Honest Abe, By Edith Kunhardt, Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis
      This story details the life of Abraham Lincoln. It begins with his childhood by describing his family life and his origins. He grew up mostly in log cabins and one-room houses. His mother died while Lincoln was still a child, but his father remarried to a woman named Sally. Eventually, Lincoln went to school while working and became a lawyer after three years of school. Next, Lincoln was voted into Congress and then ran for Senate. He lost the Senate election but he later won the presidential election against the same opponent. The Civil War soon followed his election, but Lincoln fought for the abolishment of slavery by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. The Thirteenth Amendment was later signed into the Constitution which banned slavery. Lincoln also famously delivered the Gettysburg Address honoring the lives lost in the battle at Gettysburg. The story ends with Lincoln's assassination. After he passed away, he was missed by many and had ten funerals in different cities until he came to his final resting place in Springfield, Ilinois. The last pages of the book contain the Gettysburg Address and a timeline of Abraham Lincoln's life.
      This book is most appropriate for first, second, and third graders. It has simple sentences and simplifies ideas about slavery and politics. The illustrations are also vibrant and engaging. Additionally, it is short enough to hold the attention of young students but is packed with useful information. The way the story is told with personal details about Lincoln in a narrative form truly makes Lincoln come to life for the reader. This would be a fantastic book to use for a project or paper about Abraham Lincoln. The timeline in the back would be helpful for this too. Additionally, students could dramatically interpret the events in the book and make it into a play. The teacher could also write a reader's theater script based on this book. The teacher would read the book first and then lead a class discussion about various aspects of Lincoln's life. Next, the students would look over the script and perform it with props and dramatic reading.