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Book cover image:
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Book Summary:
Mr. Lincoln’s Way addresses social
issues as only Patricia Polacco can. The story opens with the principal, Mr.
Lincoln, playing jump rope with a student at his elementary school. This
principal is touted as the best of the best, in how he dresses, how he smiles,
and how he does things. Mr. Lincoln is the best in the eyes of most of the
students except for one, Eugene Esterhause, or Mean Gene as he is known on the
schoolyard playground. Mr. Lincoln does
not agree with everyone’s assessment of Mean Gene. He states that Mean Gene is
only “troubled” not bad. As the story progresses, Eugene offends students with
his racial insults and physical attacks. Mr. Lincoln tries to address Eugene’s
issues through sensitivity and yet Eugene continues to act up. As the principal
tries to find a way to connect and direct this student in need of guidance, Mr.
Lincoln finds that Eugene has an interest in birds. Luckily for both the
principal and student the school has a bird atrium. With Eugene’s knowledge of
what attracts birds and Mr. Lincoln needing birds in the school’s atrium, a
partnership is born. As both characters in this story work together to build
trust in each other and attract birds to their atrium, it is apparent that Eugene
still is struggling with Mr. Lincoln’s race. At one point Eugene blurts out
that his father punishes him for staying after school with a person of color.
The story continues with Mr. Lincoln and Eugene working together to create a
safe space for birds and students.
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APA Reference of Book:
Polacco, P. (2001). Mr. Lincoln's
way. New York: Philomel Books.
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Impressions:
I have always enjoyed Patricia Polacco
books. This one is no different. After reading reviews of this book I was taken
aback at the negativity of some of the reviews. Some reviewers consider this
book trite and uninteresting. The main reason for these reviews was the
conclusion of the problems in the story. They stated it was too tidy of a
solution.
My impression was quite the
opposite, the solution was not tidy at all. Even though Mr. Lincoln and Eugene
found a common ground to connect with each other, Eugene was only able to be free
of his dismal home life at school. This student did become a different person
at school according to the story, but when the day at school was done, he often
paid dearly for his association with a person different from his kind. Eugene
told Mr. Lincoln that his father got very angry because of his involvement with
the principal. Another thing Eugene did tell Mr. Lincoln was that his grandpa
was not like his old man, but it did not seem like he saw his grandpa as often
as he would have liked. At the end of the story Eugene was reunited with his
grandfather. This miracle, as the story calls this reunion, in part was due to
thanks to Mr. Lincoln it seems. As Eugene and his grandpa walk off together
after the ducklings get to the pond, the young student returns to Mr. Lincoln
and voices to the principal that he has showed him the way out of his situation
and he promises to make Mr. Lincoln proud of him one day.
As principals, teachers, librarians,
and anyone who works with children we see too many Eugenes in our lives. These
students’ solutions are not tidy by any means and this story estimates this as
it leaves us wondering about the young Eugene and his home life. This story is
a fact in many children’s lives and it leaves many wondering how do they do it
to survive. True to Patricia Polacco and her storytelling , the last page has
two simple sentences about what became of Eugene Esterhause. I was again taken
aback until I turned the page and saw Mr. Esterhause, the fourth grade teacher,
with his students, his little birds. Even with the story having been tied up
with a nice neat bow, I still wonder about the middle of Eugene Esterhause’s
life.
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Professional Review:
Mr. Lincoln is the coolest principal
ever, except in the mind of Eugene “Mean Gene” Esterhause, a bully of legendary
proportions. Certain that Gene is only troubled (rather than rotten to the
core), Mr. Lincoln sets out quietly to discover Gene’s strengths (he is an avid
bird watcher) and enlists his help in creating a bird sanctuary for the school.
The principal also learns the source of Gene’s racial intolerance and makes
some important strides toward reversing the boy’s prejudices. 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 story hours, this should
prompt some interesting discussions about bullies and their motivations.
Mr.
Lincoln’s way. (2001, September 1). Booklist
98 (1). Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Mr-Lincoln-s-Way-Patricia-Polacco/pid=423141
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Library Uses:
Mr. Lincoln’s Way would be a way to
open dialogue with students about bullying and prejudices in our lives, in our
country, and in our world. As a class the librarian would chart what the
students discuss. The class could research bullying and prejudices and add them
to the chart. The class would then brainstorm about how to make a difference in
any of the stated situations. They could think outside the box and make it a
school wide project with even the smallest kindness gestures. An example would
be starting in their own school and writing letters of friendship for people
that they know have been or are still being bullied. One point that comes to
mind in the school district where I work is how the monolingual students refer
to the dual language or bilingual students as the “Spanish” kids. Just this one
difference where they are all just “kids” would be such a breath of fresh air. This book would be a good way to open up a dialogue with a student who might need some guidance or understanding about a difficult situation in their life.
