#22-Abe Lincoln Remembers

Abe Lincoln Remembers

Written by Ann Turner

Illustrated by Wendell Minor

Scholastic Inc., 2001

28 Pages

Historical Fiction

      This is a book telling the life of Abraham Lincoln as if he were telling about his life. The book is a brief description of his life. It leads up through the Battle of Gettysburg and the end of the Civil War. The book ends on the night that he and his wife, Mary, went to see a play. This book does something that most biographies can't, it makes the reader imagine how the person actually felt throughout their life.

     Minor uses oil paint to create the beautiful illustrations in this book. The colors he chooses are very vibrant. The pictures that contain outdoor scenes are especially detailed and colorful. Minor does a great job of using the color to draw in the reader to the story. Most of the book follows a formal layout with the text on one side and the pictures on the other. All of the pictures contain a border around them.

     This book would appeal more to younger students, Kindergarten through third grade. This book would be great to use when talking about the presidents. It would be a great way to help students realize that even though the presidents were in a very high position of power, some of them started out with humble beginnings just like most Americans. This book could also be used when talking about the Civil War. It would be a great way to help introduce the assassination of Lincoln. Even though it may be on a lower reading level it could still be used in upper grades because of its unique point of view. It would be great to help older students really think about what all Lincoln might have felt while in office and it could be a great introduction of a writing activity in which students write from a president's point of view about what was going on during their time in office.