Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
written and illustrated by Karen Winnick
This was a very different non-fiction picture book indeed. Though it contained some interesting factual information that I was not previously aware of, I did not really enjoy its language, the author's craft, or the illustrations. I felt that the oil paint illustrations were too dark and gloomy, and the characters were very crude and unappealing to me, in my opinion. I know that if I were a child picking up this book and doing a picture walk, I would probably be bored in just a few seconds and start searching for another book because the pictures did not put me in awe and make me want to find out the text that goes along with them.
However, this book did spike my curiosity to know more about Grace Bedell and her family. With siblings' names like Levant and Una, I am wondering if her family is of foreign decent or if those are old names common during the Civil War Era? I also admired Grace's devotion to Abraham Lincoln and rallying votes for him, even if she could not vote for him due to her age and gender at the time. She seemed so young--just a child--yet so passionate about ending slavery and supporting him! The author doesn't really use any significant craft or style, and I felt that the text itself was pretty boring; this makes me wonder if this was an intentional decision, and if it wasn't, is the author an expert on this subject? How do I know she did the best possible research on the topic? Maybe this could warrant more historical investigation, though I doubt a publisher in 1995 could let this go to press without accurate information.
Consequently, this picture book did increase my admiration of Abraham Lincoln, if that's possible. In the afterword, the author displays a copy of the letters that Grace and Lincoln exchanged in 1860, and it just warms my heart that he would respond to the letter of a little girl in New York, when he was so busy running for election from Springfield, Illinois. He seems to be a man who really cared about all of his constituents, and his devotion to this country stands evident still today.
The Grace Bedell Foundation:
http://www.gracebedellfoundation.org/
While it sounds like this book wasn't too entertaining, the main character certainly sounds like someone children could look up to as a hero! Just reading in your blog about how Abraham Lincoln replied to Grace increases my admiration for him too.
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