Voyages: Reminiscences of Young Abe Lincoln [Hardcover]

Neil Waldman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Through three voyages on the Mississippi River, a young Abraham Lincoln matures in the world and gives careful consideration to the issue of slavery. Travel with young Abraham Lincoln as he journeys up and down the "Father of Waters." Sit alongside him as he navigates his flatboat over dams, past currents, and through shallow water. Sail with him to the bustling port of New Orleans and back to his home up north. Along the way, you'll share his deepest thoughts and witness his struggle with the pressing ethical question of his day - whether slavery should be abolished. You'll come to understand how Abraham Lincoln grew from a naïve, idealistic teenager into one of the greatest, most passionate thinkers the United States has ever known. Neil Waldman relied on primary resources to tell the story of young Abe Lincoln. His well-researched illustrations in watercolors, acrylics, pencil, and pen and ink offer a moving portrait of Lincoln and his times.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This slim volume integrates some of Lincoln’s own words with an imagined narrative based on documented accounts of river voyages he took between the ages of 18 and 22, the last of which likely culminated in New Orleans, where he might have witnessed a slave auction. While written in Lincoln’s voice, the vast majority of the text is Waldman’s, and he seems intent on demonstrating the development of the Great Emancipator’s pride in honest work and his deep-felt hatred for slavery. Quotes that can be attributed directly to Lincoln appear italicized in a contrasting color. The two narratives blend fairly smoothly, and the book offers both a quick read and extensive opportunities for study and discussion. This title certainly blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction, but the introduction and source notes will help separate the facts from the imagined anecdotes and provide additional context. The nostalgic design, featuring a distressed sepia-toned appearance and the author’s own illustrations, further adds to the book’s appeal. Grades 5-8. --Andrew Medlar

Review

Imagine finding an old journal in the attic, a journal with pages worn and brown with age and written by Abraham Lincoln. That's the feeling readers will have when they pick up this handsome volume that tells the story of young Abraham Lincoln's voyages up and down the Mississippi... the art is striking, images rendered in watercolor, pen and ink, pencil and acrylic contributing to the antique appearance of the volume. --Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Pr; First Edition edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590784715
• ISBN-13: 978-1590784716
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,340,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, January 23, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voyages: Reminiscences of Young Abe Lincoln (Hardcover)

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln took several trips in a flatboat along three U.S. rivers: the Ohio, the Sangamon, and the great Mississippi. Those trips proved instrumental not only in the development of Lincoln's skills as a navigator and laborer, but also in his own education about the treatment of African people in the U.S. slave market. He became keenly aware of his hatred of slavery during these voyages, the shame he felt as a young man incapable of ending the abuses he witnessed, and his conviction to work in the longer term toward a democracy absent of slavery. Neil Waldman's carefully-researched book, with stunning illustrations that convey the feeling of Lincoln's experiences, provides a unique opportunity for middle grade readers to learn more about why Lincoln worked so tirelessly as President to end the institution of slavery in the United States.