The latest in St. George’s presidential Turning Points series follows young Abe from birth to leaving home, with special focus on the influence of his quiet mother and bustling, big-hearted stepmother. Aiming at readers who consider the presidents remote, Olympian figures, she selects vivid incidents from Lincoln’s childhood and introduces each member of his extended family—also pointing out how his thoughtful nature reflected that of his mother Nancy, and then how his stepmother Sally both brought books into his life. Faulkner pushes faces to the forefront in his illustrations, capturing the distinct character of each member of the hardworking pioneer family, as well as that family’s closeness both before and after Nancy’s early death. Closing with a more complete capsule biography and a substantial bibliography, this puts Lincoln in proper historical perspective, but more unusually, provides probing insight into the personal qualities that made him one of our greatest chief executives. (Picture book/biography. 7-9)
