The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln

Rating:
Summary: Quirky Book That is Not for Every Child
Review: Benjy has an unusual problem: He looks just like Abraham Lincoln. For every birthday he gets stovepipe hats, is forced to play him in every school play, and gets teased at school. When he goes to Camp What-Cha-Ma-Call-It, the camp for kids who look like things, Benjy learns to accept himself and his unusual looks. Both children and adults will find humor in this book about learning to like who you are.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I can't get past the idea that the boy looks more like Robin Williams than Abraham Lincoln.

Rating:
Summary: A Hoot--Abe Would Have Laughed Out Loud!
Review: I loved this book. I enjoyed the absurd humor, the wonderful facial expressions on the various kids, and the goofiness in the illustrations. They leap off the pages, but without being garish.

A word about the so-called "adult" humor: the closest the book comes to anything questionable is the references to a boy who looks like the rear end of a horse. But Laurel and Hardy used the same gag concept in "The Chimp" (1932), I think a lot of fuss is being made over a very minor (sorry!) issue.

The only reason to consider the last page to be adult humor is that the subject isn't going to be familiar to the kids, since it refers to an individual whose heyday was in the late '60s and early '70s. A quick explanation would make it clear to almost any child, who would then be able to get it. IMHO, one of the worst offenses we can commit against children is to underestimate their ability to understand. I'm not afraid to stretch their minds; it's good for them!

Rating:
Summary: Laugh Out Loud Funny for Grownups and Kids
Review: I read though all of the reviews posted here and I have to say that I'm puzzled by the people who think there is inappropriate material in this book. It's funny and charming, with a welcome message of self-acceptance. I loved it, and my 3-year old granddaughters both giggled madly.

Rating:
Summary: My kids love it
Review: My kids (age 9,6 and 4) love this book and so do I! It's funny, and has a sweet message about accepting who you are. There is a section where the boy who looks like Lincoln goes to a summer camp for kids that look like other things, and each time my kids get to that part they laugh out loud. As for any controversy with the last page, I'm surprised that anyone could read anything into it, other than poking fun at Richard Nixon.

Rating:
Summary: The Boy who looked like Lincoln
Review: My students loved this book. It is delightfully funny! The illustrations absolutely make this book come to life for children. It was a definite hit at my school.

Rating:
Summary: Tastes Great and Fulfilling
Review: This book is a fun book for kids which teaches an important lesson about what really counts in life.. There's no inappropriate humor, just a picture of a baby who looks like Richard Nixon which kids obviously won't get.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story!
Review: This book is a wonderful story that shows children how everyone is different. It makes us realize that eac person has something special to offer and we should see past the outside!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story!
Review: This book is a wonderful story that shows children how everyone is different. It makes us realize that eac person has something special to offer and we should see past the outside!

Rating:
Summary: One of the Funniest Books I've Ever Read
Review: This book is absolutely hysterical and will have kids and adults (at least those who aren't librarian reviewers or prudes with no knowledge of American history) laughing their behinds off. The author, Mike Reiss, writes for The Simpsons and just like that great show, the humor here is geared at one level towards kids and at another for their parents. And unlike the dimwit reviewer below, the caricature on the last page is clearly that of Richard Nixon, and would only be mistaken for something else by a person with another fixation on their mind.