Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln

Raymond Arroyo is a New York Times bestselling author, an internationally known, award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and producer.  He is creator of the bestselling Will Wilder series (Random House) for young readers, and the bestselling picture book, The Spider Who Saved Christmas. He is a Fox News Analyst and co-host, a former CNN contributor, and founding news director at EWTN News where he is seen in more than 380 million households internationally. Arroyo is the founder of Storyented.com, a literacy initiative. He lives in New Orleans with his wife Rebecca and their three children.Jacqui Davis was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to the UK as a child. She currently lives and works in Lytham-St-Annes. Jacqui’s been producing art for children’s books and board games since 2012, after studying animation at Staffordshire University. She is passionate about her work, and enjoys painting everything from adorable animals to villainous wizards. When she‘s not painting she enjoys keeping the creative mojo going by doing a spot of writing.

A biography of Abraham Lincoln's son, Tad, that introduces the lesser-known historical figure to young readers. Action-filled vignettes from Tad's childhood, brought to expressive life through Davis's artwork, illustrate lessons of emotional complexity and eventually mature into more somber moments, like the death of Tad's brother, Willie, and the moral struggles of leadership Tad witnessed his father go through during the Civil War. The author gracefully uses these anecdotes to make Tad feel relatable to modern readers while grounding him in the necessary context of the boy's life. While the story is limited to Tad's childhood, there's plenty of material for meaty discussion. Plainspoken language will appeal to confident young readers, while evocative word choices, such as 'helpless, neighing laughter,' add a little literary flair. An explanatory note at the end describes how Arroyo was especially moved by Abraham Lincoln's sensitivity and mercy, especially in the granting of pardons, and how he believes Tad's influence was responsible. This is a heady topic well worth exploring and successfully sets up the story of Tad as an organic launching point for conversations about the humanity of political leadership and what qualities a leader should exemplify. VERDICT: A fun, well-paced, highly readable biography that provides a sophisticated entry point for more nuanced discussions about the complexities of leadership. Recommended.