Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President [Paperback]

Ginger Turner (Author), Saral Tiwari (Author)

Book Description

In this delightful and heartwarming illustrated novel, the story of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War comes to life, making the learning experience more enjoyable than ever before.

This graphic novel weaves together the most dramatic scenes of the Civil war, from the Underground Railroad, key battles, to the Gettysburg Address and the destruction of the South. It also explores lesser-known stories such as the role of women on the battlefield, and even the frenzy of pet goats in the White House. Above all, the story gives the reader a unique view of President Lincoln as a person. His early years, his relationship with his son Tad, his personal struggle with the issue of slavery, and his enduring sense of humor give the reader a new perspective of the human being behind the American Icon.

This unique combination of actual historic events with little known personal account is unique, but the fact that the reader is guided through the novel with hundreds of beautifully hand-drawn frames, makes it a must-read.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest addition to the growing number of educational graphic novels provides a superb introduction to Lincoln's presidency for grade-schoolers. The creators go beyond the title's scope to create a panorama of the country during the Civil War. Though Lincoln is their lead, they present an ensemble cast, including historical figures like African-American civil rights pioneer Frederick Douglass and a number of fictional characters caught up in the era's political and racial divisions. There's Samson, an escaped slave traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom; Duff and his father John Alexander, who find themselves fighting on opposite sides; and Duff's courageous girlfriend, Mary. The authors link the characters through the winning device of Lincoln's actual dog Fido. The book has Fido wandering the country during the war, trying to find his master, befriending the other characters along the way. Fido's a pretty normal dog, but occasionally Turner gives him an amusingly Snoopy-esque thought balloon. And the artists persuasively convey Lincoln's genuine goodness without sentimentality. Though the book acknowledges Lincoln's slowness to take action against slavery, it clearly shows the strength of his commitment to put an end to it. Most strikingly, Turner explains that Lincoln knows he is under continual danger of assassination and yet he quietly and bravely continues to "do my job." Tiwari's artwork, clearly based on Herge's classic Tintin, is simple but conveys an epic grandeur in its depictions of battle scenes. This book's main audience may be children, but parents and teachers should find it touching as well.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–A biography of Abraham Lincoln in graphic-novel format. The writer and artist attempt to communicate the accomplishments of the president's term during the Civil War; unfortunately, both miss the mark. The narrative is pedantic and inane. The book is "dumbed down" to an almost insulting level. It is boring, placative, and far too fictionalized to offer substance. The Civil War and Lincoln's presidency gave birth to legends, myth, and high drama, yet this book seems to trivialize the story. The author focuses only on the emancipation of slaves as the cause of the war. This perspective is simplistic and naive. It does little to address the issue of states' rights and the industrial society evolving from an agrarian society. The art is colorful, but mediocre, expressionless, and dimensionless. Character development by both author and artist is flat, iconic, and almost stereotypical. The book is riddled with anachronisms and editorial errors and is not worth the investment.–Joel Bangilan, Houston Public Library, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 46 pages
• Publisher: Gossamer Books LLC (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974250201
• ISBN-13: 978-0974250205
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,470,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History comes alive in a comic book, March 26, 2004

By 

Harkirat Singh (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President (Paperback)

This is a very fun way to learn about American history and have fun too. A fresh change from the boring history books normally found in schools. This comic book has a very interesting and entertaining story line that keeps you absorbed from the minute you start reading it. What makes it even more innovative is the fact that it is a true story based on true facts about Lincolns life. His ideals and values which formed the basis of his life are very articulately detailed in the book. Characters like Lincolns dog (which reminds one of Tintin's dog snowy) who carries the storyline along as an impartial observer and a woman who risks her life to fight alongside her beloved, captivate and endear the reader to the story.

On the whole this book is very informative and entertaining and has the makings of a classic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, March 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book even more than the kids. Good job on the history part of it. Never thought I would see an illustrated book for children deal with all the tough topics of the Civil War. Most of the books we buy play it safe. These guys must have used some historians because they touched on all the points like assasination, underground railroad, slave auctions etc. Nice use of the dog too. My kids loved that. They want to get a stuffed version of the darn dog. Darn it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a unique concept, March 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President (Paperback)

What a unique concept! I just got this book and it is really well done. It is written at two levels: adults & kids. I am amazed by the ability of the writer to add very serious discussions (underground railroad, assasination etc.) in a format that kids can understand. This book steers straight and narrow. There seems no attempt to push any agenda. It presents history as history and not as someone's point of view. I can see children re-reading this book as they grow older and getting more from it as their understanding and comprehension grows. I look forward to more books like this. They should do one about the Texas War of Independence. It is a complex subject matter and could use a treatment like this.