Abe Lincoln's Dream

by Lane Smith, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

From the bestselling author of It's a Book comes a funny, touching tale about the legacy of America's greatest president.

When a schoolgirl gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself. Together they embark on a journey across the country to answer Lincoln's questions and quiet his concerns about the nation for which he gave his life. This wholly original tale is signature Lane Smith; Abe Lincoln's Dream is funny, touching, and surprising in a way only possible from this master picture book creator.

This title has Common Core connections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596436084
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/16/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.72(w) x 10.64(h) x 0.42(d)
Lexile:	AD550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lane Smith is author and illustrator of the national bestsellers It's a Book, John, Paul, George & Ben, and Madam President, as well as the Caldecott Honor book Grandpa Green. He has illustrated books by Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, Jack Prelutsky, Florence Parry Heide, and Jon Scieszka, including The Stinky Cheese Man, for which he received a Caldecott Honor award. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, book designer Molly Leach.

Reading Group Guide

WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS?

A dream can be something that you experience while you're asleep or it can be a goal you have. Abe Lincoln has a meaningful dream about being in a ship at sea, which relates to his aspirations for America. Do you remember a dream you had recently? Do you have a goal that you want to achieve? Maybe you want to run for class president next year! Write down your dream or goal here. On a separate piece of paper, draw yourself in your dream or achieving your goal.

Then switch papers with a classmate. Ask them to write or discuss what they think your dream means. Or ask them for help thinking of ways you can reach your goal. Then it's your turn to do the same for them!

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PRESIDENT?

What do you think makes a good president? What characteristics did Abraham Lincoln have that you would want in a president today? Write your answers below, using one word for each of the letters in America!

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Editorial Reviews

The device of a conversation between a schoolgirl and Lincoln’s ghost could have been a clumsy gimmick, but Smith (Grandpa Green) executes it with casual grace. Riffing on a piece of trivia—that White House dogs often barked inexplicably outside the Lincoln bedroom—Smith imagines Quincy straying from her White House tour and stumbling upon a familiar-looking figure in a stovepipe hat. When the melancholy gentleman confesses his anxiety about the aftermath of his presidency (“Are the states united?... Did that work out?”), she hastens to reassure him. “Yes, that worked out fine,” she smiles. “And equality for all?” he presses. “That’s working out, too,” she says. “It’s getting better all the time.” They tour the country (“the ghost did the flying”) and finish on the moon, whose American flag prompts Lincoln’s first expression of pleasure: “Three cheers and ballyhoo!” Smith’s engraving-like illustrations are in quiet shades of dollar-bill green, but there’s plenty of visual excitement in the circus-poster typography. Quincy’s unexpectedly moving encounter presents American history not as a series of dry and inevitable events, but as Lincoln’s dream fulfilled. Ages 5–9. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Lovely.” —Booklist

“...bold and spectacular.” —Horn Book, starred

“An adroit blend of humor, compassion and quiet optimism reflects the statesman's character and make this a first choice for February or anytime.” —Kirkus

“A picture book that transforms the 16th president from a seemingly austere, severe figure into a sympathetic character. . . Smith adds a sense of whimsy through his creative use of fonts and the witty tone of the narrative.” —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

Gr 2–5—A picture book that transforms the 16th president from a seemingly austere, severe figure into a sympathetic character. A young African American girl named Quincy encounters the ghost of Abe Lincoln on a school tour of the White House. He tells the child about a recurring dream in which he is sailing a ship on a stormy sea, unsure of where he's heading. (The afterword explains that the president reported having this nightmare several times, including the evening before his assassination.) In an attempt to cheer him, Quincy reassures Lincoln that the state of the nation has vastly improved since his presidency, and the two take flight on a whirlwind tour. Dynamic spreads of the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and an American flag planted on the Moon-digitally rendered in oil painting and pen-and-ink-reflect Quincy's assertion that "'overall the founding fathers would be proud of our progress.'" The dark palette and parchmentlike background give the book a traditional feel, but Smith adds a sense of whimsy through his creative use of fonts and the witty tone of the narrative. Despite the cartoonish style, Lincoln is fully humanized: visible pen marks that indicate wrinkles and bags under his eyes suggest his anguish over the state of the union, while his penchant for corny jokes ("'Ghosts are no good at telling fibs….You can see right through them'") will endear him to readers. Pair this picture book with Maira Kalman's Looking at Lincoln (Penguin, 2012) to give students a portrait of the man that transcends mere facts.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

Smith transcends clichés to present a fresh and intimate glimpse of the 16th president. Opening panels, rendered digitally and in oil and ink, hone in on three presidential pooches that wouldn't "enter THAT room" in the White House. By the time present-day Quincy goes AWOL from her tour to discover a pale man in a stovepipe hat who walks through walls, there have been enough subsequent clues that readers will understand the dogs' hesitation. The sensitive African-American protagonist perceives that Lincoln is haunted by unfinished business. While sharing groan-inducing jokes and flying over monuments, farms and the moon, the two discuss American progress. Quincy offers encouraging words on the union of the states and equality, but about fighting, she observes, "We're still working on that one." They share recurring dreams; Lincoln's is about a "ship sailing rapidly for some shore I know not where." A brief (although undocumented) afterword says this is so. The palette is appropriately somber, but touches like the striking red roses that fill the foreground of the moonlit mansion's garden mitigate the darkness. Types of varying sizes and weights mimic those found in period newspapers and political posters. The final spread features Quincy's dream: fireworks flaring, a smiling president sails into the light. An adroit blend of humor, compassion and quiet optimism reflects the statesman's character and make this a first choice for February or anytime. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews