Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 7 to 9
Henry Holt, 2008 ISBN: 0805082646
On March 4, 1865 President Lincoln and his wife Mary held a reception in the White House to celebrate the beginning of Lincoln’s second term in office. Much to Mary’s distress her husband had invited a friend of his, one Frederick Douglass, to the affair. The invitation would surely cause controversy because Frederick was an African American and the white guests at the party would not want him to be there. Abraham Lincoln did not care what they thought. Frederick was a friend and an ally, and Abraham wanted him to talk and see this man who had made such a deep impression on him.
In some ways both men had had similar lives. Both had grown up poor and both had seen the ugly side of human nature. They both thought slavery was a sin against man and country. Both men wanted to see slavery swept away, and both fought hard with this goal in mind.
This thought provoking picture book looks at the lives and achievements of two singular men who fought for what they thought was right. With a lyrical text and unique collage illustrations, the creative duo who brought us the award winning book Rosa, give readers a picture of a turbulent time in American history.
