Who was Abraham Lincoln and what did he do for America? With simple text and attractive illustrations and photographs throughout, this is a good introduction to the life of one of America's greatest presidents. Abraham Lincoln had an interesting life and this little book manages to capture this aspect of his life very well. The author begins by explaining why Abraham Lincoln was called "Honest Abe." Lincoln's story is then told beginning with his humble origins in Kentucky, though the poverty that his family endured is not mentioned. The story is told in such a way that a young reader would be able to understand the progression that "Honest Abe" made from lawyer, to lawmaker and from lawmaker to President. Though the issue of slavery is covered very well, the author fails to mention why the Civil War (which began just one year into Lincoln's presidency) happened and how it was connected with slavery. A "Words You Know" section (with illustrations) at the back of the book is interesting though a glossary might have been more useful. There is also an index of key words at the back of the book. This is one of the "Rookie Biographies" books. 2002, Children's Press,
— Marya Jansen-Gruber
K-Gr 4-These titles give very basic information about their subjects from birth to death. A summary ties up the data. Each spread contains one to four sentences in one to two paragraphs facing a full-color or black-and-white reproduction. In all, there are a good number of facts, succinctly written. A few words are spelled out phonetically in the texts. Although these brief biographies don't offer enough information for reports, they do have enough "meat" for curious beginning readers who have no background on these presidents.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
