Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books

Abe Lincoln: The boy who loved books

Written by Kay Winters

Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Scholastic, 2005

36 pages

Non-Fiction

      I chose this book because I have always been fascinated by Abraham Lincoln. This book goes through Abe's, often tough, life. He is inspiring, because in a time when not many people put a big price on education, even as a young child, he did. In his day, they had to live off the land to survive, and surviving trumped learning how to read. Abraham Lincoln did both, and that is what makes him one of the most influential and famous of all the presidents!

      The illustrations are done in oil paints onto canvas, and I love that you can clearly see the canvas texture in the pictures! I knew what it was without even looking. I think that it gives it a very earthy, simplistic feel. The pictures themselves are very simplistic, but this goes very well with the subject matter. Nearly every illustration has Abe holding a book, or a book is somewhere nearby. I thought that was a nice touch and good attention to detail.

      If I were reading this book aloud to my class, I would be sure to excitedly emphasize that Abe loved books! He wanted to write on everything he could get his hands on! Challenge your class to be like Abe, because it is a good way to be! This book could also be used as a history lesson about his life! For a writing lesson for younger grades I would bring in those tiny chalkboards and let them see what it would be like to only have that to write on, like Abe did!