About This Book

Skinny as a beanpole and tall for his age, an awkward boy learns that Abraham Lincoln was called "gorilla," "baboon," and "backwoods hick." Yet, along with big feet and big hands, Lincoln had a big heart and the great ability to keep a nation together. And what the boy learns as he studies Lincoln opens his mind to great possibilities for his own future.

A poetic story by Louise Borden and magnificent paintings by Caldecott-honor recipient Ted Lewin introduce young children to a wonderful boy and a great president. An awkward young boy learns that Abraham Lincoln went from being the butt of childhood teasing to being a man with a big heart and a great ability to lead.

"[The] images of Lincoln at different points in his life make a powerful collage . . . . There's nothing preachy about Borden's text, which makes the boy's connection to this historical figure immediate, honest, and straightforward. It introduces Lincoln with beautiful simplicity." Kirkus Reviews

About the Authors or Illustrators

Louise Borden

Louise Borden began work on her first children's book, Caps, Hats, Socks, and Mittens: A Book About the Four Seasons, when her youngest child began elementary school. Her love of history has come into play in many of the books that have followed, as has her experience with children's thoughts, feelings, and concerns.

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Ted Lewin

Ted Lewin is the author of Doorman.

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