Just in Time, Abraham Lincoln

Gr 2–5—Caught up with modern-day activities, how is it possible to truly gain a gut-deep understanding of historical events that happened long before you were born? This is the question teachers often ponder as they try to teach children that history is more than names and dates—it was people, real people, whose actions still impact our lives today. While visiting the Harpers Ferry Civil War Museum, young Michael and Derek dress as Union soldiers and step through a doorway into the past. They are no longer learning about Antietam, now they are there in 1862. The dead and dying lie scattered, red-splashed upon the brown earth. The boys meet a Civil War photographer and have a chance to give hope to a weary president, even as they experience his deep sense of loss, and commitment to a cause that demands sacrifice. Many of the soldiers never made it home again. Will the boys? Polacco expressively reads her book (Putnam, 2011) with the help of Kirby Ward against original background music by Bruce Zimmerman. They immerse listeners in a different time and place, giving providing immediacy and impact that, hopefully, will stay with students long after the story is over.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA