Honor Book, 2010 Horace Mann Upstanders Book Awards A 2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2010 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Grades Pre K-3 A 2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner 2009 NAPPA Gold Winner 2011-2012 Show Me Readers Award Nominee List (Missouri)
Louis needs to write an essay for school about young Abraham Lincoln. But it's 1951 in Alabama, and African Americans cannot use the public library. Mama says one day soon they'll be able to check out books, but Louis isn't going to wait! When he makes a brave journey into the "whites-only" library, something surprising and wonderful happens - he meets a brave young librarian. Ann Malaspina's moving story and Colin Bootman's rich paintings evoke the troubles and triumphs of days not long past. Includes a note on the history of racial segregation in public libraries, a brief history of Abraham Lincoln's life, and an "If You Want to Read More" listing.
