Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina, illustrated by Colin Bootman

2009/32pgs.

About the Book: In 1951 Alabama, a young boy discovers the courage to walk into a segregated library to find a book about Abe Lincoln.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: This is another Show Me Readers Awards nominee. The more I read from the Show Me list, the less impressed I am with the nominees. It seems like the nominees are chosen on what lesson can be taught instead of what is truly an outstanding picture book in writing and illustration.

Finding Lincoln has a great lesson. But the writing is bland and boring and the illustrations are not that great. When there are people being drawn, I want them to actually look like people, not blobs of watercolors. There's not a lot of attention to detail in the illustrations and many of the extra on the pages seem to just bleed together.

The story seems like it's there just to teach a lesson. I wasn't impressed with the writing at all. The author talks down to the audience and I didn't think the story flowed that well. There were some small details thrown out aren't really resolved and the ending sort of leaves the reader hanging-it's not the best resolution.

I can see why this one made the Show Me Readers Award list because of the school lessons that can go along with it, but I wasn't all that impressed.