A Biography Of Lincoln For Young Children
The literature on Abraham Lincoln is extraordinarily broad, for both adults and children. Our 16th president was a great, complex figure, and his importance to the United States cannot be over-estimated. Particularly with children, each generation must learn anew about Lincoln. This new book, "President Lincoln: From Log Cabin to White House" (2016) offers an excellent introduction to Lincoln geared to children between Kindergarten and third grade. The book is written and illustrated bv Demi, a prolific author and illustrator of children's books. Wisdom Tales Press, which generally specializes in books with spiritual themes published the book and also was kind enough to send me a review copy.
"President Lincoln" offers an easy-to-read beautifully illustrated introduction to Lincoln's life and to why he remains important and revered. The book takes young readers from Lincoln's birth in a log cabin, through his love of reading and education, his marriage, career as a lawyer, and term in Congress. Children will see Lincoln debating with Steven Douglas, and winning the presidency, precipitating the Civil War. The book introduces children to the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, 13th Amendment, use of African-American soldiers at Fort Wagner, and more. For example the book shows Lincoln establishing Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The book concludes with Lincoln's assassination and with his assumption of the stature of a national hero.
The book emphasizes traits of Lincoln such as his proverbial honesty, his ambition, and his capacity for hard work which will inspire children. It also mentions some endearingly human traits, such as Lincoln's love of pets. Many pages of the book have insets with short Lincoln quotes such as "My best friend is the man who will give me a book I haven't read." Following the text, the book includes the Gettysburg Address in full, a chronology of Lincoln's life, and a two-page collection of "Fascinating Facts about Abraham Lincoln".
Young children and their parents and teachers will enjoy reading and discussing this new book. Lincoln deserves his iconic stature and his life continues to inspire. Perhaps this short book will be a step to help motivate youngsters to continue to read and learn throughout their lives and to grow up loving and understanding our country.
Robin Friedman
