Thursday, November 11, 2010

Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President


Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President

Written by: Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer
Illustrated by: Stacy Innerst

"Laughter is not only good medicine. It can also be a political tool, human motivator, and saving grace, as the authors show in this upbeat overview of Lincoln’s life. Moving through the sixteenth president’s many challenges, from family deaths to lost elections to fighting slavery, the text emphasizes how Lincoln coped with a joke on his tongue and a smile on his lips. Many direct quotes are interwoven in a contrasting font within the spreads that delve into subjects such as his military service, when he faced “a good many bloody battles—with mosquitoes,” and marriage: “Here I am, and here is Mrs. Lincoln. And that’s the long and short of it.” Innerst’s acrylic artwork feels homey and humorous, very much in the style of his previous work with Krull, M is for Music (2003), and while not every word or picture is necessarily a hoot and a holler, they do present a positive portrait that humanizes the lionized man for whom it was “a love of laughter that kept him going.”

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/for-kids/default.aspx

http://www.berwickacademy.org/lincoln/lincoln.htm

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