THE LINCOLNS

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.” Redressing a wrong committed by many histories for young readers, Mary Lincoln is portrayed here as a multidimensional woman of intelligence and social conscience, and the issue of slavery is clearly and concisely handled. The scrapbook technique, used previously in Our Eleanor (2005) and Ben Franklin’s Almanac (2003), remains fresh and lively, a great way to provide a huge amount of information in a format that invites both browsing and in-depth study. Extensive end notes round out an impressive volume. (bibliography, websites, a note on research, picture credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)