Suggested Readings for Intermediate
Below please find the Lincoln book list for Young Readers provided by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
- Anderson, Laurie Halse. Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved
Thanksgiving. Illus. by Matt Faulkner. Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Gr. K-5.
Sarah Hale campaigned for 38 years, writing letters to every president asking for Thanksgiving to be declared a national holiday. It was only when Lincoln became president that her letters succeeded and “LINCOLN SAID YES!” - Armstrong, Jennifer. A Three-Minute Speech: Lincoln’s Remarks at
Gettysburg. Aladdin, 2003.
Gr. 2-5.
Lincoln’s rise in politics and the Civil War’s significance are related with historical accuracy in an easy-to-read fashion. The Gettysburg Address’ exact text is included, and its impact on the United States is covered. A bibliography of sources and Web sites is appended. - Bial, Raymond. Where Lincoln Walked. Walker, 1997.
Gr. 3-5.
This photo-essay includes a brief biography of President Lincoln, a list of locations where he walked, and photographs of places, buildings, and objects significant in his life. - Clinton, Catherine. Hold the Flag High. Illus. by Shane W. Evans. HarperCollins, 2005.
Gr. 3-5.
This picture book relates an incident during the Civil War involving Sergeant William H. Carney, the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. His Union Army regiment, the Massachusetts Fifty-fourth regiment, was an African-American unit formed in 1863 after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. - Davis, Kenneth C. Don't Know Much About Abraham Lincoln. HarperTrophy,
paper, 2004.
Gr. 3-6.
Using a question and answer format, this book explores Lincoln’s childhood and youth, education, family life, and presidency. - Deutsch, Stacia, and Rhody Cohon. Lincoln's Legacy. Illus by
David Wenzel. Aladdin, paper, 2005.
Gr. 3-6.
When Abigail and her friends travel back in time, they find themselves in the time of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. Instead of finding the man they had read about, they find a man who is feeling defeated and is about the quit. - Herbert, Janis. The Civil War for Kids: A History with 21 Activities.
Chicago Review, 1999.
Gr. 3-8.
This comprehensive book offers hands-on activities and readable information about the Civil War from the secession debates to Appomattox. - Kerley, Barbara. Walt Whitman: Words for America. Illus. by
Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2004.
Gr. 3-5
This picture-book biography focuses on Whitman’s formative years and his Civil War experience when he worked as a volunteer nursing wounded soldiers. His compassion led him to give voice to the nation's grief at Lincoln's assassination. - Marcovitz, Hal. The Lincoln Memorial. Mason Crest, 2003.
Gr. 3-8.
This book gives a short history of the Lincoln Memorial from 1911 when President Taft called the first meeting of the “Lincoln Memorial Commission” to A. Philip Randolph’s march on Washington on August 28, 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his most famous speech. - Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. Philomel, 1994.
Gr. 3-5.
A young African American boy named Pink rescues Say, an injured white soldier, and their unexpected friendship resonates against the tragedy of wartime. Say’s pride in the fact that he once shook hands with Lincoln symbolizes the emotional power of this picture book for older readers. - Rappaport, Doreen. Free At Last! Stories and Songs of Emancipation.
Illus. by Shane W. Evans. Candlewick, 2004.
Gr. 3-5.
Using historical vignettes, spirituals, work songs, blues lyrics, and poems, this collection portrays the experiences of African Americans in the South, from the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that declared school segregation illegal. - Rockwell, Anne. Only Passing Through : The Story of Sojourner Truth.
Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.
Gr. 2-4.
A compelling biographical look at the former slave who traveled the country speaking of what it meant to be a slave. - Roop, Connie. Grace’s Letter to Lincoln. Hyperion, paper, 1998.
Gr. 3-5.
This early chapter book relates the story of 11-year-old Grace Bedell and her letter to Lincoln during his campaign in 1860, advising him that growing a beard might encourage more men to vote for him. - Sullivan, George. Abraham Lincoln. Scholastic, 2000.
Gr. 3-5.
This very readable biography is just right for students in upper elementary grades. Plenty of quotes from Lincoln himself help to convey the engaging personality of the president, and complement the facts and events of his life. - Tanaka, Shelley. A Day That Changed America : Gettysburg : The
Legendary Battle and the Address That Inspired a Nation. Illus. by David
Craig. Hyperion, 2003.
Gr. 3-6.
The Battle of Gettysburg was the definitive battle in the Civil War. In a very brief address to the nation, Lincoln focused on putting the war behind and reuniting the country. - Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth. When Abraham Talked to the Trees. Illus. by
Bill Farnsworth. Eerdmans, 2000.
Gr. 3-6.
Focusing on Lincoln’s youth, this picture-book biography portrays a young boy who struggled against the odds to find time to read and perfect his oration skills.