Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books is a folksy telling of Abraham Lincoln’s love of learning and books. Nancy Carpenter’s illustrations (oil paint on canvas) are warm and inviting.

From the book cover:

In a tiny log cabin a boy listened with delight to the storytelling of his ma and pa. He traced letters in sand, snow, and dust. He borrowed books and walked miles to bring them back.

When he grew up, he became the sixteenth president of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

He loved books.
They changed his life.
He changed the world.

The book focuses primarily on the early part of Lincoln’s life and how learning was a significant part of it. It includes stories of his family moving, his mother’s death, his father’s remarriage (to a woman who owned books!), and the various jobs he did while young. The last several pages briefly cover his legal and political career. The focus throughout is Lincoln’s reading and learning. 

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books is a cozy book and would be a great addition to your family library. 

Homeschooling Ideas

Geography – Use maps of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to mark all of the places where Lincoln lived and worked.

Bible – Learn about Abraham Lincoln’s Bible that was kept safely by family friends for 150 years in This Lincoln Bible Has Been Hiding for 150 Years.

History – Learn more about the reading habits of Lincoln and the books he read when he grew up in the article The Libraries of Famous Men: Abraham Lincoln. 

Creative Writing – Use the Lincoln-themed pages in the Presidents’ Day Writing Pages to write about Lincoln. 

Venn Diagram – Use a Venn Diagram to compare Lincoln with another U.S. President of your choosing.

Poetry – Read the poem “Lincoln” by Annette Wynne and discuss how it relates to this picture book.

Art – Create a postage stamp to honor Lincoln’s love of reading.

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