Dramatic, lyrical, and beautifully illustrated, author Robert Burleigh and artist Sterling Hundley’s picture book O Captain, My Captain tells the story of one of America’s greatest poets and how he was inspired by one of America’s greatest presidents.
Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln shared the national stage in Washington, DC, during the Civil War. Though the two men never met, Whitman would often see Lincoln’s carriage on the road. The president was never far from the poet’s mind, and Lincoln’s “grace under pressure” was something Whitman returned to again and again in his poetry. Whitman witnessed Lincoln’s second inauguration and mourned along with America as Lincoln’s funeral train wound its way across the landscape to his final resting place.
The book includes the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” and an excerpt from “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,” brief bios of Lincoln and Whitman, a timeline of Civil War events, endnotes, and a bibliography.
“Engaging and picturesque . . . This book is a substantive contribution to the recognition of Walt Whitman and his place in American literary history for young readers.” —School Library Connection (Starred Review)
Praise
**STARRED REVIEW**School Library Connection
"Engaging and picturesque . . . This book is a substantive contribution to the recognition of Walt Whitman and his place in American literary history for young readers."
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"Hundley's illustrations mirror the tone of the book impeccably, with the harsh blacks, dusty sepia, and brownish reds capturing the weight and cruelty of war . . . The added use of Whitman's poetry throughout the text lends eloquence."Kirkus Reviews
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"An emotionally and historically resonant homage to two kindred spirits."Publishers Weekly
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"Utilizing a succinct, yet lyrical style, Burleigh quotes frequently from Whitman's poetry, providing a good sense of this nineteenth-century icon. Hundley's mixed-media artwork favors black, white, and sepia (consistent with period photos), embellished with color washes . . . Carefully researched and beautifully rendered."Booklist
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