Nancy Hanks: Kentucky Girl Offers Insight Into Lincoln's "Angel Mother"

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." So said Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. Though Nancy Hanks Lincoln died when her son was only nine years old, she had a profound impact upon his life, which makes her a fascinating subject of historical study. Though I can't remember a time when I wasn't intrigued by Abraham Lincoln, my knowledge of his mother's life was pretty limited until I recently read Nancy Hanks: Kentucky Girl, written by Augusta Stevenson and illustrated by Gray Morrow.

This 200-page book is part of the series Childhood of Famous Americans, which includes dozens of simple biographies of historical figures. When I checked this book out of the library, the librarian gushed, "Oh, I loved these books when I was growing up! I must have read them all!" Seeing this musty volume which had been tucked away at an outlying branch brought back all sorts of memories for her and encouraged me that this would be an engaging read.

The first thing I noticed about the book was the large print, which reminded me of those kiddie adaptations of classic novels that I used to find at the dollar store. There are 14 chapters, most of which include at least one illustration taking up all or most of the page. These pictures use a color palette of either bronze or crimson; they're not very colorful, but they're effective at dramatizing important scenes.

The book is a fairly breezy read. The chapters are lengthy enough that you could read one at a time and feel as though you'd consumed something substantial but short enough that you could read the whole book in one setting pretty easily. It took me about three hours. Stevenson's primary source of information is Nancy Hanks Lincoln: A Frontier Portrait, written by Harold and Ernestine Briggs. Her book is written with an immediacy that makes it read more like a novel than a biography. The chapters tend to be dialogue-heavy and keep most of the focus on Nancy and her young friends and cousins.

Among the interesting tidbits I picked up about the future Mrs. Lincoln were the following. Nancy lacked formal schooling but was passionate about literacy. She had a gift for storytelling. She loved animals and was especially fond of replicating the calls of birds. She had an eye for details, and her keen observations were sometimes very helpful to others. She demonstrated her commitment to compassion and honesty in sometimes dramatic ways.

There's nothing especially striking about the writing style. It feels a little old-fashioned, particularly in terms of certain word choices Stevenson makes, but by no means is it too antiquated to be accessible to modern-day youngsters - or not-so-youngsters like me who could use a quick overview of the life of a woman who helped shape a legendary leader. A woman who first was a girl who faced a unique set of challenges but whose personality was not so different than many a modern child.

A section in the back relates events in Nancy's life with historical benchmarks. It also suggests relevant activities such as building a cardboard pioneer settlement or learning some songs that Nancy and her friends may have sung when they were growing up. There's a list of other books focusing on Lincoln, his mother and their times, and a glossary of unusual words finishes out the book. This book would fit in wonderfully in an elementary school library or classroom; I can so clearly picture it on the bookshelves in my fifth grade class that I wonder whether it was actually there - though if it had been, I can't imagine that I wouldn't have read it. If I had, I would have gained just a little more insight into my favorite president and a deeper appreciation of the mentors who were so instrumental in shaping his life.

I'm thinking a lot about Abraham Lincoln these days. He's always been a favorite historical figure, and because we happen to share a birthday, whenever mine rolls around I 'm inclined to think about his too. This year is especially significant. February 12, 2009 marks his 200th birthday, and in celebration I'll be spending the month reading up on Lincoln, watching movies about him and doing whatever I can to study this man and contemplate his legacy. I invite my fellow members to join me by submitting one or several reviews on the subject of Lincoln. Books are particularly fertile ground; they number in the hundreds. But that's hardly the only relevant category. I hope to post reviews in Movies, Music, Kids and Family and Travel, and there are all sorts of possibilities. The Lincoln link doesn't have to be overt; there should just be some sort of connection. And I welcome Writer's Corner posts as well. If anyone would like to join in my Lincoln's 200th Birthday Bash, please leave me a comment or drop me an e-mail and I'll link you up. Happy February!