Abe Lincoln Grows Up...

Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg is drawn from the first twenty-seven chapters of Sandburg's original biography, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years.  Just as the title suggests, the book covers the early years of Lincoln's life.  Lincoln was raised poor, with a father who didn't believe in "eddication".   Therefore, he was self educated much to the chagrin of his father.  Abe's mother died when he was nine years old.  His father remarried widow Sarah Bush Johnston, whom Abe grew to love.

Though initially seen by neighbors and friends as lazy, Abe grew into a hard worker on the farm, felling trees, foraging for food, and floating flat boats to make earn extra.   After winning a wrestling match, he became famous for his long lean brawn. 

Abe Lincoln Grows Up is used in Beautiful Feet's Intermediate Early American History study.   Sandburg's work of prose is beautifully written as well as entertaining, though it did end abruptly.  When I finished reading, Riley said, "that's it?!"   I felt the same way.  At some point, I would like to read Sandburg's original biography.  For now, I do plan to read Abraham Lincoln by James Daugherty, another Beautiful Feet recommendation, aloud to the kids.  I understand it's a story of Lincoln's life in its entirety right through his assassination. 

I read Abe Lincoln Grows Up aloud slowly over a nine week period, reading other books in between when topics or people were mentioned, such as John James Audubon, Daniel Boone, Johnny Appleseed, and The Erie Canal.  It was fascinating to see how these people lived at the same time and in the same region.  Sandburg's incorporation of other events happening in America throughout Abe's life put me in mind of Genevieve Foster's ...World books.   

We love Beautiful Feet and their book recommendations!  Abe Lincoln Grows Up is another prime example of a living book. 

I'm using Abe Lincoln Grows Up in the 2015 Back to the Classics Challenge for my Non-fiction Classic.