Lincoln Clears a Path: Abraham Lincoln's Agricultural Legacy

by Peggy Thomas, Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

Overview

Throughout his life, Abraham Lincoln tried to make life easier for others. Then during the darkest days of the Civil War, when everyone needed hope, President Lincoln cleared a path for all Americans to a better future.

As a boy, Abraham Lincoln helped his family break through the wilderness and struggle on a frontier farm. When Lincoln was a young man, friends made it easier for him to get a better education and become a lawyer, so as a politician he paved the way for better schools and roads. President Lincoln cleared a path to better farming, improved transportation, accessible education, and most importantly, freedom. Author Peggy Thomas uncovers Abraham Lincoln's passion for agriculture and his country while illustrator Stacy Innerst cleverly provides a clear look as President Lincoln strives for positive change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684371532
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	647,994
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	810L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Peggy Thomas is the author of more than fifteen books for children and young adults, including the award-winning picture book For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, as well as her picture books about historical agriculture, including Farmer George Plants a Nation, Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation, and Full of Beans.

Stacy Innerst is a painter, children's book artist, and educator. His books have received a host of starred reviews and have been honored with The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award, The SCBWI Golden Kite for Picture Book Illustration, as well as several Gold Medals from the Parents' Choice Awards. Visit stacyinnerst.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ "Why have another book about Abe Lincoln in your library collection? Because this one is special. [It] provides an excellent backdrop for studying various policies in the U.S. government that exist today. It is an impeccable book to introduce the figure of Abraham Lincoln and initiate more research into his life and legacy." —School Library Connection, starred review

"Beginning with his family’s creation of a farm out of woodland when he was 7 and ending with the Emancipation Proclamation, the narrative follows Lincoln’s life experiences as farmer, entrepreneur, and self-educated statesman, all the way to the presidency. Innerst creates engaging, sepia-toned scenes with watercolor-based artwork, and the design of the spreads, with dark paper and handwritten lettering for quotations from Lincoln’s writings, gives the feel of old documents." —Kirkus Reviews 

"A great non-fiction picture book choice for elementary through high school. Whether an introduction to Lincoln as president, or a unit starter for a government class – so many ways to use it.  And I love the on-going thread of “Clearing a path”.  The subtitle may be about an agricultural legacy, but his legacy is much deeper." —Kiss the Book

From the Publisher

2020-11-18
This biography of President Abraham Lincoln focuses on his lasting impact on the use of the land.

Beginning with his family’s creation of a farm out of woodland when he was 7 and ending with the Emancipation Proclamation, the narrative follows Lincoln’s life experiences as farmer, entrepreneur, and self-educated statesman, all the way to the presidency. The support American farmers sent to the troops in the Civil War apparently prompted Lincoln to “clear a path for America’s future” with several acts of legislation: creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the Homestead Act, which granted 160 acres to “any citizen or immigrant, farmer or merchant, man or woman, who wanted a fair chance to make it on their own”; and the Pacific Railway Act. The creation of land-grant colleges is also given a full spread; the Emancipation Proclamation is given one page of two sentences. Innerst creates engaging, sepia-toned scenes with watercolor-based artwork, and the design of the spreads, with dark paper and handwritten lettering for quotations from Lincoln’s writings, gives the feel of old documents. Sadly, the story feels dated as well; the brief backmatter mentions of the devastation settlers and the railroads caused to Indigenous nations and ways of life are grossly inadequate; the racist definition of citizens and immigrants is not addressed; and the attempt to include the contradiction of slavery within the ideal of “liberty to all” falls short, as the glorification of Lincoln as land-use innovator causes those who were excluded to fall through the gaps. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 58.5% of actual size.)

This interesting history lacks nuance and perspective. (author’s note, historical facts, websites, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-12)

Kirkus Reviews