Homeschool Recommended Reading: The Real Book About Abraham Lincoln
Homeschool Recommended Reading
For our homeschool history class, my seven year old daughter and I just finished reading through a classic called The Real Book about Abraham Lincoln. To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure how we even got onto the subject of Abraham Lincoln; often our history and science adventures start with a simple question or when my kids show continued interest in a topic. I think we were looking at money during math class one day, and I discovered she didn't know anything about Abraham Lincoln...
Anyway, The Real Book About Abraham Lincoln
is part of a series published by Garden City Books back in the 1950's. Some other titles in this series include: "The Real Book About Christopher Columbus", "The Real Book About Franklin D. Roosevelt", etc.
This oldie-but-goodie makes a wonderful read-aloud for younger children, or read-alone for older students. Each time we read together, my daughter begged me to read "just one more chapter" and was always disappointed when we had to put it down to complete her other schoolwork.
My daughter and I learned so much about Abe Lincoln and laughed at many of the situations he got himself into. She would often retell Abe Lincoln stories at the dinner table quite accurately, so I always knew she was listening.
Her favorite story of Abe Lincoln was one when he was hitch-hiking from one town to another. Because he never had much money, he had to walk almost everywhere he went. One day a man in a wagon came along and instead of asking him directly for a ride, Abe said, "Would you be so kind as to give my coat a ride to the next town?" The man replied, "Sure, but how will you get it once I arrive?" Abe responded, "Well, I will stay in it!"
Instead of learning about this great president in a boring textbook, read about "Honest Abe's" remarkable life, from childhood to presidency, in this engaging and well-written biography.
The book consists of eighteen chapters and is 186 pages in length; each chapter is about 6-12 pages long, or 3-6 double-sided pages.
Some of the chapter titles are:
Abe in the Wilderness
Little Pigeon Creek
Abe Gets a New Mother
Longshanks Finds a Job
Abe Becomes a Storekeeper
Captain Abraham Lincoln
Abe Goes to Congress
By the end of the book, your student will cover the entire life of Abraham Lincoln, as well as learn what life was like for many who lived in America's Midwestern wilderness during the 1800's. They will learn how Abe overcame many difficult obstacles in his life, and how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they set their mind to a task.
Through his good attitude, faith and perseverance, Abe rose above his family's poverty and became the president of the United States. Because of his love for people and hatred for slavery, Abraham Lincoln helped to abolish slavery in America, changing our world forever. Would you like to leave a comment, or review a book or series that you think every homeschool student should read? Use the links below...