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Mr. Lincoln’s Way is a children’s book written by Patricia Polacco published in 2001. It was published by Philomel Books in New York, NY. This book deals with the issue of racism and can be used as a tool to introduce diversity and tolerance. It tells the story of a principal of an elementary school, Mr. Lincoln, helps the school bully overcome his feelings of hatred. Polacco did all of the illustrations in watercolor.

Summary

Mr. Lincoln is a principal of an elementary school and is admired by all of the students, except one. Eugene “Mean Gene” Esterhouse terrorized other students on the playground and said offensive remarks. One day, Mr. Lincoln saw Eugene admiring a cardinal in a tree. He invites Eugene into his office and gives him a book about different types of birds. Eugene tells Mr. Lincoln that his granma taught him a lot about birds when he lived on his grampa’s farm. Mr. Lincoln decides to create a bird atrium at the school so that Eugene will change his behavior. The atrium attracts all different kinds of birds, and Eugene was fascinated by all of them. Eugene took the bird book with him everywhere and began to be nicer to the other students.

A couple of days later, a teacher reported to Mr. Lincoln that Eugene had made racial comments to two students in the lunch line. Mr. Lincoln calls Eugene into his office, where he learns that Eugene’s dad was mad that Eugene had been spending so much time with Mr. Lincoln because he’s black. Mr. Lincoln shows Eugene that he has cared for all of the birds the same, regardless of color, and Eugene promises to never use racist comments again.

A couple of days later, the goose eggs in the atrium began to hatch. The geese needed to live near the pond, so Mr. Lincoln and Eugene came up with a plan and lure them to the river. After the ducks had safely made it to the water, Eugene heard his name. His grampa had come to see the ducks make it to safety. Eugene asks his grampa if he can live with him, to which he replies, “we’ll sure see.”

Characters

Mr. Lincoln – Mr. Lincoln is the principal of the elementary school. All of the students really admire him, except for Eugene. He teaches Eugene about different kinds of birds and teaches him not to terrorize the other students and use racial comments.

Eugene “Mean Gene” Esterhouse – Eugene terrorizes his peers on the playground. He gets in fights and calls the other students mean or racial names. He became fascinated by birds after he lived with his grampa.

Grampa - Eugene loves his grampa and wants to live with him. His grampa was the one who got him interested in birds.

Eugene’s Dad – Eugene’s dad becomes angry when Eugene begins spending a lot of time with Mr. Lincoln because he isn’t of the same race. He uses racial slurs for anyone who isn’t of the same race he is.

Reviews

According to the publisher of the book, Philomel Books, “With Patricia Polacco's trademark illustrations and gentle text, Mr. Lincoln's Way celebrates the unforgettable school principal who touches the lives of his students and truly empowers them.”

According to Booklist, “This story is vintage Polacco--a multicultural neighborhood setting, a cast of believable characters (some larger than life), and a satisfying ending guaranteed to bring tears to even hard-boiled cynics. Polacco's signature watercolor illustrations take on springtime hues here; they're especially apparent in Mr. Lincoln's bright pink shirts and ties. An excellent choice for storyhours, this should prompt some interesting discussions about bullies and their motivations.”

According to The Horn Book Magazine, “Although the illustrations are engaging, the story of the bully's transformation is both sanctimonious and unconvincing. Eugene is too self-aware for his age, and Mr. Lincoln is too flawless to be interesting.”

Inspiration

Patricia Polacco uses many of the schools she travels to as inspiration for the schools in her stories. The elementary school in Mr. Lincoln’s Way is based the school in this book around Murphy Elementary School in Haslett, Michigan. This school is home to mallard duck nests, and every year the principal leads the ducks through the school and to the local pond.

References

• Polacco, Patricia. Mr. Lincoln's Way. New York: Philomel Books, 2001. Print.