"Lincoln: A Photobiography" by Russell Freedman

1) a) Bibliography:
Freedman, Russell. (1987). Lincoln: A Photobiography. New York: Clarion Books, 150 pp.
b) Genre and Awards: Non-fiction, Biography, Historical Figure, Presidents
The Newberry Medal
The Jefferson Cup Award
Golden Kite Honor Book Award
School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year.

2) Synopsis: This book is the story of Abraham Lincoln's life. He grew up as a poor wood chopping boy, and made history as one of the greatest presidents of all time. It was pretty much what you would expect it to be.

3) a) Characterization: Lincoln...good guy...Honest Abe...pretty much it.
b) Plot: follows Lincoln's life as he rose through the ranks to become President.
c) Theme: Perseverance. Goal setting and achieving.
d) Setting: Mostly Washington D.C. during the Civil War
e) Style and Effectiveness: Well, I was hoping that this book would tell me something I didn't know about President Lincoln. Unfortunately, it did not. It was the story of his life, but very dry and not very entertaining to read. I also felt that the title "photobiography" was misleading. I thought it would be full of pictures...with little text. Wrong again...there weren't any more pictures in this book than a regular "biography" so I'm not sure what gave this the "photobiography" grade.
f) Value and Concerns: No concerns other than putting all your students to sleep. Value is of course learning about a former president...valuing our country's history.
g) Needs of Adolescents: Don't really think we met any needs here. Unless they, like me, need to find a non-fiction book....:)
h) Multiculturalism: The issue of slavery was central to Lincoln's life. This book goes deep into Lincoln's mindset all throughout the war, and how at the beginning he only wanted to stop the spread of slavery to new states, but by the end of the war, he had eradicated slavery completely.

4) Possible Classroom Uses: Only on my shelf...if someone is interested, great! I wouldn't try to teach this to the entire room.

5) Appropriate Age Range: "Juvenile" is the official rating...I would think any age could appreciate this book, it might be a hard read for those under 11 or 12...

6) Personal Reactions: Please don't make any of your future students get through this one. I was really hoping it would be a new tale, something extra about Lincoln. It wasn't. I am so disappointed, since it was a Newberry Medal Winner. The only reader I can see enjoying this book is the "history buff." Not discounting that, at all, but that is just not me.