A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln

February 27, 1989
The prolific Adler ( Cam Jansen ) and the Wallners have collaborated on two highly accessible and involving picture-book biographies. Each book begins with the childhood of the leader and firmly places its subject within the continuum of American history. The texts are brief yet succinctly include the major contributions of each man within the constraints of the picture-book format. A single page outline of ``Important Dates'' closes each book. The Wallners' colorful illustrations are sometimes a bit cartoony for the no-nonsense text, but many readers may find these perfect introductions to the lives of two important presidents. Ages 5-9.

May 1, 1989
Gr 1-3- -These books are a step easier than Adler's "First Biographies" (Holiday). Facts and personality are expertly mixed in the small blocks of text; Adler does a good job of covering character traits, family members, and large events without overburdening readers with too many facts. Calm, uncluttered color paintings add visual interest, extend the text (sometimes rather far: readers will have to find out elsewhere why the Boston Tea Party was "attended" by native Americans), and ennoble their presidential subjects-Lincoln, with an extra homely face and dark clothing, always stands out in a group, and Washington is last seen on a tall horse, atop a bluff, waving to a passing eagle. Some simplification is inevitable-Lincoln's election is the only mentioned cause of the Civil War and there's not a black face to be seen in . . . Washington, for instance-but by and large, these are inviting gateways, both to the array of longer books on these two presidents, such as Kathie Billingslea Smith's (both Messner, 1987), and to U.S. history in general. -John Peters, New York Public Library