Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (A Big Words Book)

by Doreen Rappaport

Other authorsKadir Nelson (Illustrator), Kadir Nelson (Cover Art)

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

B1809

Series

Big Words

Publication

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2016), Edition: Reprint, 48 pages

Description

An introduction to the life and career of America's 16th president.

User reviews

LibraryThing member thornton37814

I viewed a galley copy that a colleague of mine got at ALA. A rather simplistic overview of Abraham Lincoln's life that is too short to be a book read by schoolchildren at the reading level that would be required and too wordy to be enjoyed by younger children who would squirm as something was read

aloud. The author includes bibliographies for further study, but they are mostly books written for adults that would do little for upper elementary schoolchildren. The illustrations were okay but not outstanding.

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LibraryThing member KarriesKorner

From the front cover to the back cover and every page in between, it is easy for the reader to get caught up in the beauty of the artwork. Every page is rich with texture, feeling and expression. The picture of the chained slaves evoked so much emotion from me when I first saw it, that it took me

several minutes before I could turn the page. I felt like I had been swallowed by the picture.

The text provides two different stories. The first story is Abraham Lincoln's biography, providing facts and details about his life as a young boy, a young statesman and finally as the President of the United States. The italic text appear to be Lincoln's written or spoken words, but I was unsure of that. I would've liked to see a citation about where the italic text came from, i.e., journals, letters, etc. Of course some of the italic text is easy to identify: "Four score and seven years ago...."

If the author and the illustrator had not collaborated, I don't think the book would've been nearly as effective. It's the combination of the two that bring this book to life. I highly recommend this book for 1st - 8th graders. While that is a big span of age ranges, I believe that the younger kids will understand the story and enjoy the pictures, and the older kids will be engaged from the moment they see the cover.

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LibraryThing member leighanngoodwill

Lincoln's story has been told many times before, but not quite like this. Doreen Rappaport and Kadir Nelson have come together to share the story of this amazing man, who's passion for equality helped begin the ending to slavery. On each page is a quote from Lincoln. It's as if Lincoln himself is

helping to tell the story.

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LibraryThing member danusia

beautiful artwork and the words of lincoln, most of which i have not yet heard. wonderful, gentle introduction to a period in history that should not be forgotten. the dates, web sites, and bibliography at the end of the book will give children direction where to get more information about this

great man. gettysburg address is also at the end of the book. wonderful for classroom instruction.

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LibraryThing member lrothmier

Fabulous book! I enjoyed the illustrations and thought that the inclusion of Lincoln's quotes throughout the story added much depth and meaning to the story. Beautiful picture book.

LibraryThing member nathaliewargo

3starP. Ages 8 and up. A biography of Abraham Lincoln in verse form.

I don't think it shows characteristics of RC.

LibraryThing member mmleynek

Personal Response:
I really admire Abraham Lincoln and so I love reading anything I can find about him. I like the way this book combined actual quotes from some of his speeches.

Curricular Connections:
I would use this for a unit on biographies or for a study on the Civil War.

LibraryThing member misstribb

This is a great book with wonderful illustrations! Abe's Honest Words tells the story of Abraham LIncoln's life while including quotes from Lincoln. The quotes at the bottom of each page really show his character and great things he did during his lifetime. This book would be great for anyone

studying presidents, the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln. I would recommend this book to anyone! I really enjoyed reading it!

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LibraryThing member JudesThree

A very simplistic yet informative story of Abraham Lincoln. With quotes from Lincoln's speeches included.

LibraryThing member SydneyParton

I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed and colorful illustration of this book. It did a fair job of summarizing the main events of Lincoln's life and I feel it would be appropriate to read aloud to a classroom aged audience. I believe this book would prove to be useful supplementary reading when

studying subjects such as the civil war or civil rights. I consider the author's success at portraying Honest Abe as a relatable character proved to be a strong significant part of this book.

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LibraryThing member Germuth

I thought this was a good book. The first reason why I liked the book was because the author included Lincoln’s point of view. On many of the pages the author included actual quotes of Lincoln’s words to go along with what was happening in his life or history. For example, wherever, whatever he

always had a book in his hand. Then the quote below said, “Upon the subject of education, I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” I liked how the author included Lincoln’s words because it gave me a perspective on how he felt and his opinions. I felt like the author choosing to include this element in her writing enhanced the story. Through reading Lincoln’s quotes I was able to envision him actually saying his words so many years ago. The second reason why I liked the book was because it made me think about tough issues. For example the book included a lot of information about slavery during Lincoln’s time. For example it stated, “Nearly four million black men, women, and children were enslaved in southern states.” This really made me stop and think, “how awful life must have been for African American?” “What were they feeling during this terrible time?” Through reading this book I was forced to visualize that this type of treatment occurred to African Americans during that time in history. The main message of the book was to remember Lincoln’s life and his words. Also what occurred during his early life before he became president, and what occurred while he was president.

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LibraryThing member areyno5

Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln
“Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln” by Doreen Rappaport is a great informational book for young readers. First, the book begins by giving history of Lincoln. “In the slave state of Kentucky, deep in the wilderness, young Abraham

learned to hunt for nuts and currants and fish for trout and bass and tend to soil and seed.” The book continues on a chronological time line of Abraham Lincoln’s life that is easy to follow for readers that goes through to Lincoln’s death. Each page is fully illustrated in beautiful bright colors showing the most important aspect of the text. The text is rich in words, but only fills a small portion of the page. Underneath the text is a quote from Lincoln. After reading the text that Lincoln loved to read the quote says, “The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll git me a book I ain’t read.” These quotes bring Lincoln to live so that readers can relate on a more personal level. At the end of the book there is a time line with important dates. It begins on February 12, 1809 when Lincoln was born. It not only lists all of Lincoln’s major political celebrations, but also includes more personal issues. For example, “April 4, 1853: A fourth son, Thomas, is born”. After the important dates, there are “If you want to learn more about Lincoln, read” and “Web Sites”. This book is a great resource for readers who want to learn more about Abraham Lincoln that hold their attention and isn’t dry or boring like textbook reading. The big idea of this story is to educate about Abraham Lincoln.

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LibraryThing member b.duggins13

This book is about Abraham Lincoln and his life. Abraham was a self-educated man. He spend his time filling his head with knowledge and teaching himself many different things. He knew slavery is wrong. As president, he guided the nation through a long and bitter civil war and penned the document

that would lead to the end of slavery in the United States.
My personal reaction to this book was that he was a good man and worked hard for out country.
One classroom extension could be making the Lincoln outfit for presidents day.
second classroom extension could be doing a coloring sheet of the Lincoln salute.

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