Honest Abe [Library Binding]

Edith Kunhardt (Author), Malcah Zeldis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

An extraordinary biography of the 16th President of the U.S. In unforgettable paintings and simple words, Malcah Zeldis, internationally known folk artist, and Edith Kunhardt, author of over 50 children's books, weave the major events of Lincoln's life into a story for young and old alike. Includes the complete text of the Gettysburg Address. Full color.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Striking folk-art paintings more than compensate for a thuddingly flat text in this picture book biography of Abraham Lincoln. Apparently written to fit the illustrations, the choppy, teacherly prose often hinders the narrative drive, as in this description of Lincoln and Mary Todd's courtship: "Mary was twenty-one years old. Abe was thirty. Mary was popular. She liked dancing and spoke French. Abe and Mary were married." In this vein Kunhardt ( Pat the Cat ; Red Day, Green Day ) reports all the familiar episodes: Lincoln's childhood in a log cabin, his debates with Douglas, the assassination by "a man who was furious at the President for freeing the slaves." But the paintings vivify the story, commanding attention with vibrant greens, blues, reds and yellows. No staid portraits here! Placed one to each oversize page with generous trim as if hung on a wall, they are seemingly unpolished but genuinely American, much like the man they commemorate. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 1 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688111904
• ISBN-13: 978-0688111908
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,877,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Readers Will Learn A Lot!, June 21, 2000

By 

Frank Murphy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honest Abe (Paperback)

The perfect picture book biography about Lincoln. With bold, colorful illustrations the illustrator allows the author to cover dicey parts of Lincoln's story (ie., assassination) by portraying the subjects with folk-style looking characters. For example the scene where Lincoln is shot is appropriate for young kids to look at as it is not graphic nor bloody. Somehow, it works and allows for a discussion about how Lincoln died and why he died.Outstanding effort! Plus the book is bigger than average picture books!

5.0 out of 5 stars Folk Art illustrations hold their attention, October 27, 2011

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Honest Abe (Paperback)

This is a good, personable biography of Abraham Lincoln, suitable for even very small children. The text is good for read alouds, and the vocabulary is right for 1st-3rd graders.

And the illustrations! The style and the details are so interesting to look at, we forget to turn the pages. I'm an illustration fanatic, and my kids are visual, too. So many interesting ways to show the action in these stories. Don't miss this excellent and interesting (even for grown-ups) biography of Abraham Lincoln.

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Abe, August 2, 2004

By 

cleopatra "princess of the nile" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honest Abe (Paperback)

The pictures are imaginative.Zeldis does a terrific job of making the paintings come to live. The pictures alone tell a story. The words by Kunhardt make the story enjoyable and easy to understand. The book has real events that occured when lincoln was president. Children learn about history and the events that took place during Lincoln's term in office.