Book Review: Abraham Lincoln for Kids by Janis Herbert

Abraham Lincoln for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities

Janis Herbert

This heavily illustrated book is aimed at middle schoolers and is an excellent summation of Abraham Lincoln. The book does not avoid slavery and presents the institution honestly. The writing is clear but requires a reasonable level of reading skill. More importantly, the book is interesting and fast-moving.

In an earlier review I wrote, "When I write a historical novel, I find books aimed at younger readers invaluable. They provide three benefits. First, books for youths tell history as a story, just as a historical novel does. Second, they focus on highlights, which can provide an outline for a more extensive narrative. Third, they present the popular view and mythology of historic events. This is valuable because a historical novelist must know when he or she is diverting away from common perceptions. Without proper setup, running counter to the general belief can jar the reader out of the story, and the cardinal rule of storytelling is never to pull the audience out of the story."

All of this is very true of Herbert's book. This is a more serious treatment of Lincoln than Abraham Lincoln, The Boy The Man by Lloyd Ostendorf. In fact, I would recommend Abraham Lincoln for Kids to adults who are looking for a refresher on Lincoln. (Of course, Maelstrom would be an exceptional companion book.)

My only criticism is that the "21 Activities" seem a bit juvenile for someone with the required reading skills. Further, there are too many illustrations and sidebars for a Kindle book. Buy the print version.

The story of the greatest rivalry in American History

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