Children's Books

[Gene C]

Tad Lincoln by T Morris Longstreth

Going back up to post # 37, I have found another writer telling of the episode of Tad turning the water hose on Stanton. The story is in "Lincoln Talks" by Emanuel Hertz. His book was published in 1939, and he attributes the story to Thomas Pendel, the chief doorkeeper at the White House. He frequently looked after Tad, according to the web site Mr. Lincolns White House
http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/resi...4-unknown/

Here is the story from "Lincoln Talks" - Tad and Stanton p.215- 217.
https://archive.org/details/lincolntalks...4/mode/2up

Thomas Pendel later wrote a book entitled "Thirty Six Years In The White House" copyright 1901. The story of Tad is not recorded in that book. Copies of his book can also be found in the Internet Archives.

[David Lockmiller]

(06-30-2021 11:28 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Thomas Pendel later wrote a book entitled "Thirty Six Years In The White House" copyright 1901. The story of Tad is not recorded in that book. Copies of his book can also be found in the Internet Archives.

I have never understood why Emanuel Hertz put that story in his book. All that he had to do was check in Pendel's book to verify the story. And, then again, where did Hertz get the story? Somebody had to write it.

I posted the story as true and I apologized to Laurie Verge (and others) for my mistake.

[Gene C]

The Boy Lincoln by William Stoddard

This book was written by one of Lincoln's private secretary's. Stoddard also handled most of Mrs. Lincoln's mail. Stoddard would later wrote over 100 books, most of them for boys.

This one, published in 1905 with 240+ pages. It is not a history or work of non-fiction of Lincoln's life in Indiana, it is a story, and Stoddard is a good story teller.
This starts at the death of Nancy Lincoln, when Abraham's father, Thomas, leaves Abraham, Sarah and Dennis alone in their cabin in the woods, going to convince Sara Bush Johnson to be his new wife and mother for his children.

In between, Stoddard paints a realistic picture of life on a small farm. The hard work, Lincoln working for neighbors to help the family financially, his desire to read and learn, are all described.

The story ends with Lincoln as an older teenager carrying a traveler across the Ohio River who leaves him with these words of encouragement,
"Abe", said the former, handing him a silver dollar, "take that for yourself: I have paid Mr. Taylor. Now, I'll tell you one thing for you to remember: You are fit for something better than rowing a scow. God has put a great deal of brains into your head, You must learn to use them. It is remarkable that you have read so many books, away out here in the wilderness. Go on! Read, read, read! Make the most of your self. Be a man! This country of ours is dreadfully short of men. Good bye."
He was gone, baggage and all, and Abe stood still, looking after him.
"I didn't even get his name", he said to himself.

This is an enjoyable book to read, but it is a book written more for young people than adults.
I purchased my 100 + year old copy online from Books On The Square, in Springfield, IL - https://www.booksonthesquare.com/

Reprints are available from Amazon -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/053079...=pd_gw_unk

The book is also available on Interenet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/boylincol00s...7/mode/2up

[David Lockmiller]

(07-18-2021 03:58 PM)Gene C Wrote:  The Boy Lincoln by William Stoddard


The story ends with Lincoln as an older teenager carrying a traveler across the Ohio River who leaves him with these words of encouragement,
[i]"Abe", said the former, handing him a silver dollar, "take that for yourself: I have paid Mr. Taylor. Now, I'll tell you one thing for you to remember: You are fit for something better than rowing a scow. God has put a great deal of brains into your head, You must learn to use them. It is remarkable that you have read so many books, away out here in the wilderness. Go on! Read, read, read! Make the most of your self. Be a man! This country of ours is dreadfully short of men. Good bye."

Roger previously posted the following similar story:

In 1866 Josiah Gilbert Holland's The Life of Abraham Lincoln was published. Holland wrote:

"He (Lincoln) had learned the use of tools, and possessed considerable mechanical talent, as will appear in some other acts of his life. Of the voyage and its results we have no knowledge, but an incident occurred before starting which he related in later life to his Secretary of State, Mr. Seward, that made a very marked and pleasant impression upon his memory. As he stood at the landing, a steamer approached, coming down the river. At the same time two passengers came to the river's bank who wished to be taken out to the packet with their luggage. Looking among the boats at the landing, they singled out Abraham's, and asked him to scull them to the steamer. This he did, and after seeing them and their trunks on board, he had the pleasure of receiving upon the bottom of his boat, before he shoved off, a silver half dollar from each of his passengers. "I could scarcely believe my eyes," said Mr. Lincoln, in telling the story. "You may think it was a very little thing," continued he, "but it was a most important incident in my life. I could scarcely believe that I, a poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day. The world seemed wider and fairer before me. I was a more hopeful and confident being from that time."

[Gene C]

Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance by Francis Cavanah.
Mrs Cavanah wrote several childrens books

This was a Weekly Reader Children's Book Club book, published in 1959 with 92 pages. Reading level of 3rd-5th grade. It covers the time from his birth till he meets with his step-mother before he goes to Washington. Written well, I found it interesting and mainly factual. Ms Cavanah digs a little bit deeper into Lincoln's personality and character than most children's books.

Several, simple illustrations. As I was reading this it seemed so familiar, I can't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if I read this when I was in school. I purchased my copy on line, in very good condition, with nice dust cover for $1.99 plus s&h.
https://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincoln-Gets-...367&sr=8-1

It's a also available on Internet Archives. For a nice short sample, go the the last page of the book and read the page where Abraham says goodbye to his stepmother.
- https://archive.org/details/abelincolnge...ew=theater

[Gene C]

Honey - The Dog Who Saved Abraham Lincoln
written by Shari Swanson, illustrated by Chuck Groenink

The author claims this is a true story, and the story source is acknowledged as coming from this book, "The Boyhood of Abraham Lincoln" by J Rogers Gore from the spoken narrative of Austin Gollaher
https://archive.org/details/boyhoodofabr...ew=theater

Much of the content of that book is questionable, and is the only known source for the story. https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...search.php

It's an interesting children's story and nicely illustrated. You can view the book and hear the story here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVAy060fBM

I'm dog sitting for a month , and we both enjoyed the book. It's available through several different book sellers. Here is the book info page from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Honey-Dog-Who-Sav...514&sr=8-1

[Eva Elisabeth]

Great photos, Gene - your foster dog visibly enjoyed the reading session! He also looks like a descendant of Honey (at least regarding the color of his coat). Love the illustrations!

[Susan Higginbotham]

(04-24-2022 01:37 PM)Gene C Wrote:  Honey - The Dog Who Saved Abraham Lincoln
written by Shari Swanson, illustrated by Chuck Groenink

The author claims this is a true story, and the story source is acknowledged as coming from this book, "The Boyhood of Abraham Lincoln" by J Rogers Gore from the spoken narrative of Austin Gollaher
https://archive.org/details/boyhoodofabr...ew=theater

Much of the content of that book is questionable, and is the only known source for the story. https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...search.php

It's an interesting children's story and nicely illustrated. You can view the book and hear the story here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVAy060fBM

I'm dog sitting for a month , and we both enjoyed the book. It's available through several different book sellers. Here is the book info page from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Honey-Dog-Who-Sav...514&sr=8-1

I hope your canine client will be sharing his or her review.

[RJNorton]

I had this story in my notes:

Abraham Lincoln's boyhood dog was named Honey. On Monday morning, March 8, 1830, during the Lincolns' move from Indiana to Illinois, at Vincennes they headed for Haines' ferry, drove the caravan onto the ferry, and crossed the Wabash River into Illinois. Here, the Lincolns' dog, Honey, jumped overboard, landed on a thin sheet of ice, was about to drown, but Abraham, seeing the crisis, jumped into the icy water and saved Honey's life.

The story's source is a letter in the June 20, 1938, issue of Lincoln Lore.

https://www.friendsofthelincolncollectio...-20_01.pdf

[Gene C]

Lincoln The Man Who Saved America
written by David Kent, copyright 2017, 272 pages

Written for teens and adults, the outstanding feature of this book is the illustrations.
Photographs, drawings, paintings, the most colorful, illustrated book on Lincoln I've seen.
The text covers Lincoln's full life
(check the sample pages on the Amazon book site)

https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Man-Who-S...048&sr=1-1

Overall a good book, but it reads a little too much like a textbook.
Good at telling about Lincoln's accomplishments, light on Lincoln's virtues and light on the little events and actions that display Lincoln's character.
The illustrations make this book stand out from all the others.

[Gene C]

Lincoln and Douglas - The Years of Decision
written by Regina Z Kelly, copyright 1954, 180 pages.

Ms. Kelly has written a few other children's books
This is part of the Landmark Book Series, which many of us can remember reading when we were in school.
Written for ages 10 and up, the American Series has 122 books and were published between 1950 and 1970.

I have never been that interested in the Debates, so when I found this book I thought it would at least give me a basic knowledge of them, and it did/does. It's not so much about the debates themselves, but also what is going on before, during and after the debates in Lincoln and Douglas's lives. The political views of Lincoln and Douglas are also mentioned without it becoming dull.

There is an interesting chapter about Douglas, who loved carpentry and had been apprenticed to a cabinet maker before he became interested in law. He even taught school for a year.

Good book on this topic for this age group

https://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Douglas-y...147&sr=8-2

[Gene C]

The Life of Abraham Lincoln for Boys and Girls by Charles w. Moores
copyright 1909 with 132 pages.

Available on Internet Archives - https://archive.org/details/lifeofabraha...7/mode/2up

A well written short biography originally intended for fifth grade students and up, it's also suitable for adults.

The highlights of the book - several sections I found interesting and you can read them by using the link above
- Thomas and carpentry (page 4)
- Abraham's first winter in Indiana & Abraham shoots a turkey- (page 10-11)
- His exposure to superstition and the supernatural - (page 16-17)
- Lincoln, Jack Armstrong and the Clary Grove gang (page 27)

- Treatment of slaves in the south (page 42)
- Law practice on the circuit (page 45-51)
- Lincoln and Douglas (page 59-63)

- Voting attitude of preachers in Springfield (page 79-80)
- Farewell to Springfield (page 83)
- Short remark about assassination letters (page 88)

- Douglas holds Lincoln's hat at the inauguration (page 90)
- the situation as President Lincoln saw it on the day he entered the White House (page 93-94)
- Letters of condolence (page 103, 105-106)
- Lincoln meets General George Pickett's wife in Richmond (page 113)

- Lincoln's death. John Wilkes Booth's name is never mentioned. This section received very little attention, about two pages. My guess is the author wanted to focus on Lincoln's life and not his death.

A few of these sections in the book are somewhat historically questionable (since this was written our knowledge and details of Lincoln's life has increased), but they have their place and purpose in telling the story of Lincoln's life. I enjoyed reading it, it's one of the better books I've read this year, and can recommend it.

You can find copies on Amazon and ABE Books
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/tit...ores/used/

[Gene C]

Regarding the book's comments on Thomas Lincoln and carpentry
" Tom " Lincoln was not a very good carpenter. In a community where the neighbors were as able as he to make the simple furniture and rude buildings they needed, it is not strange that he failed. He had followed no steady work since his father's death had thrown him upon the world, and while he was not discontented or idle, he was restless. So he gave up his trade and undertook farming.

Regarding his exposure to superstition and the supernatural
"It is hard to believe that, in the early days of the "West, men and women had the same strange superstitions that the Puritans had in New England two hundred years earlier. It is true, however, that in the country where Abraham Lincoln lived as a boy, people believed that their lives and fortunes were influenced by visions, and ghosts, and witches. They believed, for instance, that potatoes planted " in the dark of the moon " would suffer blight ; that fences built " in the light of the moon " were bound to fall ; that a bird at the window foretold death ; that the breath of a horse in a child's face would give it the whooping cough ; that work could not be commenced with safety on Friday. Women supposed to be witches were driven from the neighborhood. The men told their dreams to one another and were guided by them, as men were in the days of Pharaoh of old. From the influence of these superstitions Abraham Lincoln never wholly escaped, and in the experiences of his after-life we find evidence of his belief in the supernatural.

Lincoln, Jack Armstrong and the Clary Grove gang
"Jack Armstrong, the champion of the near-by settlement, Clary's Grove, had heard Mr. Offutt's boasts of young Lincoln's prowess until he could stand it no longer. He challenged Lincoln to a wrestling-match, which a touch of foul play converted into a list-fight, and in which the champion of Clary's Grove bade fair to be defeated. Before he had finished, Lincoln had to whip the entire gang, one at a time, but he did it so thoroughly and with such good humor that he won their hearty friendship and kept it ever afterward."

[RJNorton]

Here is an article on Thomas Lincoln and carpentry.

https://abrahamlincolnassociation.org/wp...dition.pdf

[Gene C]

Abe Lincoln - Log Cabin To White House by Sterling North

This is #61 of the Landmark Book series of books (like the Lincoln and Douglas book previously mentioned). Sterling North wrote several books for children. North's best-selling and best-known work is, Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era. It is a remembrance of a year in his childhood when he raised a baby raccoon, which he named "Rascal". It received a Newberry Honor in 1964,

This biography of Lincoln was written in 1956, has 160 pages,
and written for an age group of 8 and older.

It's a pretty good book with several illustrations by Lee Ames
My biggest disappointment with the book is it's description of Thomas Lincoln, which seems to have it's negative influence from William Herndon. This is not unusual for many of the Lincoln childrens books written during this time period.

I like the way he describes New Salem , "One might almost believe that the village of New Salem was created by magic for the single purpose of helping Abraham Lincoln to evolve into the man he later became. Founded only two years before Lincoln's arrival this little town virtually disappeared from the map two years after Abe's departure. It was though at the wave of some sorcerer's wand, log cabins had appeared on the bluff above the Sangamon. As though at another wave of the wand a cast of characters were summoned out of thin air.

But while they live in their New Salem cabins, these "characters" in the Lincoln drama were very real indeed, and often played an important role in Abe's development."

North says this about the soldiers,
"These volunteers of the two sections differed little in idealism and courage; average weight and height; color of hair, skin, eyes; love of family and country. They left behind them weeping mothers and proud fathers, girls with whom they were in love. With an ardor which might better have been spent on binding North and South together, these bearded young men and beardless striplings threw themselves at each other with fratricidal fury. At times they even cheered the bravery of those who came on against them."

And his closing remarks
"As Lincoln had said when leaving Springfield, he did not know "when, or whether ever," he might return. But now in a train draped with mourning, through cities, towns and villages where weeping thousands stood through the April days and nights to pay their last tribute, Abe Lincoln of Illinois was returning to his home, there to sleep peacefully until Judgment Day."

The book is available through Abe Books and Amazon
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR...ng%20North
I purchased a nice used copy from Books On The Square for $3