Suzy SchmidtCritiques

The very tall Abraham Lincoln started out farming with his father. He did not go to school much as a child, but he learned what he needed to. He could read, write, and do some math and that is what mattered most. He later signed the Emancipation Proclamation and it declared all slaves free. Different parts did skip around, one moment he asked someone to bring his coat somewhere and the next he is the president.½

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. One of which is because it focuses on the events that lead Abraham Lincoln to become the 16th President which he is famous for. For example, the reader is able to journey through Abraham's life from Kentucky, where he was born, to Indiana where his family moved when he was seven years old and so forth. While this book covers a number of Abraham's strengths, it only lists one weakness which is that he lost a senate race in 1858. As a result, the author does appear to be bias as she only lists one weakness which is not a flaw. Overall, the big idea of this book is to show how Abraham Lincoln had to overcome a number of personal struggles in his life (Lack of education, the loss of his mother, etc) in order to become the man he is remembered as today.

Summary:
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky on a corn husk mattress. He was always a big kid and was a tall man also. He didn't go to school full time because he had to help provide for his family by chopping down trees and farming. He did teach himself how to read and write and do arithmetic. He had many jobs at the age of 21. He left to new towns to study, deliver mail, and also being a soldier. He began with politics after being in a couple elections that he actually won. He was also a lawyer. He got married to Mary Todd and they had four boys together. He ended slavery by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. He was shot while in a theater watching a play.

Personal Reaction:
I liked this book a lot because I really like learning about more things our Presidents did.

Classroom Extension:
1. This would make a great lesson on learning about our Presidents.
2. Students could do artwork of Abraham Lincoln in class.

This is the story of Abraham Lincoln. I really enjoyed this book because it focused from the time Abraham Lincoln to the time of his assassination. Most books only focus on the time he was president. Students can learn new facts about the sixteenth president. There is a useful timeline at the end of the book. This is a good source to use in a social studies class.

Summary:
This biography about Abraham Lincoln starts off with when he was born on a cornhusk mattress in Kentucky. It says ever since he was a baby he was big boy so it's no wonder he grew into such a tall man. He grew up farming and chopping down trees to help provide for his family rather than going to school full time. He taught himself to read and write and do arithmetic. When he was twenty-one he set off to a new town studying, being a soldier, delivery mail, and many other jobs. He got into politics and after being in a couple of elections he actually won. He was also a lawyer at the time. He married Mary Todd they had four boys. He became president. He was known for making great speeches and signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery. He was a very tired man. He was shot at a theater while watching a play and died a few hours later.

Personal Reaction:
I really liked this biography because Lincoln was my favorite president so its nice to know some of the other things he did in his life. I find it very admirable that he taught himself and made it to where he did in life.

Classroom Extensions Ideas:
1. This would obviously make for a great historical lesson on the times and Lincolns Presidency.
2. This would be a great story on persevering and that students can do anything they set their minds too.

Summary:
This is a biography book about Abraham Lincoln. This book tells about Abraham as he grows up from a baby and then into a grown man. This book explains his love of reading and how he would work as hard as he could throughout his life. He eventually became famous through his speeches about slavery and this helped him win a seat as President of the United States. He tried to unite the United States as the north and south were not agreeing. This eventually led to war and many people passed on. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, stating that all slaves were to be free. As healing began to take place after the war, an angry person took Abraham Lincoln's life. He is still honored today.

Personal Reaction:
I like this book even though I am not really into history a whole lot. I like the way the book tells about Abraham Lincoln's life starting as a baby and then goes throughout his childhood and then into adulthood. This makes the book more interesting to read and would appeal better to children. Children would learn about other people that did great things in the world and they started out just like them. This would encourage children to make a better life for others despite all the hard work and effort it takes. Abraham Lincoln did it.

Extension Ideas:
1. Have the class write an essay about what they have learned about this book and the life of Abraham Lincoln.
2. Have the class act out a play about Abraham Lincoln's life.
3. Draw and color a picture of Abraham Lincoln and tell about his life in a couple of paragraphs and then hang it on the wall outside the classroom.

Summary:
This book tells the life story of the former president Abraham Lincoln starting from when he was just a child carrying on until he became president of the United States

Personal Reaction:
I think this is a great book to read to children to get them to better understand Abraham Lincoln it tells them enough to get them fascinated but not so much as to bore them which is important with children and books about history.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. You could read this book to the children when teaching them about presidents, Abraham Lincoln (of course), or black history month and all the stuff he did while president
2. Ask your children what they would do if they ever got to become president. What changes would they make in their country?

This biography is not written like the other biography books I have read. This biography was made into a story, a story of facts about Abraham Lincoln. I felt that the way this book was written was more entertaining and kept me more invested in reading it. It wasn't just straight facts. It was a story of facts. Very creative and great pictures.

This is the story of the life of Abraham Lincoln. It tells of his life starting with childhood all the way up until his presidency and assasination.

This story is good for younger children. The kids could learn about Abe in age appropriate terms, which would make things much easier.

In the classroom, we could do a unit on presidents. Also, we could celebrate President's Day and have a party!

This book was about Abraham Lincoln from childhood to adulthood. It showed his life as a child working and how he acheived the role as president. It told about his hard times during his lifetime.
I thought there were a lot of words on a single page and a child would soon get bored of reading it. Other than that it was a pretty good book. It was a easier way of understanding who Abraham Lincoln was.
This book could pulled out sometime during the week of President's Day and read. Also after reading this book you could have the students make an illustration of Abraham Lincoln for an art project.

This book is about the life and death of Abraham Lincoln, along with everything in between. This book tell about how hard he worked at everything he did, how little schooling he had, and how determined he was to educate himself. This book also describes the difficulties he faced during his presidency. The main issues being slavery and the civil war. Abraham Lincoln ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. He was then assasinated a few days later.

I liked this book because it showed a different side to Abraham Lincoln. He was not serious all the time, but he was also dedicated, caring, and knew how to make people laugh. This book gives people a better understanding of his personality.

This would be a good book to teach kids about slavery, what is was, and how it was stopped. This would also be a good book to introduce Abraham Lincoln. There are several facts in this book about Abraham Lincoln so the kids could write down three facts they learned about him, and draw a picture of him.

This book gives kids a good explanation on what our good president was like.

Begins with Lincoln's birth and ends with an illustration of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Language attempts to bring the reader back to Lincoln's time and place. Shows the turmoil he felt as he led the nation during the Civil War and the ways he attempted to lighten the mood and bring laughter to those around him. Full page illustrations, ink and watercolor washes show Lincoln as he grows up. Additional resource: important dates from Lincoln's life. In the acknowledgments: “Special thanks to Jon Austin from the Illinois State Historical Society for meticulously fact checking text and art.”

This book is a very detailed, but summarized version of the story of President Lincoln from start to finish. It is a great history lesson for grades 1-3