Lincoln in His Own Words by Milton Meltzer - ADVISABLE

Lincoln in His Own Words by Milton Meltzer, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn, 221 pages.  NON-FICTION.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1993 (reprint 2018).  $13. 

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW  

This is a biography of Abraham Lincoln told with a mixture of the author’s explanations and Lincoln’s own words.  From the time Lincoln was little, he was interested in understanding the world around him.  He was a humanitarian and lawyer and he loved his country.  During his presidency, Lincoln tried to keep the country together during the Civil War and fought for slaves’ freedom.  In these moving speeches Lincoln’s goodness and passion for what is right becomes evident.  

This is a slow read with lots of interesting facts and great quotes.  I think this book would work well in a classroom where the teacher can concentrate on specific quotes (not necessarily the whole book at one time) and have the students study history from Lincoln’s own words.  I love Abraham Lincoln and I enjoyed the great illustrations and extensive timeline as well as his inspiring words.  

C. Peterson