Where Lincoln Walked

For the most part, Bial (Amish Home; The Underground Railroad) takes sure, purposeful steps in his photographic reenactment of Abraham Lincoln's childhood and adult years. A skilled photographer, he is at his best with shots of such sites as the one-room log cabin in Indiana that Lincoln's father built when the boy was eight; Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln's home in Springfield, Ill. (the only one Abe ever owned); and the Illinois state capitol in Springfield, where Lincoln served in the legislature and argued more than 200 cases before the state supreme court. With their quietly powerful compositions and often inventive lighting, these photos reflect Bial's expertise. The text, however, is less polished. The syntax strains through overlong sentences and the grammar occasionally fails (a caption for Lincoln's house reads, in part, ""Located near downtown Springfield, it was just a leisurely stroll for Abe to the state capitol""). The pacing, too, is uneven; for example, the discussion of Lincoln's rise to national prominence is disappointingly brief. Happily, Bial redeems his writing by studding it with pithy quotations from Lincoln and those who knew him. With its view of Lincoln's world and its use of Lincoln's words, this book vividly conveys the personality of the man in the stovepipe hat. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)