Review: Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln
Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Laura Barella
Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024
Category: Picture Books
Reviewer: Arlene Schenker
Buy at Bookshop.org
Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln is based on a true story and vividly captures the emotion of the Jewish community in Washington, DC, following news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
Prolific children’s author Jane Yolen, once again, brings a story to life through her elegant and engaging language. The story centers on a Jewish family and takes place immediately after the Civil War. It is told in the voice of the younger of two sisters. She adopts her father’s strong disdain for slavery -- and reverence for Abraham Lincoln. Even though her father comes home from the war with a useless wooden hand, he never stops believing in the righteousness of the war. He tells his family, “We Jews who were once slaves in Egypt, we especially, should never let another human being be held in slavery.”
The young girl relates the events at their home on Friday night, April 14, 1865, just five days after the official end of the war, as they light the Shabbat candles. Unknown to them, Lincoln is then at Ford’s theater, where he is shot. There is a hint of something ominous as the family lights the candles, but they ignore this bit of spiritual foreshadowing.
It is only at synagogue the next morning that the family learns the horrific news. The congregants are surprised to hear the kaddish, the prayer for the dead, at the beginning of the service, until the Rabbi shares the news of Lincoln’s violent death. The grief in the synagogue, especially that of the little girl and her father, is palpable as stunned congregants spontaneously stand to recite the Kaddish through their tears.
The artwork by illustrator Laura Barella admirably compliments the graceful narrative and magnifies the emotion present in the text. The colors, though soft, are vibrant where they need to be. There are several spreads where the background is in neutral colors, giving prominence to the main characters in the foreground. They are captivating.
Obviously, there is much Jewish content here, as the story unfolds within the Jewish community. Woven neatly into the story is the depth of Jewish despair at Lincoln’s death. The author’s note tells us that Jews all over the country heard the news in synagogue that morning. While this book might appeal to mostly Jewish readers, there is nothing in the book that non-Jewish readers would not understand. And, in the back of the book is an explanation of the Mourner’s Kaddish with its English translation. There are also several original photos of Lincoln’s hearse and the funeral procession.
Together, Yolen and Barella have created a remarkable picture book that is a sure candidate for the Sydney Taylor Book Award.
Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln is based on a true story and vividly captures the emotion of the Jewish community in Washington, DC, following news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
Prolific children’s author Jane Yolen, once again, brings a story to life through her elegant and engaging language. The story centers on a Jewish family and takes place immediately after the Civil War. It is told in the voice of the younger of two sisters. She adopts her father’s strong disdain for slavery -- and reverence for Abraham Lincoln. Even though her father comes home from the war with a useless wooden hand, he never stops believing in the righteousness of the war. He tells his family, “We Jews who were once slaves in Egypt, we especially, should never let another human being be held in slavery.”
The young girl relates the events at their home on Friday night, April 14, 1865, just five days after the official end of the war, as they light the Shabbat candles. Unknown to them, Lincoln is then at Ford’s theater, where he is shot. There is a hint of something ominous as the family lights the candles, but they ignore this bit of spiritual foreshadowing.
It is only at synagogue the next morning that the family learns the horrific news. The congregants are surprised to hear the kaddish, the prayer for the dead, at the beginning of the service, until the Rabbi shares the news of Lincoln’s violent death. The grief in the synagogue, especially that of the little girl and her father, is palpable as stunned congregants spontaneously stand to recite the Kaddish through their tears.
The artwork by illustrator Laura Barella admirably compliments the graceful narrative and magnifies the emotion present in the text. The colors, though soft, are vibrant where they need to be. There are several spreads where the background is in neutral colors, giving prominence to the main characters in the foreground. They are captivating.
Obviously, there is much Jewish content here, as the story unfolds within the Jewish community. Woven neatly into the story is the depth of Jewish despair at Lincoln’s death. The author’s note tells us that Jews all over the country heard the news in synagogue that morning. While this book might appeal to mostly Jewish readers, there is nothing in the book that non-Jewish readers would not understand. And, in the back of the book is an explanation of the Mourner’s Kaddish with its English translation. There are also several original photos of Lincoln’s hearse and the funeral procession.
Together, Yolen and Barella have created a remarkable picture book that is a sure candidate for the Sydney Taylor Book Award.
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Reviewer Arlene Schenker has a degree in Child Development from
Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from New York University Law
School. She has worked as a New York City primary grade teacher, a
lawyer, divorce mediator, and a community activist and volunteer. Her
debut picture book, CALL ME GEBYANESH, will be published by Apples &
Honey Press in Spring 2025.
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