Abigail Adams

November 15, 2018
Grades K-2 The books in the First Ladies series (6 new titles) offer very amiable accounts of their subjects. Each page has just a few lines of bold text, with words defined in the glossary appearing in purple. More interesting are the photos or, in the case of Abigail Adams, paintings and historical art. The pictures follow each of the First Ladies from childhood on, and the images are appealing and well chosen. Each volume focuses on that particular First Lady's service to the country: Abigail Adams spotlights Adams' commitment to women's rights. Though the books' chronological order makes the brief narratives easy to follow, sometimes the simplicity leads to confusion. For instance, Clinton is described as working for Barack Obama as secretary of state, where appointed by would have been more accurate. In another example, Johnson's Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal are described as the highest awards a person can get ?well, perhaps in the U.S. Nevertheless, these are decent introductory primers to America's female leaders. Kids can learn more if they read the back matter, and links to ABDO's online resources further that goal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)