Lincoln and His Boys

Starred review from January 12, 2009
Inspired by a 200-word fragment written by one of Lincoln's sons, Wells (Mary on Horseback
) introduces the legendary president through the perspectives of his youngest children, Willie and Tad. Nine years old when the book opens, in Springfield, Ill., Willie accompanies his father to Chicago, where, as Willie puts it, “spiffed-up men with soft hands” decide that Lincoln should run for president: “It's a derby race, and I've got a plow horse's chance,” Lincoln tells his son. The family vernacular will win readers quickly, as will Lincoln's readiness to indulge his boys and let them see him at work. Darkness enters gradually: on the train to Washington, Pinkerton agents whisk Lincoln off, in disguise (“a lot of shicoonery,” he tells the boys), to foil an assassination plot; the outbreak of war grieves Lincoln; and then the death of Willie in 1862 devastates Mary Lincoln. Wells ends as Lincoln and Tad return from a trip to Richmond, Va., at the close of the Civil War, and Lincoln orders the Union band to play “Dixie.” Rarely does a biography so robustly engage the audience's emotions. Final art, in color, not seen by PW
. Ages 8–12.

January 1, 2009
Gr 3-6-Inspired by a 200-word essay by Willie Lincoln, Wells offers a fictional account of Lincoln and his boys. Written first from Willie's point of view, then Tad's after Willie dies, it's a touching account of Lincoln as a patient and loving father, ready with a story, and in possession of infinite tolerance where his sons are concerned. Conversations between him and his boys shed light on what's happening at the time and on Lincoln's straightforward manner. "There are a hundred reasons why things happen, Willie. Those reasons fan out like circles around a stone thrown into a pond. The stone in the center of those reason rings is called truth. Truth is the very hardest thing on earth to see clear." Occasional colloquialisms like "four-flusher," "shicoonery," and "haberdasher" might challenge young readers, but in context the ideas are clear. Lynch captures the people and the warmth of their interactions in carefully researched oil paintings that reflect his mastery with light, perspective, and portraiture. The story closes with Lincoln's last speech, Tad at his side, while he instructs the band to play "Dixie." Presenting the president from his children's viewpoint brings both the family and the times to life."Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Grades 3-5 Wells offers a small, evocative peek into the daily lives of President Lincolns children. Basing her work on a juvenile fragmentwritten byWillie Lincoln, the novelist presents three vignettes that span from 1859 to 1865 and focus on the relationship between Lincoln and his two younger sons. Willies trip to Chicago, when he was almost nine, includes observations on both politicians and entertainers of the day. Two years later, at the White House, Willie and Tad find playmates in the Taft children. Lastly, at the end of the Civil War, Tad travels with his father to the capital of the defeated South, Richmond, Virginia. Lincoln is shown to be a caring and fun-loving parent, while his wifes justified fears of losing her children add a darker shade to home life. Lynchs paintings are sentimental and, like Wells choice of idiom for the boys voices, reflective of the period. Background facts are offered through invented conversations and scenarios.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Willie and Tad Lincoln narrate fictionalized episodes of their lives as the young sons of first the candidate then the newly elected president. Richly colored illustrations display the familiar careworn face of a man who was a father to both his sons and to a nation. The accessible text combines historical facts and real people with invented dialogue and imagined scenes.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)