Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln?

June 1, 2016

Gr 1-4-Baby Lincoln has grown tired of living under the constant direction of her older sister Eugenia and has finally said enough is enough. Planning a "necessary journey," she packs her suitcase, complete with a library book, and heads to the train station. Fans of DiCamillo's "Mercy Watson" series will recognize Baby Lincoln and her home on Deckawoo Drive, while new readers will easily jump into this tale of sibling frustration. Students unfamiliar with Baby will be in hysterics to see that, despite her name, she's an older lady, complete with gray hair and wrinkles. Those who have bossy older (or younger) siblings will immediately connect with Baby as she sets off to experience life without the direction of her older sister. Baby makes new friends (like George, a young boy scared of wolf attacks) and discoveries (learning she enjoys comics and jelly beans) and ultimately finds herself missing her sister and wanting to return home. VERDICT Lending itself well to classroom read-alouds and discussions, and independent and bedtime reading, this title is most certainly a recommended purchase for those serving a young elementary age range.-Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2016
Baby Lincoln has always yielded to her older sister, Eugenia, but now it is time to take a stand.They are gray-haired adults, but Eugenia rules the Lincoln roost, making all decisions. She gives orders and micromanages Baby's every endeavor. The pattern was established from Baby's earliest childhood, when Eugenia refused to call her by her actual, given name. One day Baby just says, "No," and embarks on a "necessary journey" of discovery. Stella, a young black neighbor, helps the elderly white woman buy a train ticket to Fluxom. The journey proves to be life-changing for Baby. Interacting with her fellow passengers gives her the opportunity to re-evaluate and discover her own identity and worth. She responds to her real name, Lucille, remembers how to laugh and to use her imagination, and learns that she can calm a child's fears, as Eugenia had once done for her. She is ready to go home, and when Eugenia and Stella meet her in Fluxom, Eugenia, albeit reluctantly and with prompting, admits that she missed Baby desperately. DiCamillo's gentle picaresque is told with tender humor in brief descriptive sentences that totally avoid high drama and histrionics. The third-person narration is unintrusive, allowing readers to respond to this grown-up's journey of self-discovery along with her and perhaps to explore their own sibling relationships as well. A loving and sweet addition to the Deckawoo Drive series. (Fiction. 7-10)

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Starred review from June 1, 2016
Grades 1-4 *Starred Review* Baby Lincoln, Mercy Watson's timid, elderly neighbor, goes on a necessary journey in this third installment of the Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. Along the way, Baby receives assistance from young Stella (who helps her to purchase a train ticket), a man in a furry hat (who reminds Baby of the importance of laughter), a young woman (who urges Baby to recall her given name), and a toddler named George (who appreciates Baby's storytelling abilities). By journey's end, Lucille Abigail Eleanor Lincoln is a changed woman, and although she is happy to see her bossy sister, Eugenia, again, readers know that going forward her life will be more satisfying. This story is certain to resonate with anyone who has ever felt overpowered by authority. To her credit, DiCamillo explores the Lincolns' complicated relationship without completely dumping on Eugenia. Yes, Eugenia is overbearing, but the sisters do love each other. Stella's parallel struggles (as Frank's younger sister) help to move the plot forward and demonstrate other acceptable ways of gaining agency. As always, Van Dusen's signature artwork is pleasing to the eye and will help emerging readers make sense of the story's nuances and quirkiness. This Deckawoo Drive adventure is sure to inspire anyone taking his or her own tentative steps toward independence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
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.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2016
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

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)