Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina illus by Colin Bootman

This past weekend was a bit busy.   Yesterday I attended and volunteered at the BCCL'S biennial BooksNJ event at the Paramus Public Library.   It was a great event that showcased lots of authors from the  New Jersey area.   I volunteered because my friend Alexa works there and said they might need help.   It was fun unpacking books and seeing titles that were new to me.    I remember thinking how I love the smell of new books and that I missed handling them.   As much as e-books may be the wave of the future that is one thing they can't give you ----a new book smell.  

I usually like to write about a reference or nonfiction book on Sunday's but I never got the chance to do a posting.  So today I thought I would recommend a book I saw at yesterday's festival.   I sat in on a Non-fiction panel for young readers that was very interesting.   One of the author's was Ann Malaspina....she showcased a few of her titles and talked about the difference between writing a nonfiction picture book versus a nonfiction young reader.   I picked today's book because I like the characters and the story and because it takes place in a library ---which I thought was an appropriate setting since the events of yesterday was all about libraries.  

Finding Lincoln by Ann Malaspina and illusrated beautifully by Colin Bootman takes place in Alabama in 1951.   It is the story of a boy who wants to find out more about Abraham Lincoln but is not allowed in the "whites only" library because he is African American.   The kind librarian helps him after hours to find the information he needs.   It is a sweetly told story that is not preachy. It is a great way to teach children about this time in our recent history that explains about segregation.   I was also drawn to this books for two other reasons....the main character is named Louis---like my Dad and it has to do with Abraham Lincoln---who my Mother loved.