Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln?

DiCamillo continues the relay of Tales from Deckawoo Drive, as minor characters from previous books (Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, rev. 9/14; Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Racoon, rev. 9/15) grab the baton for their own stories. In this third series entry, the Lincoln sisters, a pair we met in the Mercy Watson books (of which this series is a spinoff), take center stage. Eugenia Lincoln is hard-nosed, tyrannical, and humorless. Lucille Lincoln, known as Baby, is soft-hearted, timid, and oppressed. The story kicks off as Baby accesses just enough gumption to take a train trip by herself. In the course of this journey she makes friends and gains self-confidence, and when she returns home, Eugenia unbends enough to admit that she missed her. It ends with buttered toast, love, and a cameo appearance by Mercy Watson the pig. A generous helping of full-page and spot illustrations adds to the energy and to our understanding of the characters. These stories -- with their portrait of timeless small-town America; their use of adult characters as kid stand-ins; their celebration of mild ironies; and their pleasure in language ("You must be firm and resolute, particularly with mice. You must brook them no quarter") -- are a welcome addition to a time-honored tradition of children's writing. sarah ellis

In this third entry, the Lincoln sisters--hard-nosed, humorless Eugenia and soft-hearted, oppressed Lucille ("Baby")--take center stage. On a train trip by herself, Baby makes friends and gains self-confidence, and Eugenia unbends enough to admit that she missed her. Generous illustrations add to our understanding of the characters in this story, a portrait of timeless small-town America that takes pleasure in language.