Honest Abe: An American History Picture Book Biography About Abraham Lincoln for Children

by Edith Kunhardt, Malcah Zeldis (Illustrator)

From a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House, the life of Abraham Lincoln is an inspiring saga of courage and dedication. Simple words and timeless pictures weave the important threads of Lincoln's life into a colorful folk tapestry that illustrates a true American pioneer of justice.  This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children. "Zeldis's oversized gouache paintings give this picture-book biography a folkloric look that suits its larger-than-life subject. Kunhardt's brief text avoids any fictionalization and presents the important events in Lincoln's youth and many careers in a straightforward, objective fashion.... A praiseworthy effort."— School Library Journal. "Hits the high spots and finds time for memorable tidbits... Consider multiple copies."— Booklist  (starred review).

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Biography

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Also known as Edith Kunhardt Davis, she inspired her mother to write Pat the Bunny. She later wrote books herself, including sequels to her mother's classic children's book. She also illustrated 16 books.

Reviews

[Taylor Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the information that was in this book and the way it was presented in such a way that little children could understand it. The explanation, or lack thereof, of slavery in a book for young children was the only problem I came across. The book mentioned "blacks being owned by white people" and my daughter questioned what that meant. I couldn't think of a way that she would understand it so it kind of messed up the remainder of the book for us. For an adult, though, this book was fantastic.

(Biography category)

[Lauren Anglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) Book summary, in your own words (3 pts)
This book tells the life story of Abe Lincoln. It s a great book for young people to understand his story and his roots. It signifies the reason why he is referred to as "Honest Abe".
2) Grade level, interest level, lexile (1 pt)
3rd grade
3) Appropriate classroom use (subject area) (1 pt)
classroom library/social studies
4) Individual students who might benefit from reading (1 pt)
Students interested in the american presidents specifically Abraham Lincoln.
5) Small group use (literature circles) (1 pt)
none
6) Whole class use (read aloud) (1 pt)
read a loud
7) Related books in genre/subject or content area (1 pt)
none
8) Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available (1 pt)
none

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest Abe by Edith Kunhardt, Illustrator -Malcah Zeldis Hindi language translation by Arvind Gupta, Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- the book narrates the story of Abraham Lincoln, President of USA. At his young age his mother expired. His father married again and brought three children with his second wife to live with them. His parents were illiterate and he only had one year of school total. He taught himself everything. His family moved to Kentucky and lived in a cabin loft, all in the same room. Abraham would tell stories, and that is how he got the name "Honest Abe." He became a lawyer, and then became married to Mary Todd. He contested election for Congress against Stephen A Douglas. People came to hear their debate. While Douglas was in favour of slavery, Lincoln was against slavery. First time, he lost against Douglas. Next time, Lincoln won to President of the U.S. Lincoln fought the Civil War and later signed the Emancipation Proclamation. After the war, one day, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in a theater by a man who was angry at him for freeing the slaves. He died and was buried in Springfield. His famous Gettysburg address is added at the end of the book. Coloured illustrations help the reader in relating to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the folk art in this book! Really different and I loved all the colors. The writing was a bit awkward at times, going from longer sentences to multiple 3 words sentences. I was really interested in the note about the writer, Edith Kunhardt. It said her grandfather had America’s largest private collection of Civil War photos and her mother was a “noted collected of Lincolnia”. I further realized her mother wrote several books about Lincoln and history, and she also wrote Pat the Bunny!!!

Materials used: gouache on paper
Typeface used: ITC Cheltenham Book

[Shaelynn Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Age Range: Middle Grade
The paintings in this book are so cool and different, I haven't seen anything like this. I thought the author talked about Abe's life in a wonderful way that made me want to keep flipping to the next page.

[Kaitlyn O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid, so it was fun to revisit it!

[Alex Wingrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the life of Abraham Lincoln, and how he got to be president of the United States. It starts out with his home life, and tells of how neither of his parents were literate and he only had one year of school total. He taught himself everything. His family moved to Kentucky and lived in a cabin loft, all in the same room. Abraham would tell stories, and that is how he got the name "Honest Abe." He became a lawyer, and then became married to Mary Todd. He went from Congress, to Senate, to President of the U.S. Then, one day, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in a theater by a man who was angry at him for freeing the slaves. He died and was buried in Springfield.
This story was cool to read because I never knew about Abraham Lincoln's life before presidency.
I think this story would be good to read in the classroom to educate students on the life of a very important political figure, such as Lincoln. It could also show them that they could start as nothing and make something big of themselves.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest Abe is a nonfiction book about the life of Abraham Lincoln. The book goes through his life and describes events and people he encountered. There were some interesting facts that caught my attention, such as; that Abe actually lacked formal education and taught himself to read and right and basic knowledge about subjects, his mother died when he was a child, his father left Abe and his cousins alone for weeks while he traveled to another state and found a new wife, and other significant events about Abraham's life, election, and beliefs. The illustrations in this book are very vibrant and different from many other non fiction books. This book is great for younger grades.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shares information about Lincoln's entire life, birth through death. A few sentences of text appear at the bottom of each page. Brightly colored folk-art illustrations (gouache paints on paper) fill nearly 3/4 of each page. Content is sometimes graphic: battle scenes show fallen soldiers, Lincoln is shown with his head on sideways next to Booth holding a smoking gun. Additional reference aids: full text of Gettysburg Address and chronological list of major events in Lincoln's life.

[Rebekah]

The sixteenth President of the United States of America is the subject of this book. This nonfiction book is basically a biography about Abraham Lincoln. It begins with his birth and concludes with his assassination and funeral. The illustrations seem to resemble folk art. Lincoln's character is the title of this book, honest Abe. He was a lifelong learner; and he was extremely honest in all of his dealing throughout his life. The full Gettysburg address is also featured in this book.

[Seher Patka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's book about Abe Lincoln's life as a child and growing up to become one of the greatest heros of the United States. The illustrator used "gouache" paintings in this book, and I was not familiar with these type of illustrations before reading this book. It creates a folk tale which is excellent to use when discussing types of genres. All true information!

[Kaylie Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a great book for children to learn about Abraham Lincoln. I think that it makes it very easy for children to understand his life. I really liked the images that the book has in it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great children's book on Lincoln; didn't especially care for the style of illustrations.

[Sierra Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a picture book that tells about the life of Abraham Lincoln. The bright pictures are visually appealing, especially to younger readers. A great choice for kids who might not be ready for a chapter book on Abraham Lincoln but are still very interested in learning about him.