Abes Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport

Abes Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln Reviews

• 
  Julie G

  Beautifully illustrated and filled with biographical information from the author and scattered quotes of Abe's finest words, including:
  
  If slavery is not wrong,
  nothing is wrong.
  I cannot remember when
  I did not so think, and feel so.
• 
  J-Lynn Van Pelt

  Kadir Nelson uses his stunning grasp of human nuances to illustrate President Abraham Lincoln's life. Nelson's expressive art mixed with Lincoln's actual words create a powerful story that is weaved together by Rappaport's concise narrative.
  
  This would be a great read aloud or addition to a larger unit on presidents, slavery, or leadership. Individual pictures could also be used as writing prompts.
• 
  Matthew

  Like the other books in this series, this book simply captured the meaning of so much of the subject's life through its text. The illustrations were lifelike and beautiful, as are so many of Kadir Nelson's works. I was drawn in and held, despite being familiar with the subject matter beforehand. Nearly a must have for any self-respecting school library.
• 
  Karrie

  From the front cover to the back cover and every page in between, it is easy for the reader to get caught up in the beauty of the artwork. Every page is rich with texture, feeling and expression. The picture of the chained slaves evoked so much emotion from me when I first saw it, that it took me several minutes before I could turn the page. I felt like I had been swallowed by the picture.
  
  The text provides two different stories. The first story is Abraham Lincoln's biography, providing facts and details about his life as a young boy, a young statesman and finally as the President of the United States. The italic text appear to be Lincoln's written or spoken words, but I was unsure of that. I would've liked to see a citation about where the italic text came from, i.e., journals, letters, etc. Of course some of the italic text is easy to identify: "Four score and seven years ago...."
  
  If the author and the illustrator had not collaborated, I don't think the book would've been nearly as effective. It's the combination of the two that bring this book to life. I highly recommend this book for 1st - 8th graders. While that is a big span of age ranges, I believe that the younger kids will understand the story and enjoy the pictures, and the older kids will be engaged from the moment they see the cover.
  
  I would not be surprised to see this book win the Caldecott.
• 
  CH13_Kieran

  This is a beautiful representation of one of the greatest Americans. The artwork is breathtaking and takes the reader into Lincoln's world of anger and resentment. It shows Mr. Lincoln as the ever-present representation of morality and wisdom. This biography of Abraham Lincoln shows his meager upbringing and his rise to great power through the sheer power of personality and words.
  
  Abe's Honest Words tells his story in a wonderfully simplistic manner that is approachable to young kids. On every page there is also a quote from the President, himself, befitting the text and picture. This book epitomizes great literature that exposes young readers in lower grades to American history; to history in general. It uses Mr. Lincoln's life as a moral. I could not imagine a better book for his birthday!
• 
  L- Lisa

  Abe’s Honest Words, The Life of Abraham Lincoln tells the history of our 16th president from his birth in Kentucky to his assassination in 1865. The author tells the story, inserting Lincoln’s words from speeches throughout. This gives the reader and listener a close connection to the man and the sequence of events during this memorable time. This audio is very powerful to listen to, as the voice changes from storyteller to what we believe to be Lincoln. The illustrations by Kadir are paintings depicting the time frame eloquently and not to be missed with the audio only. Students ages 8-12 will enjoy this life of Abe in a historical celebration or study.
• 
  Toby

  Timely, Kadir Nelson's gorgeous paintings flesh out this portrait (not biography) of Abraham Lincoln, in time for the 200th anniversary of his birth. The focus of the book is on his words, and through his words, his impact. 2009 is a good time to reread and think again about his iconic speeches, including the Gettysburg Address, which is reprinted in its entirety at the end of the book.
• 
  Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)

  What can I say...it's Doreen Rappaport and Kadir Nelson. What incredible and stunning paintings by Nelson. And Rappaport strings together historical information with Lincoln's words in supporting text.
• 
  Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*

  Rappaport, Doreen Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Hyperion, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.
  
  Quotes from Abraham Lincoln are interspersed with free verse text chronicling his life, accompanied by beautiful pictures.
  
  My only regret is that none of the quotes are footnoted, so that there is no way to know the source of each quote. There is a bibliography at the back, but it's not quite the same.
  
  EL - ADVISABLE. Cindy: Library-Teacher
  
  http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
• 
  Mitchell

  Another book on Lincoln. And yet a different spin. It's got a lot of information but it really is a picture book and isn't overwhelmed by the text. In this we get a feel for who Lincoln was. As a reader, as a writer as a leader. With good enough big full page art.
• 
  David Kent

  Beautifully illustrated, geared toward young readers.
• 
  Ellie Simpson

  Without a doubt, this a great book to share with children the character and contributions of Abraham Lincoln. The illustrations help convey emotions of the characters. I appreciated the use of real quotes from Lincoln on each page. Children will desire to know more about one of the most remarkable presidents in the United States after reading this book.
• 
  Kayla MacQueen

  Title: Abe’s Honest Words
  Author: Doreen Rappaport
  Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
  Genre: Biography (grades 1-2)
  Theme(s): History, courage, and leadership
  Opening line/sentence: “In the slave state of Kentucky, deep in the wilderness, young Abraham learned to hunt for nuts and currants and fish for trout and bass and tend to soil and seed.”
  Brief Book Summary: This amazingly illustrated and written book about Abraham Lincoln will capture students’ attention as they are whisked away into the late 1800s during the Civil War. The book covers Lincoln’s entire life and the influences he had on our country not just during his presidency but during his career in the House of Representatives as well.
  Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Horn Book: In spare language, Rappaport describes turning points in Lincoln's life, accompanied by excerpts from his speeches. Big events receive eloquent quotes while other aspects (e.g., his constant reading) are punctuated with plainer speech. Some of Nelson's handsome portraits glow with background light and luminous tones; at other times, he portrays an unassuming man. The Gettysburg Address completes the book.
  Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Library Media Connection: As she did with Martin's Big Words (Hyperion, 2001), Rappaport tells the story of Abraham Lincoln using his writings on every page turn to reinforce her text. Every detail is taken into account. Rappaport opens Lincoln's story when he was a boy, highlights his self-education and formative years, moves on to his early experiences in politics, includes his observations and thoughts about slavery, and closes with his time
  in office (quotes from his inaugural addresses and speeches made in office punctuate the stresses he endured). The two-page spreads in this oversize picture book feature stunning artwork. The color-saturated illustrations have a glow within and detail enough to entice the viewer to pour over them. Nelson's use of varied perspectives is spot-on. Readers will contemplate the relationship between the written word and the story told in the art, dwelling on this book to savor it. A timeline of Lincoln's life, bibliographies of children's and adult books about Lincoln, and the text of "The Gettysburg Address" are appended. Librarians who purchased Judith St. George's Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln (Philomel, 2008) will want to add Rappaport's book and use the two together.
  Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviewers paid special attention to the illustrations and the added inserts from Lincoln’s speeches because those 2 factors really added to the book and grabbed readers’ attention. The first reviewer made it hard to judge whether or not they liked the book because they pointed out that the detail about him reading a lot was “punctuated with plainer speech.”
  Evaluation of Literary Elements: This is a fantastic book to read to children or for them to read on their own if they are doing a project or a unit plan on Abe Lincoln and the Civil War. The illustrations really add to the story and make the experience of reading this book that much more enjoyable. Students will like the facts about Abraham Lincoln that they will read this book again and again.
  Consideration of Instructional Application: I would definitely use this book in my classroom if we were studying the Civil War or the Presidents. We could do a fun project where the students pick a president and then do some research on that president and then we would do a meet and great where students would dress up as that president and walk around the classroom and tell each other about themselves.
  
• 
  Traci

  “Abe’s Honest Words” by Doreen Rappaport tells the story of Abraham Lincoln. Rappaport also wrote “Martin’s Big Words”, and this book resembles it very closely. This book begins when Abraham was young and saw slavery first hand and knew from an early age that slavery was not right. It goes into detail how Lincoln rose from a simple man to become President on the United States and fight to end slavery. As with “Martin’s Big Words” this book compels the reader to become engaged with the story and the illustrations.
  
  The cover of this book simply as Lincoln’s face beautifully illustrated in front of the American flag. The detail of the illustration makes me look into his eyes and wonder what he is thinking. He is looking straight at you, engaging the reader already. The back cover has the title of the book on a light blue background, with a darker blue border. The back cover reminds me of the blue on the American flag. Abraham Lincoln is in a cursive typescript, almost as he signed his name on the back cover himself. The end pages are a white/creamy color with a beautiful design throughout. The end pages also have quotes from Lincoln in the same cursive font in a dark blue color. The title page takes up two pages, as the title is in huge blue font across two pages. As in “Martin’s Big Words,” the next two pages are the dedication page and the Author’s Note and Illustrator’s Note page. After reading the illustrator’s note I’m in awe of the background research completed in order to bring the illustrations to life. For example, Kadir Nelson visited Illinois to see where Lincoln lived and took pictures of every site visited. At the end of the book there are important dates for Lincoln as well as the time period. Websites to visit and books to read are also included. My favorite piece included at the end in its entirety in the “Gettysburg Address.”
  
  Delving into the image and text of the book, I’m amazed at the life like qualities of the illustrations. It’s almost as if I could be a part of the past and touch the people. The colors are beautiful, and this book deserves a Caldecott medal, but unfortunately it didn’t even receive an honor. Nelson’s work is a masterpiece to say the least, especially if you look at other books that have been illustrated by him. His technique is flawless, and the depth of detail and color is startling. Every image is a full-bleed, only adding to the realistic feel that this book has. The text in the book deserves praise as well. Lincoln was a very complex man, and Rappaport does an amazing job of telling his story in such an engaging manner. As she did in “Martin’s Big Words,” Rappaport includes quotes from Lincoln that are relevant to the text on the page. One can learn from his quotes how much he wanted to make a difference, and how even though he was a simple man he had a vision and he was going to achieve it. The text is offset from the image, either on the right side of left side of the page. It is on a white background with black text. The quotes are again in the cursive print in blue text. If one could add a historical fiction book to their collection, this would be a must have for any classroom or personal collection.
  
• 
  N_katieg52

  “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” These are famous words spoken by the twelfth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. This is a unique biography of Lincoln where it truly focuses on words he spoke. The words are separated into times of his life and facts are given. I am a history person, but I think everyone will enjoy this book. Sometimes we hear quotes and they are so over our head or taken out of context. This book brings together these quotes and Lincoln’s life. This book also includes a time line of Abraham Lincoln’s life, other books to read, and some websites to check out to learn more about Abraham Lincoln.
  
  This story is a great way to bring Abraham Lincoln’s words to life. He has many famous quotes which truly do some up his life. Another bonus to this book is the fabulous illustrations. They are bright and life-like. They truly enhance the already great book. Children of all ages would enjoy this story of an inspiring man of great character who helped ensure all people had freedom. This book would fit right in with a biography unit, study of presidents, President’s Day celebrations, or even a study on famous quotes. I could envision students doing some sort of fun activity breaking down the quotes with illustrations or what they mean to them today or how they can relate to them. I encourage you to share this book with your class. In the words of Honest Abe, “The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll git me a book I ain’t read.”
  
• 
  Mary Ann

  This stirring book captures the span of Lincoln's life, the strength of his words and convictions, and the dignity in his stance - all in a way that a child just growing into an awareness of our nation's history can grasp. It is a beautiful book, one that you'll want to have at home to come back to again and again.
  
  Starting with Lincoln's humble beginnings, Rappaport traces his journey from the rural slave state of Kentucky to the statehouse in Illinois, to the nation's capital. Kadir Nelson's illustrations draw immediate attention and make this a wonderful book to read aloud to younger children. He expresses so much of Lincoln's character, whether it's as a determined lawyer working late into the night by candlelight, or looking up at him as he gives the Gettysburg address. Nelson's illustrations complement Rappaport's text on each page, conveying the scene Lincoln describes seeing slaves chained as he worked along the Mississippi River, or the steely gray scene of the U.S. Capitol during Lincoln's second inaugural address.
  
  On each page, Rappaport presents a straightforward account of Lincoln's life, told in clear, direct prose, and then in a bold, slightly scripted font, she shares quotes from Lincoln's own words. This juxtaposition works well, making this both an excellent book to read aloud to a 2nd or 3rd grader or an introductory biography for an older student. While Rappaport does not provide the sources for each quote, readers will be very interested in the materials she provides for further investigation: a timeline, recommending reading for children who want to learn more about Lincoln, and selected research sources.
• 
  RachelAnne

  (2.6) Having lived all my life in Illinois, I am rather sick of heroic, honest Abraham Lincoln, through no fault of his own. Kadir Nelson's lushly luminous paintings are by far the highlight of a book that takes a very predictably patriotic and laudatory view of Lincoln, the homespun national saint. By focusing on a series of quotations from Lincoln's life, Rappaport focuses on the public, political Lincoln, leaving aside his personal life. This makes the text both more digestible for young readers and removes the characteristics of personal warmth, humor and family tragedy that make him sympathetic. This is a beautiful elegy or propaganda piece, but it does little to recognize Lincoln's true strength in overcoming his very real prejudices against people of African descent, his struggles to continue to work toward greater goals despite personal tragedies and recurring depression, even the wonderful wisdom of his warm and sometimes bawdy sense of humor. School kids hear enough about these plaster saint "founding fathers," only later to learn that half of what they were told in grade school was propaganda: no cherry trees were chopped down, Jefferson fathered children by one of his slaves... Books like this make kids think that Abraham Lincoln was never like they are now. Why don't we try letting them see that true heroes are real and utterly ordinary people who simply rise to the occasion?
• 
  karrie's corner

  From the front cover to the back cover and every page in between, it is easy for the reader to get caught up in the beauty of the artwork. Every page is rich with texture, feeling and expression. The picture of the chained slaves evoked so much emotion from me when I first saw it, that it took me several minutes before I could turn the page. I felt like I had been swallowed by the picture.
  
  The text provides two different stories. The first story is Abraham Lincoln's biography, providing facts and details about his life as a young boy, a young statesman and finally as the President of the United States. The italic text appear to be Lincoln's written or spoken words, but I was unsure of that. I would've liked to see a citation about where the italic text came from, i.e., journals, letters, etc. Of course some of the italic text is easy to identify: "Four score and seven years ago...."
  
  If the author and the illustrator had not collaborated, I don't think the book would've been nearly as effective. It's the combination of the two that bring this book to life. I highly recommend this book for 1st - 8th graders. While that is a big span of age ranges, I believe that the younger kids will understand the story and enjoy the pictures, and the older kids will be engaged from the moment they see the cover.
  
• 
  M.cholewick

  Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln is a biographical picture book about our 16th President. It contains the most vibrant, detailed, authentic, and powerful illustrations I have ever seen in a children’s book. The images have an almost 3-d appears, really popping out to readers. One of the best features of this text is the insertion between the factual information about Lincoln and the direct quotes from Lincoln throughout his life. For example, when the southern states began to leave the union, “Lincoln reminded Americans that they were one people”. Right after this, the author inserts the following quote from Lincoln, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” Throughout the book, the author continues these insertions, making the biography authentic. A weak aspect of this book is how abruptly it ended. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is a pivotal component of his life and his role in history, and the author simply ended the book by saying he couldn’t help heal the nation because he was assassinated. I think that this ending does not do justice for the impact it had on the nation.
• 
  Emily Benner

  Plot summary: This picture book biography is about the life of Abraham Lincoln. It starts by describing where Abraham grew up and how at an early age he lost his mother, however, his stepmother was a huge impact in the continuation of his childhood. Some pages throughout the book have little quotes or excerpts from Abraham Lincoln. It followed him through his young adult years with his struggles and good times he experienced. It talks about how he ran in elections and became a lawyer, which is when he gained the name of 'Honest Old Abe'. The book ends with the information about his presidency and how he was killed. At the end of the story the author had a list of important dates of Abraham Lincoln's life. She also includes a small list of books to read if one wanted to learn more about Lincoln.
  
  Reader response: Two ways you could have readers respond to this book is through higher order thinking strategies and technology. For higher order thinking strategies, you could have the students create a time line of the important dates of Abraham Lincoln's life. Using technology, you could show the students videos about Abraham Lincoln.
• 
  Madeline Bergstrom

  This is an excellent depiction of the life of Abraham Lincoln and the struggle to fight for the emancipation of slavery that America endured during Abe's time as President. The large, cartoon like illustrations grasp a reader's interest right off the bat. The story follows Abe in his journey through life from his time as a young boy to his rise in power and ultimate and very tragic death. Abe is a very monumental President, and it can be very hard to teach young children about his life and impact on America. Yet, this book provides teachers and parents the source to tell his story completely. The minimal text removes the historical feeling from the story, which helps children to feel more connected to the storyline. Historical texts can immediately detour children from finding interest in a story, so this format helps to eliminate this initial off-putting feel. I also really enjoyed the quotes from Abe himself on either end of the book, it adds an authentic feeling to the book and really puts his mark on the text. Overall, this is a great book, highly recommend!
• 
  Taylor Lane

  I really think that this is a great children's book that would help to introduce a history unit on the different presidents. Since this specific book uses such amazing drawings, it would really help to grab the students attention and help to understand the differences in todays society and compare it to the minimal amount of things they had during Abe Lincoln's time. Since this book focuses on the struggles that Lincoln had to go through in order to finally win the presidential election, students would also be able to see the difference in how things have changed over the years. Since this book is pretty short and an easy read, I think that it would really make it easy for students to understand what is going on and really understand the different strategies and steps he had to go through before he even came close to being president.
• 
  Allison

  I have always loved reading about Abraham Lincoln and this is a fun book that talks about Abe's life growing up. He was always caught with a book in his hands at every chance he can. He doesn't think about becoming a lawmaker until one day he witnesses a group of slaves chained together, forced to walk down the street bound together. From that day, Abraham Lincoln works as hard as he can to abolish slavery, speaking honestly and from his heart and changing peoples' minds.
  
  This book is appropriate for ages 7+
  
  I would recommend this book to any kids doing a biography on Abraham Lincoln because it presents it to kids in a way that is appealing to them. It is also just a fun read for kids looking to expand their knowledge a little further.