Several months ago I shared several quality biographies about Abraham Lincoln for early to middle elementary grade children. This second installment provides a few titles for the middle to upper elementary age group. Comments are welcome! Share your enjoyment of these books or let us know about other good biographies of Lincoln.
Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North
This biography for middle school and junior high students recounts the many obstacles Lincoln faced and portrays how his disposition and wit enabled him to continue on his interesting path from poverty to the presidency. I admit that I singled this book out of the many offerings on this subject because I love the author! Sterling North wrote the story called Rascal, one of the most beautiful stories for children and adults ever written! There is a Sterling North Society in Edgerton, Wisconsin which celebrates his literature and good children's literature in general.
http://www.sterlingnorthsociety.com/
Sterling North was commissioned by Random House to write a biography about Washington and Lincoln for the Landmark Biography Series. This is one of the original books of the series.
Abraham Lincoln by William Jay Jacobs
In the fourth and fifth grades, we have used this biography as a read-aloud in our opening times at school and also for a class book to be read by all students. Jacobs accomplishes both a well-written narrative and a clear portrayal of Lincoln's virtues.
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
You cannot go wrong when you pick up any history or biography book written by this author. Freedman incorporates reliable historical research - including photos, letters, and speeches - onto the pages of his books. Every book of his presents an engaging account of a topic, person, or era in history. This stunning book won the Newbery Medal in 1988 for the manner in which he combined nineteenth century art and historical photographs with appropriate historical writing for children. He knows how to handle complex societal and political issues in a way that explains topics such as slavery and elections to children without weighing down the text. He covers Lincoln with depth and in a manner that is well-rounded; while he does not exaggerate Lincoln's virtues, his story portrays the greatness and importance of our 16th president.
Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years by Carl Sandburg
This won the Pulitzer Prize and for an older reader and lover of Lincoln it is a wonderful (though lengthy) biography. It was originally published in six volumes, but it has been since published in one volume. When it was written, it was considered one of the finest biographies of the time. In Sandburg's poetic style he seeks to discover what makes a man great.
