Customer Reviews

Abe's Fish: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Abe was snuggled comfortably in bed when he heard the cabin door open and shut. He got dressed and rushed outside to see if he could go with his father, who was probably going to chop down some trees. His pa put the axe down encouraged Abe to lift it. It was very heavy, but he was going to try. "He pulled up-up-up until his wrists burned," but he couldn't lift it. He tried hard, but if he couldn't lift the axe he couldn't go into the woods with his father and would be stuck picking berries with his sister, Sarah. He got a big surprise when his mother asked him if he'd like to go catch a fish for dinner. Now that beats the heck out of picking berries!

Fishing was "grown-up work" and he was more than anxious to comply with his mother's wishes. "Fish-fish-fish . . . Abe loved words." He loved everything about them and would often practice writing and reading them. After a while he had a tug on the line and listening to his father's instructions in the back of his head, he caught it. On the way home the thought of how everyone would be proud of him, but his thoughts were interrupted when he saw a soldier approaching. He knew the Americans had been heading north to fight the British. When he asked the teacher why they fought, she answered simply, "For Freedom." The soldier looked weary, bedraggled and hungry. If he offered him his fish . . . well, should he?

This book and its illustrations present a seldom seen portrait of Abraham Lincoln as a boy. The watercolors were exceptionally appealing and quite well done and the storyline simply grabs and draws the reader in. In the back of the book under the author's note, there is an expanded section on Lincoln and his early family life, environment, the war of 1812 and Abe as president. This is an excellent introductory picture book for the younger child. This type of appealing work can easily spark an interest in history . . . the painless way!

Interesting little story. I don't know if it's based on any truth, but young Abe Lincoln goes fishing, and on his way home with dinner, he runs into a solider. Out of the kindness of his heart, Abe gives the hungry solider his family's dinner, knowing his family will be proud of him. This tale talks a lot about freedom, and foreshadows Abe's own future with freedom as president. It is a nice story, and I could see it possibly happening in Lincoln's lifetime.

As a homeschooling mom, I'm always on the lookout for books that will supplement our learning experience. My girls love biographies, so when I had the opportunity to review Abe's Fish: A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln, I jumped at it!

As I read Abe's Fish for myself before reading it to the kids, I discovered it to be a book that I greatly enjoyed. But, the true test of a children's book is not how much a mom or teacher enjoys it. The true test is how much the child enjoys and gleans from it. References to Abraham Lincoln's position as President and his role in the Civil War were a bit veiled, and I was curious to see whether or not the girls would pick up on the inferences in the story and illustrations.

When we snuggled down to read the book together, the girls were enthralled! They both loved to learn that Abe did the right thing, despite his own hunger or the teasing from his older sister. They were delighted when I read about young Abe learning about freedom, and they did, in fact, pick up on the references to how lessons in his young life prepared him for his adult role as President. The girls devoured the illustrations, taking in each detail, and greatly enjoying the pictorial foreshadowing of President Lincoln's adult life. They were also very excited about the historical commentary in the Author's Notes at the end of the book.

Although this is a fictional story built around a single statement made by President Lincoln, much rich history is worked into the storyline. The one thing I would say is that this book requires a prior understanding of who Abraham Lincoln was and what he accomplished during his presidency. If your little ones haven't quite learned about President Lincoln yet, I would encourage a bit of discussion about our sixteenth president before reading the book.

With 2009 being the 200th celebration of President Lincoln's Birthday, it's nice to find some kid-friendly books about Lincoln coming to market. Abe's Fish is one of those. It's a beautifully illustrated book done in a lovely, warm palette.

The story centers on one of the few stories the president told of his childhood: a chance meeting he had with a soldier returning from a battle in the War of 1812. [The war, if you don't remember, was fought by the United States and Britain.]

Jen Bryant fleshes out this story and begins it on a day on which young Abe is hurrying after his father. He's only a boy, but he's eager to prove his usefulness. On this day though, he's too small to wield his father's ax and so his father sends him off to see what his ma has for him to do. Perhaps sensing (the way we mom's do) that Abe didn't want to spend another day picking berries with his little sister, she sends him off to catch fish for their dinner.

It's an important job and Abe tries hard. When he manages to catch a big one, he thinks ahead to dinner and how proud his mom and dad will be. How he'll show off to his pesky sister.

But Abe doesn't get to bask in the anticipated praise for as he is walking home he runs across a soldier who is returning home from a battle. Abe can see that the tired soldier is hungry so after thinking about what he has been taught, he decides to forgo praise and he gives the fish to someone he realizes is even needier than he and his family.

Considerations:::
I love the artwork. Amy June Bates does a wonderful job with expressions, and her watercolors are lovely.

I also like that Abe's Fish provides adults and children with a lot to talk about. Besides the background events of the War of 1812, Jen and Amy give us examples of what life was like in the early 1800s, not only for the Lincoln's but for all families on the edges of our growing country. Through both the story and the artwork, children will learn about how hard families worked and how they struggled to keep from being hungry. They will also see how much freedom and education was valued and how the Bible was an integral part of our nation's character.

The dilemma that Abe faced with the fish and the soldier provides an opportunity to discuss charity and pride and the story of the Good Samaritan.

There is a very nice bibliography that's included, as well as some kid-friendly answers to questions that might arise from reading this book. Questions like:

* What was Abe's mother like?
* What sort of man was Thomas Lincoln?
* Other than his older sister Sarah, did Abe have other siblings?
* Where is Knob Creek? How long did Abe and his family live there?
* Did Abe ever see slaves when he lived at Knob Creek?
* What was Abe's school like?
* In the story, who was the soldier Abe met on the road? Why was he fighting?
* and more...

Accelerated Reading Level::: No AR level is available for Abe's Fish at the present time.

For 4th Graders and up. [I say that because some of the content went over my children's head. They are just turning 7 and 9.]