Next week, on February 12, our country will observe the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America. The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration promises to be a memorable event in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country.Mr. Lincoln's Boys, by Straton Rabin, is one of the new books that has arrived in Youth Services in honor of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial. Illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline portray Lincoln as a patient and loving father who always took time to play with his rambunctious young sons, Tad and Willie. The boys played pranks on the White House staff, providing some lighthearted moments in the dark days of the Civil War. The book describes the thundering of cannons that the boys heard while they were playing on the White House lawn as a battle raged across the river in Virginia, and the streets t
hat were filled with wounded soldiers who trudged back into Washington after the battle.The Lincolns: a Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, by Candace Fleming, is another new book that examines the lives of the extraordinary couple. Spend some time with this book and you will see photos of the Lincoln family and and other prominent figures, as well as newspaper articles and cartoons, letters and documents. The pain endured by Abraham and Mary, who lost all three of their children, and their personal triumphs and tragedies fill the pages of this book that gives young readers and their families a fresh look at this turbulent time in American history.
posted by jtb
