mature president in the White House before an evening at the theater. The fictional memoir broadly describes the man's life from his youth in a Kentucky log cabin to the end of the Civil War; a concluding two-page historical note fills in some factual gaps and appraises readers of Lincoln's fate at the hands of John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater. Vivid full-page illustrations provide counterpoint to islands of verse; a rendering of Lincoln's signature and simple colonial drawings unify the text pages. The striking cover illustration of Lincoln framed in the doorway of a log cabin is memorable. Factual picture books for children are often betwixt and between, neither read casually nor sought as research material for reports. If properly placed, Abe Lincoln Remembers can satisfy both camps, though the solemnity of the presentation favors its use as an American history resource.-Mary Ann Carcich, Mattituck-Laurel Public Library, Mattituck, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
PLB: 0-06-027578-2 This handsome and genuinely appealing collaboration transcends the usual picture-book biography genre. The author and artist impressively succeed in taking the well-known details of this oh-so-familiar life and shaping them into an accessible, affecting personal story. Experienced historical novelist Turner (Dakota Dugout, 1985) chose to tell this remembrance in the imagined voice of Lincoln, setting it on the evening of April 14, 1865, just before he and wife Mary are about to leave for the theatre. Historians have made much of Lincoln's moodiness and melancholy at this moment in time; Turner reflects that conventional wisdom yet she does not make this a maudlin or sappily sentimental tale. Lincoln's voice is simple and steadying. In spare, restrained prose, he recounts his life story in a voice that resonates with an undertone of grief and loss. The effect is simple, fresh, and inspiring. Minor (who previously collaborated with Turner on the haunting 1997 Shaker Hearts) is a prolific illustrator who has risen to the challenge of refreshing and refashioning time- and shop-worn events and images. His handsome and characteristically detailed acrylic paintings are perfectly pitched to Turner's tone, which is increasingly somber. Minor also doubled as the book's designer and makes effective use of white space, employs clean-edged line borders in red and white, and even includes occasional ghost images of Lincoln's distinctive signature. In the book's well-developed and inclusive"historical note," Turner reflects on Lincoln's pivotal role in the nation's history. Finally, she asserts that Lincoln's"words echo down the years to us, calling to us, reminding us of whatitmeans to lead an ethical and courageous life." Memorable. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
