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Action Presidents #2
Action Presidents #2: Abraham Lincoln!
“A delightful, educational spin on history—and plenty of jokes,” said School Library Journal.
“Sheer joy,” praised Booklist in a starred review.
Finalist for the 2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award in Middle Grade Nonfiction
U.S. history comes to life like never before in this full-color graphic novel! We all know that Abraham Lincoln gave the historic Gettysburg Address and ended the Civil War. But did you also know that he never went to college, was a licensed bartender, and kept important documents in his famous top hat?
Wimpy Kid meets the Who Was... series in these hilarious new graphic novels—where the history is real and the jokes are fake—from New York Times bestselling comic book author Fred Van Lente and award-winning cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey.
Historically accurate and highly entertaining, Action Presidents’ bold and hilarious comic-style illustration is perfect for curious minds, filled with timelines, maps, charts, and more, readers will keep learning until the last page.
“Sheer joy,” praised Booklist in a starred review.
Finalist for the 2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award in Middle Grade Nonfiction
U.S. history comes to life like never before in this full-color graphic novel! We all know that Abraham Lincoln gave the historic Gettysburg Address and ended the Civil War. But did you also know that he never went to college, was a licensed bartender, and kept important documents in his famous top hat?
Wimpy Kid meets the Who Was... series in these hilarious new graphic novels—where the history is real and the jokes are fake—from New York Times bestselling comic book author Fred Van Lente and award-winning cartoonist Ryan Dunlavey.
Historically accurate and highly entertaining, Action Presidents’ bold and hilarious comic-style illustration is perfect for curious minds, filled with timelines, maps, charts, and more, readers will keep learning until the last page.
128 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2020
12 people are currently reading
838 people want to read
About the author
Fred Van Lente
1,359 books321 followersFred Van Lente is the New York Times-bestselling author of comics as varied as Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Taskmaster, MODOK's 11, Amazing Spider-Man, Conan the Avenger, Weird Detective, and Cowboys & Aliens (upon which the 2011 movie was based), as well as the novels Ten Dead Comedians and The Con Artist.
Van Lente also specializes in entertaining readers with offbeat histories with the help of his incredibly talented artists. He has written the multiple-award winning Action Philosophers!, The Comic Book History of Comics, Action Presidents! (all drawn by Ryan Dunlavey), and The Comic Book Story of Basketball with Joe Cooper (Ten Speed September 2020).
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats.
Van Lente also specializes in entertaining readers with offbeat histories with the help of his incredibly talented artists. He has written the multiple-award winning Action Philosophers!, The Comic Book History of Comics, Action Presidents! (all drawn by Ryan Dunlavey), and The Comic Book Story of Basketball with Joe Cooper (Ten Speed September 2020).
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 13, 2018
I love this series because it is so accessible and informative. Young children will enjoy learning about Lincoln and will have many questions that will lead down the road to further reading - just the right balance of history and humor.
March 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this. It's meant for kids, but I certainly learned a thing or two. Both the art and the storytelling is well done. And I'm no historian, but I didn't see anything it got wrong. It was a fun summary of Lincoln's life and achievements. I picked it up at Ford's Theater - a great tourist destination if you are ever in the nation's capital.
April 11, 2018
This outing is slightly stronger than the first volume, mostly because you can't go wrong liberally quoting Abraham Lincoln in your book. If only that silly turkey narrator could get plucked...out of the series.
I'm looking forward to Teddy Roosevelt's turn next time.
I'm looking forward to Teddy Roosevelt's turn next time.
December 8, 2024
It's alright. Nice illustrations. But it wasn't funny. Lol.
But I love the way important details were told in the span of a few pages. Some illustrations were effective.
But I love the way important details were told in the span of a few pages. Some illustrations were effective.
Read
October 22, 2025Entertaining comic biography of Lincoln. There's a lot of information here about Lincoln and his era, but it's delivered in an accessible way that mixes humor and facts. Middle grade kids will enjoy it.
February 6, 2018
Like the first volume in this series, this is non-fiction with a fictional framing story involving two kids and a talking turkey. No more will be said about them.
The bulk of this book was a very good overview of the life of Abraham Lincoln, before and during his presidency. That is where the strength of the story resides.
The weakness is that on a few occasions, a good story got in the way of facts. Thus, we see an apparent General McClellan in charge of the Army of the Potomac until after Gettysburg, and several other odd things in terms of times and places. Never mind the several generals between McClellan and Meade, the Union commander at that Gettysburg battle...
Oddly, this book explains the turkey's name, which had gone unexplained in volume 1.
Like the first volume, this is a fun book that I might hand to some kids, but with the warning that the history might need a few corrections. I did like the inclusion of some of Lincoln's bad ideas, like the emigration to Panama.
The bulk of this book was a very good overview of the life of Abraham Lincoln, before and during his presidency. That is where the strength of the story resides.
The weakness is that on a few occasions, a good story got in the way of facts. Thus, we see an apparent General McClellan in charge of the Army of the Potomac until after Gettysburg, and several other odd things in terms of times and places. Never mind the several generals between McClellan and Meade, the Union commander at that Gettysburg battle...
Oddly, this book explains the turkey's name, which had gone unexplained in volume 1.
Like the first volume, this is a fun book that I might hand to some kids, but with the warning that the history might need a few corrections. I did like the inclusion of some of Lincoln's bad ideas, like the emigration to Panama.
November 30, 2018
This graphic novelization of Abraham Lincoln’s life offers a surprisingly deep dive for its length. Written mostly for the middle grade market, this graphic novel contains a frame story that moves readers from one installment to another—in this case, with the help of a pardoned Thanksgiving turkey.
The frame is unimportant; the biography stands on its own without it, but it does set up a string of turkey and fart jokes that punctuate the book. (This is no doubt a bonus for the middle grade reader, if not the adult gatekeeper reading it first.)
While most youth biographies of Abraham Lincoln focus on the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, this one goes back to Lincoln’s youth and briefly examines Lincoln’s path toward the White House. It acknowledges that Lincoln spent time in the military during the assault on the native Sauk people during the Black Hawk war (though it glosses over the political implication of that.)
Though that acknowledgement would have been nice, I find this volume remarkable for the even-handed and historically accurate examination of Lincoln’s historical role as an abolitionist. Or, more accurately, the fact that he was not an abolitionist. In theory, he opposed slavery, but personally had no great stake in the matter. The text is even honest enough to include Lincoln’s ruminations that the preservation of the nation (rather than the emancipation of enslaved people) was his most pressing worry.
For a children’s book to acknowledge that Lincoln said if he could end the Civil War without freeing the enslaved people of the south that he would, is monumental. It’s both true and an important window into the real presidency instead of the mythical version that we see so often in books for children. And that willingness gives more weight to the rest of the text, even with the silly asides and exaggerated art style.
There’s also a charming addition at the end—all of the jokes that didn’t fit in the final book. There’s a lot of love for history in this graphic novel, and that comes out in features like extra jokes, and the asides.
Though I often like graphic novels for reluctant readers, I feel like this is not a good choice for that group. There is art, and for visual learners, that’s ideal. But this is an in-depth biography; as the jacket copy claims, the history is real. And it is packed densely into each page, with relatively little white space.
It’s written in grade-level appropriate language (and does feature a glossary) but this is more a text to give to a young history lover who wants to learn more, rather than a reluctant reader trying to grasp the basics. I feel like this would be ideal as part of a bigger biography display, or perhaps as part of a collection for President’s Day.
It would go well with Martha Brockenbrough’s Unpresidented, which is a similar deep dive into the presidency of Donald Trump, complete with facts (though decidedly lacking in fart jokes,) and Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father, a similarly dense graphic novel by Jonathan Hennessey and Justin Greenwood.
The frame is unimportant; the biography stands on its own without it, but it does set up a string of turkey and fart jokes that punctuate the book. (This is no doubt a bonus for the middle grade reader, if not the adult gatekeeper reading it first.)
While most youth biographies of Abraham Lincoln focus on the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, this one goes back to Lincoln’s youth and briefly examines Lincoln’s path toward the White House. It acknowledges that Lincoln spent time in the military during the assault on the native Sauk people during the Black Hawk war (though it glosses over the political implication of that.)
Though that acknowledgement would have been nice, I find this volume remarkable for the even-handed and historically accurate examination of Lincoln’s historical role as an abolitionist. Or, more accurately, the fact that he was not an abolitionist. In theory, he opposed slavery, but personally had no great stake in the matter. The text is even honest enough to include Lincoln’s ruminations that the preservation of the nation (rather than the emancipation of enslaved people) was his most pressing worry.
For a children’s book to acknowledge that Lincoln said if he could end the Civil War without freeing the enslaved people of the south that he would, is monumental. It’s both true and an important window into the real presidency instead of the mythical version that we see so often in books for children. And that willingness gives more weight to the rest of the text, even with the silly asides and exaggerated art style.
There’s also a charming addition at the end—all of the jokes that didn’t fit in the final book. There’s a lot of love for history in this graphic novel, and that comes out in features like extra jokes, and the asides.
Though I often like graphic novels for reluctant readers, I feel like this is not a good choice for that group. There is art, and for visual learners, that’s ideal. But this is an in-depth biography; as the jacket copy claims, the history is real. And it is packed densely into each page, with relatively little white space.
It’s written in grade-level appropriate language (and does feature a glossary) but this is more a text to give to a young history lover who wants to learn more, rather than a reluctant reader trying to grasp the basics. I feel like this would be ideal as part of a bigger biography display, or perhaps as part of a collection for President’s Day.
It would go well with Martha Brockenbrough’s Unpresidented, which is a similar deep dive into the presidency of Donald Trump, complete with facts (though decidedly lacking in fart jokes,) and Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father, a similarly dense graphic novel by Jonathan Hennessey and Justin Greenwood.
May 23, 2019
When two kids are on a trip to the Lincoln Memorial, Noah the Historky shows up to show why history is relevant after the boy complains.
Fortunately, reading "Action Predients #1" is not required.
I like the comic book format, as I find myself actually wanting to read history in this form.
Real history (including crowd comments)...fake jokes...
and yet the fart jokes almost make me want to believe some of them are real!
(and one of the sources in the bibliography includes one on Lincoln's humor, which is great).
Things like the House of Representatives and Senate are explained very well. The comparing and contrasting of the two is so helpful.
I also like how the similarities and differences in Union and Confederate mindsets was displayed.
Van Lente breaks the fourth wall with Dunlavey in a humorous way.
This is pretty much a biography of Lincoln and includes the extreme circumstances that led to the U.S. Civil War. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was awful.
This is just a fun and very informative book. I'm positive I learned most of it in school, but I really don't usually like most of the subject, especially regarding politics. So the fact that I like this really says something about the author!
The places to visit at the end piqued my interest.
Fortunately, reading "Action Predients #1" is not required.
I like the comic book format, as I find myself actually wanting to read history in this form.
Real history (including crowd comments)...fake jokes...
and yet the fart jokes almost make me want to believe some of them are real!
(and one of the sources in the bibliography includes one on Lincoln's humor, which is great).
Things like the House of Representatives and Senate are explained very well. The comparing and contrasting of the two is so helpful.
I also like how the similarities and differences in Union and Confederate mindsets was displayed.
Van Lente breaks the fourth wall with Dunlavey in a humorous way.
This is pretty much a biography of Lincoln and includes the extreme circumstances that led to the U.S. Civil War. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was awful.
This is just a fun and very informative book. I'm positive I learned most of it in school, but I really don't usually like most of the subject, especially regarding politics. So the fact that I like this really says something about the author!
The places to visit at the end piqued my interest.
July 7, 2020
Same pros and cons as the first Action President book about George Washington. Pros: Informative - I learned some things even as an adult reader. And my kids both picked it up and read it...all I had to do was leave it lying around. Heck, my eldest practically grabbed it out of my hands while I was trying to read it. Cons: This is what we've come to. The only way I can get my kids to read about history is in graphic novels with fart joke level humor. This one even has a bizarre reference to Star Wars Jabba the Hutt. It's just a little depressing.
September 23, 2021
Really feel like this nailed some of the complexities of the civil war. I started to read some of this aloud to my daughter and some of it still felt boring. Maybe history is just that way sometimes. I still feel like trying to get kiddos to understand the magnitude of the Gettysburg Address is a lost cause (although a noble one). The policial world of the late 1850s/early 1860s felt a little confusing. But definitely better than the Ted Roosevelt one! I think because at least Abe has a unifying theme to his story.
April 16, 2024
Overall, this graphic novel is a great way to get kids excited about learning real facts and information in a fun format. Yes, there are dumb fart jokes and other ridiculous things, but it’s for kids!
Content Warning: bare butts shown, blood, weapons (guns, knives, swords), violence and death shown, alcohol mentioned, “negros” used, talk of poop, death, seances
Content Warning: bare butts shown, blood, weapons (guns, knives, swords), violence and death shown, alcohol mentioned, “negros” used, talk of poop, death, seances
July 27, 2018
Energetic, concise and unafraid of truths, the story of Abraham Lincoln is told in graphic novel form, so well it’s should be in schools. The second book in the set tells an exciting history without ignoring the gritty parts. Pure joy to read.
November 26, 2021
Excellent read
February 2, 2022
Another highly educational biography in the form of a graphic novel. I loved that it put the whole Gettysburg Address in it, as well as including other quotes and jokes m are by Honest Abe.
July 1, 2023
For being geared towards younger audiences, this was a pretty in-depth biography about Lincoln. I liked the comic book style as well!
September 18, 2024
IT WAS AMAZING!!!!
August 25, 2025
Grandpa was wrong! He was born in Kentucky and moved to Springfield. He was not born in Illinois.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews