Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. ISBN: 0375836187
Summary: A museum in a book! Walk your eyes through the lives of Abraham and Mary, how they came to be, met, and survived the ups and downs of life together, culminating in their deaths. Chalked full of illustrations of items that visually guide you. The reader is taken on an in-depth journey into two intellectual lives who were both very strong willed, bold people, who shared political interests as well as a love for one another resulting in a true partnership.
Analysis: This biography is an in-depth look into the life of Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary laid out in scrapbook form leaving the reader feeling as if they have visited a museum dedicated to these two interesting lives. This biography gives the reader a look into Lincolns' 19th century America and its people. This is an excellent resource to be used in Social Studies! It is quite lengthy but the timeline near the front itself will lend as a great research tool for middle school to college level students.
As you read this awesome informative book you "hear" the accent of the folks back then as there is inflection within the text. You find yourself a bit disappointed when you have to turn the page because once you begin reading one thing you're hooked, then you turn the page and it is all new information, you lose the disappointment quickly though because the new story is just as enthralling. The illustrations are photos, newspaper clippings, personal letters, personal items/trinkets, invitations, drawings, maps, poems, and much more. Visually stimulating as almost each entry comes with an illustration that complements the text well. This book reads like a well done documentary.
One feature that was pretty cool is the use of the font type called "Old Times American" which was the very typeface that was used in the 1800s. There is A Note on the Type at the very beginning that teaches the reader how "typing" was done back then with metal or wood and ink. Then there is a Table of Contents that is divided by key themes so the reader does not necessarily need to read this book in any particular order. After that, there is a lengthy Introduction written to the reader by Candice Fleming herself notifying us that this book is written by her, and she grew up in the "land of Lincoln" even knowing a distant cousin of his. Here the reader learns that Abraham detested the being called "Abe." Following the informative Introduction one will find a detailed timeline called The Lincoln Years listing the main points in Abraham and Mary's life. The timeline is written in different fonts Abraham's being Roman Text and Mary's being italicized.
In the back, the reader will find resources for extended reading or research, other young adult books and web links with little blurbs on what one will find at each site.
As you read this awesome informative book you "hear" the accent of the folks back then as there is inflection within the text. You find yourself a bit disappointed when you have to turn the page because once you begin reading one thing you're hooked, then you turn the page and it is all new information, you lose the disappointment quickly though because the new story is just as enthralling. The illustrations are photos, newspaper clippings, personal letters, personal items/trinkets, invitations, drawings, maps, poems, and much more. Visually stimulating as almost each entry comes with an illustration that complements the text well. This book reads like a well done documentary.
One feature that was pretty cool is the use of the font type called "Old Times American" which was the very typeface that was used in the 1800s. There is A Note on the Type at the very beginning that teaches the reader how "typing" was done back then with metal or wood and ink. Then there is a Table of Contents that is divided by key themes so the reader does not necessarily need to read this book in any particular order. After that, there is a lengthy Introduction written to the reader by Candice Fleming herself notifying us that this book is written by her, and she grew up in the "land of Lincoln" even knowing a distant cousin of his. Here the reader learns that Abraham detested the being called "Abe." Following the informative Introduction one will find a detailed timeline called The Lincoln Years listing the main points in Abraham and Mary's life. The timeline is written in different fonts Abraham's being Roman Text and Mary's being italicized.
In the back, the reader will find resources for extended reading or research, other young adult books and web links with little blurbs on what one will find at each site.
Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Norman A Sugarman Award (2010); Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
(2009); Society of Midland Authors Award for Children’s Nonfiction (2009), and a plethora of scholarly reviews.
From Booklist 09/15/2008: "Fleming’s writing, filled with quotes and personal details, is just as lively as the assortment of images, and an extensive time line, suggested resources, and source notes round out the text. Starting with her personal introduction, this exemplary resource will prompt readers to consider how an individual’s life story, and a country’s history, are constructed."
From Kirkus Review 09/01/2008: "Fleming's five-year immersion in letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches and other primary documents yields a monumental visual chronicle of Abraham and Mary Lincoln and their times. The visuals range from the essential to the mundane—portraits, maps, battlefield scenes, political cartoons, dress patterns, a stovepipe hat and measurements for a pair of boots—and, along with clear writing and thematic organization, leave readers 'feeling as if you have just visited old friends.'"
Connections: Students could skim/read this extensive biography then follow up by watching the documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided which "weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns, drawing us into their long-vanished world." Read other highly acclaimed biographies written by Fleming such as Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life (2003); Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life (2005).
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