Abraham Lincoln

Winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1940, this examination of the life of Abraham Lincoln for younger children is one of a number of picture-book biographies from husband-and-wife team Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, including George Washington, Leif the Lucky and Benjamin Franklin. Opening in a small log cabin in Kentucky, the book follows its subject through his childhood and youth in Indiana and then in Illinois; his career as storekeeper, state politician and lawyer, and then national politician; and his years as President of the United States during the Civil War. It concludes shortly after the end of the Civil War, with no mention of the subsequent assassination of Lincoln.

Although there were some things I enjoyed about show more the D'Aulaires' Abraham Lincoln - I liked the folksy style of the narrative, which reminded me of stories of Tall Tale heroes that I have read, and appreciated the glimpse given into the childhood life of this most important figure in American history - there were also many things I did not enjoy. To wit: the scenes involving African-American and Native American people were painful to read, with condescending (and often inaccurate) text, and offensive artwork. The description offered of the war with the "Indians" in Illinois, when Lincoln was a young man - although not named, it is clearly the Black Hawk War of 1832 - felt rather glib to me, accepting without question that the settlers were in the right ("Sold is sold," said the people of Illinois, and went to war to chase the Indians out), when in fact the disputed treaty (of 1804) that led to the conflict is believed by many scholars to have been understood differently by the two sides. Just as disturbing as the smug tone of any passage dealing with non-Euro-Americans, is the visual depiction of African-Americans in the artwork. With inky black skin, round white eyes and exaggerated lips, they look unnatural, and are reminiscent of images of black-face.

I don't think, all told, that I would give this title to a young child, nor would I have it in my house, if I had children of my own. It's an interesting document of its time, and the vision of Lincoln during that period, but it is also dated. Recommended primarily to Caldecott completists, and to fans of the D'Aulaires' artwork. show less

There is nothing tentative about one's response to this book. It is love at first sight. [. . . ] apart from every other consideration, the book has a thrilling quality. As for children's appreciation, we believe that they too will be stirred by the sincerity of these pictures and text, each telling with noble simplicity and inevitable pathos the story of Abraham Lincoln. Yet his story has natural humor and action. The author/artists have been successful in finding incidents that will appeal to children's imagination and satisfy their love of incident. Lincoln's boyhood is portrayed with deep understanding of the life of a gangling boy in a backwoods cabin. He grows taller by the page and his face shows the recognizable features before show more he is grown. This is no brief picture book, but a balanced story of Lincoln's life, up to the last beautiful page that shows the tired war-president seated in an armchair beside Tad Lincoln. Irene Smith --Library Journal Review show less

If this book hadn't won the Caldecott, it probably would have been discarded from most library collections by now. Dated, with meandering text and uneven illustrations, this book doesn't have a lot to offer. Worse yet, the illustrations and text lean toward racism. The illustration of Black Hawk cowering behind Lincoln is truly cringe-worthy. The "Negro" crowd falling at Lincoln's feet is not quite the image I'm interested in sharing with children. There are better books available on the topic.

This Caldecott-winner is a biography for young children. There is a fair amount of text, but also many detailed illustrations. It follows Lincoln from his birth to the end of the Civil War, though it does not mention his assassination.

I like the focus on his early life; he is shown to have a strong work ethic and a great desire to learn. There are several scenes depicting his efforts to get educated, including reading on his own. He is depicted as a man of strong moral courage, as well as a loving father. If I have any complaint, it is the depiction of the Blacks and Indians. I understand that this was first published in 1939, but I cringed at those illustrations.

The d’Aulaires were immigrants to America, and when the book was show more written the world was anxiously watching the events in Germany that would lead to a world war. They may have erred on the side of hero-worship in their portrayal of Lincoln, but I like that they portrayed a man willing to stand up against injustice.

All told, it’s a fine introduction to American history and particularly to the life of possibly the best President this nation has ever had. show less

Abraham Lincoln (Bicentennial Edition) by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire is a great biography book for young children. It's informative, yet easy to understand for a young readers.

I thought the book had great illustrations, and was a great portrayal of Abe's life. The story starts out with Abe as a young boy, which I think will appeal to children because they get to see the main character as a child himself. The story highlights all of the main points of Abe's life, and gives a great briefing of all of the general information that young children need to know.

This book would be an excellent story to read to a younger class. It could easily be incorporated into a theme about presidents or just historical figures.

This book is great for many reasons. Firstly the illustrations are amazing. The colors and scenes bring you right into the log cabin Abraham Lincoln grew up in and makes you feel part of the story. Also the book won the Caldecott Medal for Illustrations. Another reason I like this book is because it shows Lincoln life in a lively and entertaining manner. This is especially true I think for the ending when instead of finishing the story with Lincoln’s assassination, the author chooses to show Lincoln relaxing in his chair. You also get to see how Lincoln transformed into the leader he was through his various jobs.
I think the big picture is to never back down. Lincoln could have called the quits after he lost his run for office the show more first time but he never gave in and eventually fulfilled his goals. show less

Great book, for kids and adults alike. The story is written in a simple, straight-forward way that engages the youngest child to adult. I enjoyed this book written about Abe Lincoln. The information was factual as well as interesting to keep the reader involved and interested. The author was factual and it's well written. I think the authors did justice to a such a compelling and inspirational American statesman.this book does the job in a way that’s very accessible to children.