A. Lincoln And Me - Hardcover

Louise Borden was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1949. Inspired by a grandmother who loved history, Borden grew up fascinated by the stories of ordinary people and their relation to historical events. An avid reader of nonfiction and historical fiction, Borden majored in history at Denison University. She worked as a teaching assistant and later as a teacher for young children and realized a lifelong dream when she became co-owner of The Bookshelf, a bookstore in her hometown of Cincinnati.

In 1971, Borden (then Walker) married Peter Borden. It was when the younger of their two daughters started elementary school that Borden began work on her first children's book, Caps, Hats, Socks, and Mittens: A Book About the Four Seasons. Her love of history has come into play in many of the books that have followed, as has her experience — through both teaching and parenthood — with children's thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Borden enjoys playing tennis, watching baseball (she's still an avid fan of the Cincinnati Reds), and reading, a pastime which keeps her mindful of the interests of her audience.

A boy who shares Abraham Lincoln's birthday muses on what Lincoln means to him. He's tall and skinny and has big hands and feet, just like A. Lincoln (he didn't like to be called Abe). ``Big buttons on his coat. Big words in his heart. Big hands and big feet like mine'' the boy notes as he passes a bronze statue of Lincoln while riding the school bus. When the boy's buddies call him ``Butterfingers'' and ``Butterfeet'' because he stumbles into wet paint, his teacher tells him that Lincoln was called names such as ``gorilla'' and ``baboon.'' Lewin's illustrations are the clear, realistically modeled watercolors readers have come to expect, placed over or against black-and-white drawings of Lincoln. These images of Lincoln at different points in his life make a powerful collage, which Lewin creates with fervor. There's nothing preachy about Borden's text, which makes the boy's connection to this historical figure immediate, honest, and straightforward. It introduces Lincoln with beautiful simplicity to the youngest of children. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.