Looking at Lincoln
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3.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Abraham Lincoln is one of the first giants of history children are introduced to, and now Maira Kalman brings him to life with her trademark style and enthusiasm. Lincoln's legacy is everywhere - there he is on your penny and five-dollar bill. And we are still the United States because Lincoln helped hold them together.
But who was he, really? The little girl in this book wants to find out. Among the many other things, she discovers our sixteenth president was a man who believed in freedom for all, had a dog named Fido, loved Mozart, apples, and his wife's vanilla cake, and kept his notes in his hat. From his boyhood in a log cabin to his famous presidency and untimely death, Kalman shares Lincoln's remarkable life with young readers in a fresh and exciting way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As she did in The Principles of Uncertainty, Kalman transforms digital material in this case, her New York Times illustrated column "In Love with A. Lincoln" into analogue format. Kalman's fond and bittersweet account of our lanky 16th president evokes both a schoolgirl crush ("I got lost in photos of his unusual face.... I could look at him forever") and a Yankee's steely, sorrowful perspective on the price of freedom (still lifes include a bullet-torn Civil War uniform and John Wilkes Booth's pistol). Abstract gouaches ranging from tangy colors to dolorous grays put a contemporary spin on the iconic log cabin, Springfield house, stovepipe hat, and "his favorite vanilla cake" with ribbons of red icing. Portraits include a pensive Lincoln, seated alone or with family ("He was thinking about... doing good for mankind. And maybe he was also thinking about getting a birthday present for his little son"); Sojourner Truth; and Lincoln's pale-eyed stepmother, wearing a severe bonnet and black dress la Picasso's portrait of Gertrude Stein. Rather than pen a textbook profile, Kalman portrays heartfelt admiration through poignant imagery. Ages 5 8.
