Genre 4 Nonfiction and Bio Freedman

Lincoln- A Photobiography
by Russell Freedman – 1987
New York, N.Y.: Clarion Books
ISBN 0-89919-380-3

This book take you on a journey of Lincoln’s life, his childhood, his education, his job ventures, his political adventures and struggles which led him to become the sixteenth president of the United States. You get to know why he was called Honest Abe and why the people loved him so. The book touches the main issues he had to face as he explores the opportunities that made him the man he became. The book is easy to read and the photos have been placed very strategically as it helps to compliment the writing.

Analysis

Freedman writes this book about Lincoln with great care. He chronologically tells about a farm boy who takes learning seriously and teaches himself to read, ventures off to seek his destiny and becomes one of the greatest presidents of the United States. Freedman’s style of writing shows his passion for his work. He presents the facts in a very interesting way that you feel you know Lincoln by his choice of words. The fact that Lincoln did not like the nickname Abe was something I did not know. The many facts that Freedman presented in the book about Lincoln will keep anyone reading. The photo he used and artwork all compliment his telling to the story makes you think it belongs there. Readers will enjoy knowing personal facts about this president, that he did get into a few scuffles by hand wrestling, chopping wood with his axe in competition and that he showed his love of reading books.
At the end of the book, Freedman’s synapses of Lincoln’s footsteps, and other books about Lincoln are good information to extent the reading. It is an easy read and the students will be able to make connections with Lincoln’s antics.


Reviews

Relying on the recent scholarly biographies that have argued that many famous Abraham Lincoln stories are myths, Freedman carefully introduces a more realistic portrait than is usually found in juvenile biographies. The well-loved tales of Abe (a nickname he hated) courting Anne Rutledge, splitting rails in New Salem, or walking miles to obtain books are put into perspective with a few sentences.
Lincoln comes alive as a conscientious lawyer who put clients at ease with stories but was a hopeless slob with files and papers. Freedman also offers a concise but excellent picture of Lincoln's struggle with the ethics and the politics of slavery, as well as his frustrating search for the right general to lead the Union troops. The 90 black-and-white photographs are highlighted by fine book design and by Freedman's comments about the nature of photography in the mid-1800's. While the photographs contribute much, it is Freedman's talent for putting the right details in uncomplicated prose that provides a very sharp focus for this Lincoln portrait. Appendixes include Lincoln quotes from 1832-1865, a description of Lincoln sites, notes on materials consulted, and an index. This is a necessary purchase for all collections--and an opportunity for librarians to scrutinize earlier biographies on Lincoln that have long occupied their shelves.

Kirkus


This work is perhaps the most complete and enjoyable children's book ever written about one of the nation's most fascinating and important figures, Abraham Lincoln. Russell Freedman covers Lincoln's life and career in a balanced treatment that is enhanced by period photographs and drawings. The book won the Newbery Medal, the Jefferson Cup Award and the Golden Kite Honor Book Award, and earned a citation as School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Amazon.com

This Newbery Award-winning study of our 16th president is highly readable and meticulously organized. In a boxed review, PW hailed it as a "superb, encompassing account" of "an intriguing, recognizable human being ambitious but modest, folksy, sensible and witty, a doting parent, a determined and compassionate leader.

Publishers Weekly


Grade 5 Up Few, if any, of the many books written for children about Lincoln can compare with Freedman's contribution. More than 80 photographs and prints illustrate the crisp and informative text. The pictures have been well-placed to coordinate with the text; captions have been written with care as well. While many of the photographs are well-known, many less familiar pictures are also included. Freedman begins by contrasting the Lincoln of legend to the Lincoln of fact. His childhood, self-education, early business ventures, and entry into politics comprise the first half of the book, with the rest of the text covering his presidency and assassination. Freedman's extensive research is apparent in the liberal use he makes of quotations from original sources (letters, contemporary newspaper articles, etc.). Freedman makes clear the controversy and vilification that Lincoln engendered and endured during his presidency. A listing of historic sites open to the public and a sampler of wise and witty excerpts from Lincoln's writings complete the book. Well-organized and well-written, this is an outstanding example of what (juvenile) biography can be. Like Lincoln himself, it stands head and shoulders above its competition.

School Library Journal


"A realistic, perceptive, and unromanticized photobiography of Lincoln, including a sampler of quotations from his writings and speeches."

Booklist


Connection

This website has some really good ideas like the ones below.

http://www.nlsd.will.k12.il.us/~gfahey/novellist/lincolnphoto.htm
Introduce your new unit about Abraham Lincoln by creating a word web of facts. Have your children brainstorm what they already know and organize their knowledge on a large sheet of butcher paper.
Next, have your class read this book together. Save your discussion about the book until you've finished.
After introducing and reading this book, have your children brainstorm all of the new facts that they've learned about Lincoln from this story. Using a different colored magic marker, add the new facts on the word web. Children enjoy comparing and contrasting which facts they knew initially to those that they discover as the unit progresses. Using different colored magic markers helps the children see their knowledge growing!