Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
Frances Cavanah
It is difficult to decide which of the wonderful books about Lincoln I should write about first. I decided it would be the one that I first read. My mother joined a book club on my behalf when I was in elementary school by which I received a book in the mail once a month. Back in the late '50's and early 60's that was a rather unique and spectacular decision on the part of my mother. But she knew a reader when she saw one. (Or was it that this reader became one because of a mother like this? Take heart parents!)
This particular biography of Lincoln was a terrific introduction to the human story and virtue of Abraham Lincoln. Impressions were etched into my mind that have stayed there forever because I was totally engaged with the text: his poor beginnings, the log cabins nestled in woods - first in Kentucky and then in Illinois, the sadness when his mother died, the warm relationship he had with his new mom, his naughty escapades in the cabin with his sister and cousin (he was so tall that he could lift his cousin and turn him upside down so this his cousin could put footprints across the ceiling), his reading by candlelight in the attic, his ability to stand up to bullies, the tale about walking far to return a book - driven by his honesty and conscience. As I ponder this I realize afresh how one good book at the right time in a child's life can have a life-long effect. I have returned to these anecdotes countless times. The value of books, the virtues of honesty and compassion, and a picture of perseverance are forever connected in my mind with Abraham Lincoln.
In recent years, I read this book aloud to a class of fifth graders. So I know it is still being published and I know children still respond to this biography. If you cannot find this title, the following titles are also excellent Lincoln stories for younger children.
Lincoln's Birthday by Clyde Robert Bulla
Bulla's biographies are not stiff or uninteresting in style. This one can be read aloud or read independently by young readers.
Just a Few Words Mr. Lincoln by Jean Fritz.
This tender biography also can be enjoyed by older children. Fritz's work has a wide appeal and acclaim.
Meet Abraham Lincoln by Barbara Cary.
A Step-Up biography, this book is part of Random House publisher's excellent Landmark Biography series. See also Meet...Franklin, Washington, Columbus, King Jr., Jefferson.
Abraham Lincoln. Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire.
An enduring well-written biography of Lincoln by authors who wrote other quality biographies. This one won the Caldecott Medal in 1940 for its illustrations. The oversized book is worth getting just to see the cover of Lincoln sitting on a split rail fence. Worth owning.
I better stop the list here and continue with another group of books in a Lincoln -2 blog. The second list will pick up where this one left off in level of difficulty and provide samples for those in the middle elementary years.
