MR. LINCOLN'S HAT, Step Into Reading 2

Random House 1994, 1994. Paperback. Fine/No Dj. Donald Cook. Octavo, hardcover, VG unissued classroom text, clean and unmarked other than date pocket on endpaper. in beige and blue pictorial boards. 48 pp. Step Into Reading series. A Step 2 Book, Grades 1-3. A far cry from the reverent tone of most children's books on Lincoln, this short, anecdotal biography actually humanizes him. Lincoln is shown as a struggling and somewhat disorganized lawyer who makes his way through goodwill and good sense. The book begins with his purchase of a tall black hat. Later, a group of boys rig up a high wire and knock it off his head, scattering the important papers he kept inside. Courtroom stories include Lincoln proving which man owned a young horse by letting the colt loose to go to its mother and his defense of a slave's right to be granted freedom in Illinois, a free state. Although Brenner includes no source notes, she states that all the stories she relates are true. The humor, lively lines, and soft, shaded colors of Cook's illustrations add to the book's appeal.