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DK Biography
DK Biography: Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States, led the nation through its darkest hour-the Civil War. Find out about Lincoln's childhood on a frontier farm, how a struggling small town lawyer became president, and why he became one of America's most revered leaders.
In this groundbreaking new series, DK brings together fresh voices and DK design values to give readers the most information-packed, visually exciting biographies on the market today. Full-color photographs of people, places, and artifacts, and sidebars on related subjects add dimension and relevance to stories of famous lives that students will love to read. Modern scholarship and a variety of narrative approaches give today's reader a chance to explore the extraordinary worlds of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This new way of looking at classic subjects creates a unique reading experience that breathes life into the book-report and summer-reading repertoire.
In this groundbreaking new series, DK brings together fresh voices and DK design values to give readers the most information-packed, visually exciting biographies on the market today. Full-color photographs of people, places, and artifacts, and sidebars on related subjects add dimension and relevance to stories of famous lives that students will love to read. Modern scholarship and a variety of narrative approaches give today's reader a chance to explore the extraordinary worlds of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. This new way of looking at classic subjects creates a unique reading experience that breathes life into the book-report and summer-reading repertoire.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2005
28 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Lee Stone
86 books102 followersTanya Lee Stone is an award-winning author of books for kids and teens. Her work, which includes YA fiction (A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl), picture books (Elizabeth Leads the Way and Sandy's Circus), and nonfiction (Almost Astronauts and The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie) has won national awards such as the ALA's Sibert Medal, SCBWI's Golden Kite Award, YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction, Jane Addams Book Award Honor, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, NCTE's Orbus Pictus, and Bank Street's Flora Steiglitz Award. Forthcoming titles include Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?! and The House that Jane Built (Holt 2013) and Courage Has No Color (Candlewick 2013).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 18, 2015
Very easy read, a lot of photos and short chapters, so it was fun to read. Learned a lot about Lincoln and American history.
October 30, 2022
It is almost impossible for modern people to understand how ingrained slavery was in the American social fabric before 1860. It was commonly referred to as “the peculiar institution” and a large percentage of the people in the southern states considered it a fundamental part of their society. Most of those that did not own slaves and were not totally in favor of it still considered black people to be inferior to whites.
The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency “forced” the southern states to leave the union and start a great war where over 600,000 men died. This was roughly 2% of the population and such a war now would lead to over 6 million deaths. Before the war began, no one really believed that so many would die.
This book about Abraham Lincoln captures his basic humanity, yet also his nerves of steel. As the casualties and criticism mounted, he never considered a negotiated peace with the Confederacy, something a less timid, determined man would have pursued. Furthermore, he enacted emancipation when it was not yet a popular idea.
Written for young people, this book is an excellent primer on both the life of the sixteenth American president as well as the deadliest war in American history.
The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency “forced” the southern states to leave the union and start a great war where over 600,000 men died. This was roughly 2% of the population and such a war now would lead to over 6 million deaths. Before the war began, no one really believed that so many would die.
This book about Abraham Lincoln captures his basic humanity, yet also his nerves of steel. As the casualties and criticism mounted, he never considered a negotiated peace with the Confederacy, something a less timid, determined man would have pursued. Furthermore, he enacted emancipation when it was not yet a popular idea.
Written for young people, this book is an excellent primer on both the life of the sixteenth American president as well as the deadliest war in American history.
March 26, 2019
A nice quick and easy read about President Lincoln. He was a man in a very tumultuous time period who even chose the harder but more noble path. He and his wife were plagued by such emotional issues, it is too bad he died so young.
November 16, 2012
I don't usually read biographys. I don't usually like them either and if I don't like something I won't finish reading it. However this one was an exception. This one turned out to be good. I started reading this book when we were told we had to pick a person who changed the world and do a report on them. I chose Abraham Lincoln. Usually I don't like reaserching people because they are not very interesting. However I found Lincoln to be. This is what I found out about him.
Lincoln's family was not rich at all. He had a hard childhood. He didn't go to school very often because he had to stay home and work on the farm. When Lincoln was still a boy his mother and cousins passed away from the milk sickness. I also learned that milk sickness is when you drank bad milk and then you could get very ill or for Lincoln's mother cousins case cause death. He was not close to his father. He was however close to his sister. His father remarried. Lincoln liked this lady very much. However when Lincoln grew up another terrible tradegy occured. His sister that he loved died giving birth to her first child. I can't imagine how hard this must have been on Lincoln.
Most people know Lincoln as our sixteenth president and the man who kept the north and south together but they do not do not know much about his life. I now know more about Lincoln and what he was like since reading this book. I learned that he turned out to be a very determined, admirable, and inspiring person. I also found out that he loved to tell jokes and read joke books. He loved to wright funny poems. He kept the mood light with people and was fun to be around. I know you probably don't believe that our president was actully fun. Most people think that guys in fancy suits were just crabby no fun people. However like this book Lincoln was an exception.
Lincoln had hard times but he didn't give up when things were hard or didn't go right. He kept trying and trying and trying. He should be an inspiration for many people. He taught people that sometimes you have to be the hero in your own story. I can't say Lincoln made me a fan of biographys but he did however make me a fan of this one. I would like to start reading more biographys as long as the people are as interesting as Lincoln was.
Lincoln's family was not rich at all. He had a hard childhood. He didn't go to school very often because he had to stay home and work on the farm. When Lincoln was still a boy his mother and cousins passed away from the milk sickness. I also learned that milk sickness is when you drank bad milk and then you could get very ill or for Lincoln's mother cousins case cause death. He was not close to his father. He was however close to his sister. His father remarried. Lincoln liked this lady very much. However when Lincoln grew up another terrible tradegy occured. His sister that he loved died giving birth to her first child. I can't imagine how hard this must have been on Lincoln.
Most people know Lincoln as our sixteenth president and the man who kept the north and south together but they do not do not know much about his life. I now know more about Lincoln and what he was like since reading this book. I learned that he turned out to be a very determined, admirable, and inspiring person. I also found out that he loved to tell jokes and read joke books. He loved to wright funny poems. He kept the mood light with people and was fun to be around. I know you probably don't believe that our president was actully fun. Most people think that guys in fancy suits were just crabby no fun people. However like this book Lincoln was an exception.
Lincoln had hard times but he didn't give up when things were hard or didn't go right. He kept trying and trying and trying. He should be an inspiration for many people. He taught people that sometimes you have to be the hero in your own story. I can't say Lincoln made me a fan of biographys but he did however make me a fan of this one. I would like to start reading more biographys as long as the people are as interesting as Lincoln was.
December 13, 2012
I have learned a lot about former President Abraham Lincoln just by reading this book. I read things that I never learned before about this unique President. As a young boy, Abraham Lincoln was very intelligent and believed in space for improvement. Walking miles upon miles just to get to school, this exceedingly hard working and vastly determined child was enthralled by reading. He would read anything and whenever he could find the time to do so. In addition, who would have ever imagined that such a loved and intellectual person started off his career years as a poor man who earned merely $6.00 per month! This was done by plowing as well as building fences. Earning only $1.00 by helping some men plow their boats into the side gave this young man a bit of confidence and it was the push he needed to start his future of presidency.
When he became the President, he was loved as well as respected by many. His party was Republican and he was president for four years from 1861-1865, when he was assassinated. He created a national banking system with the National Banking Act in 1863, resulting in a standardized currency. Some things about this president that I find somewhat miserable are that he was the first president to be assassinated. His birth mother died from milk sickness. He was also a very depressing man in his adulthood. Although he was always cracking jokes with his family and friends, he was till always so very depressed and deeply hurt for some reason.
I am personally not a really big fan of informative books, non-fiction, or biographies. But the unbiased description of the events that led up the the presidency were fascinating.
When he became the President, he was loved as well as respected by many. His party was Republican and he was president for four years from 1861-1865, when he was assassinated. He created a national banking system with the National Banking Act in 1863, resulting in a standardized currency. Some things about this president that I find somewhat miserable are that he was the first president to be assassinated. His birth mother died from milk sickness. He was also a very depressing man in his adulthood. Although he was always cracking jokes with his family and friends, he was till always so very depressed and deeply hurt for some reason.
I am personally not a really big fan of informative books, non-fiction, or biographies. But the unbiased description of the events that led up the the presidency were fascinating.
October 23, 2017
This book was really interesting. There was lots of things I didn’t know about Abraham Lincoln that were revealed to be in this book. For example, he was born in Kentucky but then moved to Illinois but there was no home there for him. They had to build the shelter by hand and had to live in a three sides but while building it. As he got into his days as a politician he started out not so popular but then as he made more speeches people loved him. This book also gave some interesting facts about Lincoln’s family. Did you know that Lincoln had a son that died around age 4. Then during the civil war t(e other two sons got sick and Willie died but Tad lived. This book was very interesting and I would highly recommend it if you were looking for an interesting biography about someone very important in history such as Abraham Lincoln.
February 21, 2014
Excellent read.
April 18, 2019
I bought this book at the Huntington Library not realizing it was aimed at young readers – my fault! The use of "Abraham" and "Mary" to refer to Mr and Mrs Lincoln, when talking about their marriage, was a bit off-putting but understandable.
This is not a bad introduction to Lincoln's life for young readers. It appears to be well researched, with an extensive bibliography and list of sources cited. However, a few glaring errors should be noted for future editions:
• p. 52 Abolitionist Charles Sumner, beaten to within an inch of his life by a congressman from South Carolina, was of course a Northern, not a Southern senator (!)
• p. 86 Not sure why a contraction has been introduced into the Gettysburg address ("We're met on a great battlefield ...")
• p. 100 the text is discussing the Hampton Roads peace conference, but the illustration is of the "Peacemakers" meeting between Union generals Grant and Sherman, Lincoln, and Admiral Porter – some unfortunate confusion here
• p. 119 the text mentions "black citizens" paying their respects at Lincoln's coffin in 1865; however, the 14th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1868 (!).
The book did contain some information and photographs that were new to me. It took me longer to finish it than it should have, b/c some days I just couldn't stomach the dumbed-down writing style, and the (understandably) breezily condensed version of the Civil War (and the events leading up to it). Up next for me are Lord Charnwood's biography of Lincoln, and the Folio Society's "A New Birth of Freedom: Selected Writings of Abraham Lincoln."
This is not a bad introduction to Lincoln's life for young readers. It appears to be well researched, with an extensive bibliography and list of sources cited. However, a few glaring errors should be noted for future editions:
• p. 52 Abolitionist Charles Sumner, beaten to within an inch of his life by a congressman from South Carolina, was of course a Northern, not a Southern senator (!)
• p. 86 Not sure why a contraction has been introduced into the Gettysburg address ("We're met on a great battlefield ...")
• p. 100 the text is discussing the Hampton Roads peace conference, but the illustration is of the "Peacemakers" meeting between Union generals Grant and Sherman, Lincoln, and Admiral Porter – some unfortunate confusion here
• p. 119 the text mentions "black citizens" paying their respects at Lincoln's coffin in 1865; however, the 14th Amendment wasn't ratified until 1868 (!).
The book did contain some information and photographs that were new to me. It took me longer to finish it than it should have, b/c some days I just couldn't stomach the dumbed-down writing style, and the (understandably) breezily condensed version of the Civil War (and the events leading up to it). Up next for me are Lord Charnwood's biography of Lincoln, and the Folio Society's "A New Birth of Freedom: Selected Writings of Abraham Lincoln."
February 20, 2018
As I began reading this compact biography (about 120 pages) for 9 to 19 year olds I was enthusiastic. There are lots of photographs and sidebars to flesh out the text narrative. However, I found myself nearly falling asleep every three to four pages. Overall, this is simply a homage to the legend that is Lincoln. Overall, it is just a little better than a textbook.
Some oversights I noticed were the exclusion of a sidebar detailing the meaning of habeas corpus, which Lincoln suspended, and any mention at all of his coming to the attention of those with big railroad interests backing him as a presidential candidate (which I learned while reading Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railrad by Stephen E. Ambrose).
Some oversights I noticed were the exclusion of a sidebar detailing the meaning of habeas corpus, which Lincoln suspended, and any mention at all of his coming to the attention of those with big railroad interests backing him as a presidential candidate (which I learned while reading Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railrad by Stephen E. Ambrose).
September 13, 2018
As the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln had many successes in his lifetime, but he started from the very bottom. Learn how he reached the highest point of his career and how hard he worked to make it to the oval office. I enjoyed this book and I felt like it told Lincoln's story in a way that would be easier for children to comprehend. I would use this book during a discussion on the presidents of the United States and provide my students a chance to learn more about Abraham Lincoln. They could learn that nothing is impossible for them if they work hard and are dedicated.
December 2, 2017
Genre: Biography
Grade Level: 4-6
Abraham Lincoln was one of my favorite presidents so I enjoyed reading about his life. Showing pictures from his life, instead of just words, made it more interesting to read.
Grade Level: 4-6
Abraham Lincoln was one of my favorite presidents so I enjoyed reading about his life. Showing pictures from his life, instead of just words, made it more interesting to read.
March 3, 2018
Really not my thing. Useful for reports maybe, but at times the writing was slightly confusing or changed from providing details to directly addressing the reader, which was annoying to me.
2.5 stars for me, but again, not something I enjoy. Read for a challenge.
2.5 stars for me, but again, not something I enjoy. Read for a challenge.
September 26, 2019
A good short book with a lot of pictues, wriiten with simple style. I learned a lot of things I didn't know about about Lincoln and the american civil war from it,it doesn't get too much into the details.
June 5, 2024
This is a biographical summary for children and yet it impacted me deeply. The author has done an excellent job of using real historical fact to paint the picture of a pivotal man. In 121 pages—I feel like I know him.
June 13, 2017
Short but very informative book on Lincoln and facts that made this reader aware that perhaps this man was the greatest president that ever lived. Depicts Lincolns trials and tribulations.
October 31, 2017
definetly a good study book for Abraham Lincoln so, if you wan info. then read this book!
February 9, 2019
A good primer on Abraham Lincoln. If you want a fast, easy to read, concise presentation this will get you started. Junior High level read with lots of information.
March 31, 2021
This book is very interesting and easy to read. I learned many new things about Abraham Lincoln and the time period he lived in.
June 20, 2022
Great biography on a great man. It meant even more because I was able to attend fords Theater and the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC.
January 18, 2023
Literally one of my favorite books as a kid.
January 31, 2023
Another class four read. 📚
August 1, 2023
Great detailed history of President Lincoln's life and terms in office during the Civil War.
August 5, 2023
The Best President.
November 28, 2025
These little bios are the best! Brilliant pics and perfectly written in a short format!
December 28, 2018
I purchased this book for my children at a Lincoln site in Springfield, IL, but it was me who read it on the way home! This series is excellent, combining photos of artifacts, locations, and paintings, to illuminate it's subjects.
The Lincoln installment is no exception. The details of Lincoln's life are presenting in chronological order, with concern to be as concrete and fact based as possible about Mr. Lincoln and his world. While Lincoln has been lionized by history, his wife has been generally vilified. I appreciated the careful attention paid to Mrs. Lincoln to help the reader understand the numerous pressures upon Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as accurately present her struggles and flawed responses to her life's extraordinary challenges.
Overall, Tanya Lee Stone's work, and DK Photographic Biography provided an excellent summary of our Springfield trip and a valuable addition to our home library. If you can't make the educational trip to Springfield, IL, this book will get you as close as possible apart from the immersive experience of being there. Highly recommended.
Less visual, more in depth....
Abraham Lincoln's World, Foster 1944
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A different view for adults...
The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, Epstein, 2008
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And if you make it to Springfield, and love amazing food, check out Augies Front Burner, where a waiter named Gabriel took wonderful care of us for two days!
http://augiesfrontburner.com/#thefron...
The Lincoln installment is no exception. The details of Lincoln's life are presenting in chronological order, with concern to be as concrete and fact based as possible about Mr. Lincoln and his world. While Lincoln has been lionized by history, his wife has been generally vilified. I appreciated the careful attention paid to Mrs. Lincoln to help the reader understand the numerous pressures upon Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as accurately present her struggles and flawed responses to her life's extraordinary challenges.
Overall, Tanya Lee Stone's work, and DK Photographic Biography provided an excellent summary of our Springfield trip and a valuable addition to our home library. If you can't make the educational trip to Springfield, IL, this book will get you as close as possible apart from the immersive experience of being there. Highly recommended.
Less visual, more in depth....
Abraham Lincoln's World, Foster 1944
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A different view for adults...
The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, Epstein, 2008
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And if you make it to Springfield, and love amazing food, check out Augies Front Burner, where a waiter named Gabriel took wonderful care of us for two days!
http://augiesfrontburner.com/#thefron...
October 5, 2016
This is a biography about Abraham Lincoln from the time he was born to the time he died. It includes information about how he grew up and what he did during his teen years. He didn't start off very educated because his father needed help with farm work, but he got in as much as he could. He was a quite and shy young man around single women but opened up with men and married women. The book talks about the start of his political career starting out in the state house then moving up to national and finally president. It talked about the start of the war and how he handled political issues at the time. It concluded with Lincoln's murder.
This was a very educational book. I learned a lot of information not only about Lincoln but also the time period he lived in.
I would use this book in my class when we talk about Lincoln or the Civil War.
This was a very educational book. I learned a lot of information not only about Lincoln but also the time period he lived in.
I would use this book in my class when we talk about Lincoln or the Civil War.
March 11, 2009
This book was like a satisfying quick meal, highly enjoyable without a lot of time or money invested. Tanya Lee Stone has written several others in this DK series and she may be my favorite writer of them, or perhaps she gets the assignments that I am most interested in reading about.
This is an update of new scholarly research on Lincoln's life and the circumstances of the Civil War. The pictures give it an intimacy that a reader won't find without them. There is one particularly moving photograph of Lincoln taken 4 days before he died that conveys the pain of a nation and man. It is one I had not seen before.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is because in our culture Lincoln is hailed as a hero without consideration of the opinions he held that today we find objectionable.
This is an update of new scholarly research on Lincoln's life and the circumstances of the Civil War. The pictures give it an intimacy that a reader won't find without them. There is one particularly moving photograph of Lincoln taken 4 days before he died that conveys the pain of a nation and man. It is one I had not seen before.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is because in our culture Lincoln is hailed as a hero without consideration of the opinions he held that today we find objectionable.
July 4, 2014
I was curious to try some of Stone's earlier writing so checked this title out. I can't say that I learned much that was new, but I really didn't expect to since I've read several biographies of Lincoln over the years, adult and juvie. The photo selections were superb! You tend to forget that the Civil War was the first war that was covered by photographs and it made a huge difference in the public awareness of the nastiness of war. The DK bio series was really an excellent series. I'm still hoping they might resume this. For the grade level, they are chock full of info. Certainly Stone's writing has evolved, but the same careful attention to detail that would be of interest to the age group was present in this work. Well worth remembering by librarians to put on display for February.
January 8, 2016
I love this book, I rated it five stars because it was just so interesting and I even learned new things.(Even though I already know about Abraham Lincoln.) Honestly, I don't like history that much, but I enjoyed this book very much.
This book is all about Abraham Lincoln and his life. Where and when he was born, where and when he died, who his parents were, who his wife was, all of the speeches he made and said, who assassinated him, his first job, how he became president, how he abolished slavery, all the challenges and stuff that he went through, and just all about how he changed the nation for the best. This is an amazing book, please read it.
This book is all about Abraham Lincoln and his life. Where and when he was born, where and when he died, who his parents were, who his wife was, all of the speeches he made and said, who assassinated him, his first job, how he became president, how he abolished slavery, all the challenges and stuff that he went through, and just all about how he changed the nation for the best. This is an amazing book, please read it.
November 29, 2010
This is a book for children/young adults - short, full of illustrations and in places, generalizes. And yet, a sit down, 1 or 2 hour read will synthesize much about this amazing man, and the times he lived in. I particularly liked the way it treated sensitively the causes of the Civil War, and the subject of slavery - it did not gloss over sensitive bits (in other words, this particular topic wasn't heavily generalized).
I'm glad I bought it, despite some well meaning taunting by my wife. I recommend it.
I'm glad I bought it, despite some well meaning taunting by my wife. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews