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Young Reading: Country's beloved 16th president is well remembered in literature
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Published: February 8, 2009
Marlee, the smallest but mightiest sister in the Young house, turns 11 this week -- on the same day Abraham Lincoln would have been 200. Our 16th president truly was one of the wisest and most beloved. A study of his life and decisions during some of the darkest days of our nation brings about even more respect for his intellect, compassion, wit and grasp of our Constitution. At any age, reading about Abraham Lincoln's life makes for historical inspiration.
ABE'S FISH: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln. By Jen Bryant. Sterling. Ages 4 and up. $15.95.
This book, tall and narrow like its subject, transports children back to Abe Lincoln's childhood. Beautiful illustrations capture life where fishing in Knob Creek was a frequent pastime. The author and illustrator depict Lincoln's meeting with a hungry soldier heading home from the War of 1812. Lincoln gives his fish to the hungry soldier, an interaction that foreshadows the compassion Lincoln will feel toward troops in later years. Offering more than just an enriching historical picture book, the author provides a question-and-answer glimpse into Abraham Lincoln's life at the book's end.
More neat books about Abraham Lincoln's childhood and life:
WHAT LINCOLN SAID. By Sarah L. Thomson. HarperCollins. Ages 6-9. $17.99.
ABE LINCOLN CROSSES A CREEK: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend). By Deborah Hopkinson and John Hendrix. Random House. Ages 4-8. $16.99.
MR. LINCOLN'S BOYS: Being the MOSTLY True Adventures of Abraham Lincoln's Trouble-Making Sons, TAD and WILLIE. By Staton Rabin. Penguin. Ages 6 and up. $16.99.
The Lincoln boys were full of pranks that would give today's paparazzi a camera-full. Their behavior earned them many blustering tirades from "proper" folk but only laughter and good-natured amusement from their father. They played soldier with zeal, from "guarding" the White House from rebel attacks to conducting official military funerals with their doll Jack in the rose garden. They interrupted their famous father's meetings to get a pardon for their doll Jack (an event that really occurred). Young readers will enjoy reading how the Lincoln boys' mischief livened up the White House during somber times. Given the sadness that ensued for this family, their happy childhood seems even more special.
LINCOLN AND DOUGLASS: An American Friendship. By Nikki Giovanni. Henry Holt. Ages 5 and up. $16.95.
Using parallel tales, the amazing Nikki Giovanni teams up with the illustrious illustrator Bryan Collier to compare the lives of Abraham Lincoln and a former slave, Frederick Douglass. Douglass grew up to become a famous writer and a champion of equality for all people and a great resource for Lincoln.
CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER. By James Swanson. Scholastic. Ages 10 and up. 194 pages. $16.99.
The author also shares Lincoln's birthday and has been intrigued by Lincoln's life and death since childhood. This gripping retelling of Lincoln's death is impossible to put down. Every gruesome detail of the assassination of America's 16th president receives mention in this fantastic novel.
Pictures of the conspirators, helpers, weapons and victims spice up the pages. The epic chase of John Wilkes Booth takes up much of this book. This is a great classroom book for history teachers or for true-crime novel readers. Both of us choose this as our top Lincoln pick.
LINCOLN THROUGH THE YEARS: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life. By Martin W. Sandler. Walker. Ages 9 and up. 97 pages. $19.99.
Photography during the time of the Civil War and Lincoln's life changed national perception and the level of information about politics and battles during the war. This book displays almost every picture taken of Lincoln. Countless rare photos are accompanied by the stories behind them. Even newspaper illustrations are featured on pages. The cliché says that a picture is worth a thousand words, but those in this book merit far more.
THE LINCOLNS: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. By Candace Fleming. Random House. Ages 10-14. 200 pages. $24.99.
What a tough selection to put down! This scrapbook provides a very detailed history of the Lincolns' lives, complete with photographs, letters and other memorabilia. Family problems, such as Mary's proclivity toward spending and debt, have no hiding place here.
The author paints a picture of the troubled couple using a wide swath. The comprehensive approach and painstaking research make this a keepsake. It also makes Lincoln much more human.
I'LL PASS FOR YOUR COMRADE: Women Soldiers in the Civil War. By Anita Silvey. Houghton Mifflin. Ages 10-14. 128 pages. $17.
While not exactly about Lincoln, this is a glimpse into the way the world was changing during Lincoln's time. In the Civil War, women often dressed as men in order to become soldiers. Some wanted to be with their husbands while others enlisted to avenge a loved one.
Pictures of the women in their disguises and in "women clothes" are accompanied by the life story of each soldier. Many women were refused their pay when returning home. Lincoln made sure each female soldier was fully compensated.
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