The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary

Bibliography
Fleming, C. (2008). The Lincolns : a scrapbook look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN: 9780375836183

Plot Summary
The saying often goes “behind every great man there is a great woman”. Author Candace Fleming recognized this about the Lincoln’s during her research on the sixteenth president. Thus inspired this scrapbook of the influential couple and their lives together.
  
Critical Analysis
After the introduction, where the author explains their reasoning for writing about man and wife, a timeline is provided for the couple. A short key is given to separate Abraham Lincoln and Mary Lincoln and note when the events were shared by both.

The book is separated into chapters titled to reflect the contents with a quote from one or both Lincoln's. The chapter is then separated into sections conveyed with a black strip and white text in all capital letters. Each page is organized to look like a newspaper spread. Or a scrapbook with newspaper clippings. Images are provided with most if not all selections. Important documents, book covers, maps, and other documents that reflected the Lincolns lives are all archived within the pages.

The first two chapters are mirrors of each other almost. Lincoln, a “Backwoods Boy”, grew up the son of a poor farmer. His father remarried soon after Lincoln’s mother died, and he loved his stepmother deeply. Mary Todd, conversely, had a decadent childhood and wanted for nothing. She despised her stepmother and couldn’t wait to leave home. Later chapters develop the relationship between Abraham and Mary, and their journey into politics and the Civil War. The very end of the book details Mary’s bouts with depression, how she copes as a widow, her only living son’s betrayal, and her death.

The font used in this book is called Old Times American which is based on typefaces from the 1800s (this information is provided at the beginning of the book with the copyright page). This font helps support the newspaper theme the pages have.

The amount of text on each page will intimidate or reluctant readers. Advanced readers and lovers of history will rejoice in the information held in the pages. The research Fleming conducted for this book was extensive. Fleming describes the research experience at the very end of the book in the section titled “A Little Bit About the Research”. “Any biography of the Lincolns should be founded on their own words”. Fleming goes into a thorough description of her attempts to create as authentic a depiction of the Lincolns’ as possible. Following this section, Fleming provides notes for each chapter and the resource it came from, as well as an index for easy to find information.

Review Excerpt(s)
Norman A. Sugarman Award (2010)
Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (2009)
Society of Midland Authors Award for Children's Nonfiction (2009)
NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book (2009)
BOOKLIST: "Fleming offers another standout biographical title, this time twining accounts of two lives—Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln—into one fascinating whole."
HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: "Fleming is able to compare and contrast the president with his first lady, giving us not only greater insight into each of them but also a fuller picture of the world in which they lived."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "It's hard to imagine a more engaging or well-told biography of the Lincolns."

Connections
After studying the pages, students will create their own “scrapbook” newspaper page about a person of their own choosing. One section will be about their childhood, another about their attempts to break into the industry they are known for, a current piece or what happened after they retired. They will need to find an authentic document or quote to add to their piece. A picture should occupancy each article.
Create a bookmark with the Top 10 Things you’ve learned about either Abraham or Mary Lincoln.
Math: Money comparisons. The book often talks about money conversions. Have student convert money today from that of the 1860s. Students should also practice with international conversions.
Geography - Map out the battles from the Civil War. What advantages or disadvantages did the North or South have?
Create a timeline for the beginning of the Civil War. What lead to this? (The Mexican War should definitely be on here, as well as the Compromise of 1850).
Create a timeline of “firsts” - Mary Lincoln was the first “First Lady” and there were many other firsts conceived during Lincoln’s presidency as reflected on page 129.
Students can create an interview with one of the people that interacted with the Lincolns. Such as Elizabeth Keckly, Mary Lincoln’s trusted confidant who wrote a tell-all, Robert Lincoln, or one of Lincoln’s appointed generals.