THE SUPERLATIVE A. LINCOLN: Poems About Our 16th President written by Eileen R. Meyer and illustrated by Dave Szalay is a delightful collection of eighteen poems about Lincoln written expressly to show how he was, in a variety of areas, the best, the strongest, the biggest and the greatest.
Beneath each poem there is a narrative that relates to the circumstances of that poem. The poem Most Studious reads “Abe’s schools weren’t open through the year----a few weeks there or one month here. So he kept learnin’ on his own. No internet no telephone.”
The information below suggests that as a boy the 16th President had less than a total of twelve months of formal schooling!
The poem Who’s Tallest? declares Abe as the winner. The illustration shows Presidents Obama, Lincoln, Washington and Madison standing side by side----Madison, who has a rather perplexed expression on his face, is the shortest at only 5 feet four inches tall.
The illustrations of lanky Lincoln talking to crowds, spinning yarns and greeting Frederick Douglass at the White House fit the design of this tall book perfectly.
The well-researched back material contains a timeline of Lincoln’s life, quotation sources and both book and website resources for eager readers 6-8 years of age.
The Superlative A. Lincoln: Poems About Our 16th President cleverly-written by Eileen R. Meyer and charmingly-illustrated by Dave Szalay is full of the greatest known and funniest unknown stories about Abraham Lincoln (Charlesbridge, 2019).
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the activity questions and podcast can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Activity questions for The Superlative A. Lincoln: Poems About Our 16th President
Have you ever been called the best, the greatest, the biggest, the smartest or the happiest? If so, write a paragraph about who first called you that and why? Be sure to include how it made you feel to have positive superlatives used to describe you.
Which poem and illustration in this book about Abraham Lincoln made you laugh? Why? Draw your own picture to accompany this poem.
Locate Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address online. Study it with a parent. Try reading it aloud. Why does the author of this book say it is Lincoln’s greatest speech? What do you think? What other presidents have had one speech that is considered great? Do some further research online. Parents and teachers can assist you. (This activity question is for older children).
