The collaborators of the well-received Rosa (2005) come together again, but disappointingly this time. The setting here is an 1865 inaugural reception at the White House, where Frederick Douglass is an invited guest. Douglass is sent to a rear door but refuses that entrance. Did any of this actually happen? Who knows? There are no source notes, only a time line. Moreover, Mary Todd Lincoln is inaccurately portrayed (one of the worst lapses of the book) as a Southern sympathizer, saying no Negro should be at the White House, yet history tells us she was against slavery and even sent Lincoln's walking stick to Douglass after the president was assassinated. The narrative itself is choppy, with the incident at Harper's Ferry t very well explained uck in the middle of the book. Collier's stylized collage art is occasionally a saving grace, especially in the scenes of both men's boyhoods, and a fold-out spread that juxtaposes the horror of war against a glittering White House ball is quite spectacular. The relationship between Douglass and Lincoln could make for a fascinating book, but this one is only a very secondary purchase until something better (and better documented) comes along.

Although presented as nonfiction, this picture book about the close, if thorny, relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass is unsourced and replete with invented dialogue and questionable suppositions (for example, that Mary Todd Lincoln was against the abolition of slavery). Illustrations, including some dramatic gatefold spreads, are atmospherically shaded. Timeline.

A dramatic double-page spread of the Emancipation Proclamation fast-forwards to a March evening in 1865 at the White House, where President and Mrs. Lincoln are hosting an inaugural ball and to which Frederick Douglass is an invited guest. Giovanni then goes back in time to Douglass's and Lincoln's childhoods, comparing and contrasting. It's then back to the ball via Harpers Ferry and the Civil War. The text, already disjointed, even devotes two pages to John Brown and Mary Ellen Pleasant (who helped raise money for Brown), further fracturing the narrative. Collier's large paintings are dramatic, particularly one of soldiers in grey fighting soldiers in blue and another of a slave looking out from the divided pieces of an American flag. Unfortunately, both Lincoln and Douglass are depicted with oddly shaped faces and strange hairdos, which often resemble toupees. The stiff dialogue is unsourced by any notes. It's the season for Lincolnalia, but this team, who collaborated successfully on Rosa (2005), fail to present a focused work that will be meaningful to children. (timeline) (Picture book. 4-7)

Gr 2-6 Based on the book by Nikki Giovanni (Holt, 2008), this production explores the little-known friendship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Giovanni examines the similarities and differences in events in both their lives that led them to become important historical figures and great American leaders, and shows the commonalities that might have led to their friendship. Slavery, the abolition movement, Harper's Ferry, other famous abolitionists, and a foreshadowing of Lincoln's untimely death are presented. As Danny Glover reads the evocative text, Bryan Collier's exquisite multimedia illustrations are iconographically scanned with minor animation and some archival photographs added. Collier's often haunting work merits close examination, adding an additional poignant layer to the text. Original music also helps create a production that touches both heart and mind. There is also a somewhat rambling interview with Giovanni that provides interesting tidbits into the research for and motivation for writing the book. Optional read-along subtitles are available. This nicely done production has a variety of classroom uses and curriculum applications. Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA