Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship

by Nikki Giovanni

Overview

Our 16th president is known for many things: He delivered the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.He was tall and skinny and notoriously stern-looking. And he also had some very strong ideas about abolishing slavery, ideas which brought him into close contact with another very visible public figure: Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born a slave but escaped in 1838 and became one of the central figures in the American abolitionist movement.

This book offers a glimpse into the unusual friendship between two great American leaders. At a time when racial tensions were high and racial equality was not yet established, Lincoln and Douglass formed a strong bond over shared ideals and worked alongside each other for a common goal.

The acclaimed team behind Rosa, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor book, join forces once more to portray this historic friendship at a unique moment in time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805082647
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	09/30/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Nikki Giovanni has written many books of poetry for children and adults. She is the author of Rosa, a Caldecott Honor book, The Genie in the Jar, and Ego-tripping and Other Poems for Young People. Giovanni calls herself, "a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English." She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Lincoln Heights, an all-black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. She studied at Fisk University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University.

She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968, and since then has become one of America's most widely read poets. Oprah Winfrey named her as one of her twenty-five "Living Legends." Her autobiography Gemini was a finalist for the National Book Award, and several of her books have received NAACP Image Awards. She has received some twenty-five honorary degrees, been named Woman of the Year by Mademoiselle Magazine, The Ladies Home Journal and Ebony, was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and has been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry.

Nikki Giovanni lives in Christiansburg, Virginia, where she is a professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Bryan Collier is the illustrator of the acclaimed Rosa and the author/illustrator of Uptown, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. He is also the illustrator of Martin's Big Words, a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Collier lives with his family in New York.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1. Read the author's note. Do you think people act out of fear or do you, like Nikki Giovanni, agree that people act out of respect? Give examples that explain your answer.

2. What topic did Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, disagree on? How do you think this might have affected their family life?

3. How does the author play with time in the book? Why do you think she made that choice? What are we able to learn because of the change?

4. Why did Lincoln walk five miles back to the store? What does this act show us about his personality?

5. Douglass dreamed of setting sail on the ships he worked on in Baltimore. Why? What do you dream about for your own future?

6. What are some things you do that are similar to Lincoln's and Douglass's activities? What does it mean to "better themselves"? How can you better yourself?

7. What do you think Lincoln saw in New Orleans that opened his eyes? Why do you think the illustrator added the faces to the trees?

8. Lincoln and Douglass's friendship bloomed based on what three important things? What three characteristics do you want in a friend? How can our friendships change us as people?

9. Describe John Brown's plan in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. How did the expansion of slavery make it hard for everyday northern farmers to make a living?

10. Explain how the South knew "there would be no compromise on the issue of slavery" if Lincoln was elected. How did this turn out to be true? What resulted?

11. Why was there a misunderstanding at the inaugural reception? What did Douglass refuse to do? Would you refuse the same injustice?

12. Which illustration in the book is your favorite? Why? Why do you think Bryan Collier used the palette of colors that he did? Why do you think the page depicting the Civil War was created without any words?

13. Study the timeline of Lincoln's and Douglass's lives. What is the most interesting fact that you learned from this page? Create a timeline of one of your most important friendships.

Editorial Reviews

Abraham Lincoln invited a special guest, Frederick Douglass, to the reception following his second inauguration. Both had grown up under difficult circumstances and hated slavery. They had become friends when Lincoln was a member of Congress and the Civil War loomed. Being black, Douglass faced additional pressures. He even had difficulty getting into the reception. In a double foldout Collier dramatically demonstrates the grim war's pallor over the celebration. The conversation between the friends is recreated by Giovanni. Although they see "difficult days ahead," they are not worried. The horror of the subsequent assassination of Lincoln is noted only on the "Time Line." Collier chooses paper collage to create sets of parallel scenes that arise from the lives of the two men. One pair depicts each as an adolescent on a cabin floor involved in gaining literacy. Few details are needed; just a strong light source to illuminate the figures. An imaginative choice of patterned papers creates a bed of river plants. Photographs of forests are integrated into the dramatic scenes of John Brown's struggle. The double foldout of the smoky battle scenes uses cutouts of soldiers applied to the broken landscape. Notes from both author and illustrator add to the understanding of the book. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

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

School Library Journal

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 toupées. 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)

Kirkus Reviews

"Clear, accessible storytelling...the story of two powerful men who shaped the course of the United States, but also a brief history of the war that raged while they forged a fast but deep friendship."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

The smooth cadence of Danny Glover's voice tells the story of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass quite well in this narrated version of the picture book. The book itself is beautiful, and the lyric quality of the text deserves to be read aloud. Already, this book should be on the shelves of public and school libraries, but with this sound recording, a whole class can enjoy this book at one time. Soft music plays in the background, foreshadowing dark events about to take place and dogs bark while Douglas makes his escape from slavery. The double spread of the Civil War is backed up with drums and growing tension, however, this page turn was a little awkward. Glover's voice gives such a calming quality to the beautiful text and makes the recording able to stand alone. Whether each piece is experienced alone or together as a set, this book plus CD will be very useful in classrooms and school libraries. Reviewer: Tiffany Torbeck

Children's Literature - Tiffany Torbeck

Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass were very unlikely friends, but after a long road for both, they met when Lincoln became a representative. The story moves from the childhood of both men with Douglass successfully escaping from slavery and Lincoln seeing the pains of slavery while on a river trip to New Orleans. Quite a bit of attention is paid to the Harper's Ferry incident, since this was one of the contributing factors to the Civil War. Old portraits of John Brown, Mary Pleasant, and Douglass are included in the video that were not included in the book. More attention seems to be paid to this incident in the video than in the book, perhaps underscoring the importance. Finally, Lincoln and Douglass complete their journey to the White House with a hopeful exchange. The action is heightened with dramatic movement and good pacing. An author interview is included as well as viewing notes. Many classrooms will enjoy learning about this unexpected friendship in a visual format. Reviewer: Tiffany Erickson

Children's Literature - Tiffany Erickson