Abraham Lincoln

A story of the backwoods boy who became President

By Bella Koral

Illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum and Joh Alan Maxwell

Copyright 1952

This week’s vintage book is another gift from the library of the Myers children.  It’s in great condition.  The Myers children sure took better care of their books than I did!

Growing up in Illinois, The Land of Lincoln, I came to learn about and respect Abraham Lincoln as a man and as a president.  From poverty to the Presidency – from cabin to White House – honest Abe acted out of respect for all living creatures.  Lincoln’s first essay was written against cruelty to animals.  Later, after learning about the horrors of slavery, his heart ached at the knowledge that families were being torn apart.  Although faced with grave opposition and many failures, he made it his mission to secure respect for all citizens.  

Reading this book, I learned a new fact about Lincoln’s childhood.  For a short time, Lincoln attended a “blab” school.  A “blab” school is called that because all the pupils shouted out their lessons – all at the same time, until they were called upon to recite.  The louder they shouted, the more sure the schoolmaster was confident that the students were working hard.  Sounds distracting, but I suppose that faced with a school with no books or paper, this would be the way to go.

Many lessons can be learned from Abe’s life.  The lesson for today:  We need humor to keep going.  "With the fearful strain that is on me night and day," Lincoln once said, "if I did not laugh I should die."  He faced many failures, tragedies, and obstacles throughout his life, but he never gave up.  This book tells a tale of his sense of humor.  Abe was so tall that his stepmother joked with him about keeping his head clean so he wouldn’t dirty the ceiling.  One afternoon, when she was out visiting a neighbor, Abe asked a little boy who was playing in a puddle in the road to come inside.  Lincoln lifted the boy upside down and had him make muddy tracks across the ceiling.  When his stepmother came home she gasped at the mess, but then noticed the mischief in Abe’s face.  She burst out laughing, and of course, Abe whitewashed the ceiling to make it clean again.  

Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln! (And Happy Birthday to Michelle who was born on Lincoln’s Birthday.)