Lincoln and His Boys

I recently received a copy of the book: Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells • illustrated by P.J. Lynch; January 2009 • Candlewick Press • Middle-grade fiction. I wrote a review (I don’t get paid for this) on The Picnic Basket about this book and this is what I wrote,

“This was a fantastic book to read and I couldn't put it down. I loved learning about Lincoln from the perspective of his children. It really made me see him in a different light and I learned some things that I never knew about him and I think students will feel the same way when they read this. I think this book would really appeal to boys because it is from a boy's point of view. I could see them making comparison's about boys and their fathers then and now. I would definitely give this book a 5!”

I really think this would be a great book to use in the classroom for middle school or even high school because I like the perspective that the author wrote from. Usually most information about Lincoln is pretty dry and this put some human emotion into the story. I know the story is considered fiction but from all the research that was put into writing this book, I think there is a lot to be learned from reading this book. After reading this book, I feel it can open up a lot of different discussions on family life, life as the President of the United States then and now, responsibilities, the effect of public service on the family, and so many other discussions depending on the level of students who are reading this.

I hope you get a chance to read this book. If so, I think it would be a successful lesson in the classroom.