Abraham Lincoln 

by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

Historical Fiction

This book tells the life story of one of the most beloved United States Presidents, President Abraham Lincoln.  The authors do a wonderful job telling the stories from President Lincoln's birth through the end of the Civil War.  As each page is turned, children are given more and more information of how President Lincoln became who he was, that he came from humble beginnings and later found himself as President of the United States.  Due to the narrative nature of this book, although it is considered a biography of Abraham Lincoln's life, it lends to more of a historical fiction piece.  Reading through the book I found that the authors would tend to embellish some of the events to make the reading more interesting for children and appeal to the audience in more of a story format rather than non fictional facts. For instance, the authors have Abraham Lincoln speaking to his parents when in reality these statements are not factual conversations.  However, I do believe the authors do a wonderful job by embedding so many facts about President Lincoln's life within the text that students are able to read this book with ease and learn a lot about one of the United States' most influential presidents.  I would use this book in my classroom to introduce President Lincoln and his influence as President of the United States during the Civil War. This book gives students the opportunity to learn a lot of great information about the president's life in a way that is more interesting and exciting for students.