Abraham

Following George and Theodore, Keating and Wimmer continue their Mount Rushmore series with an intimate recounting of the life of Abraham Lincoln. The first-person narration creates a great deal of that intimacy, as Lincoln recounts his humble upbringing, lifelong love of reading, and years of work that preceded his political life. Direct quotations are included, though sometimes dropped unceremoniously into the narrative (“I once walked twenty miles to borrow a book. ‘The things I want to know are in books’ ”). Wimmer’s oil paintings skillfully represent Lincoln at several stages of life, and Keating ends on a hopeful note at the close of the Civil War. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)