Animal Enthusiasts Will Enjoy Abe Lincoln Loved Animals

There are many factors contributing to my fondness for Abraham Lincoln. One is his lifelong affection for animals. I've read several books touching on this subject, but the most comprehensive study of this aspect of his life that I've read is Ellen Jackson's Abe Lincoln Loved Animals, illustrated by Doris Ettlinger.

This book has especially wide pages, allowing for panoramic expanses showing Lincoln in the wild, such as the opening illustration in which he, as a boy, peers from behind a tree to see an array of animals including family of foxes, a pair of deer, a turtle, a raccoon, fish, frogs and birds. The book then progresses through a series of isolated incidents demonstrating Lincoln's connection to the animal world.

One story that seems to come up again and again in books I've read is the time when, as an eight-year-old, he shot a turkey and was so disturbed by it that he vowed never to hunt large animals again. Bookending that moment is the much later instance when, at the request of his son Tad, he officially pardoned Jack, a turkey intended to be made into Christmas dinner. The pardoning of a turkey each Thanksgiving is now a presidential tradition.

The book includes several stories of Lincoln intervening when he observed animals in distress, from rushing to the defense of a turtle upon whose back his school friends were placing hot coals to stopping to scoop up some baby birds that had fallen from a nest in a tree. Other tales concern his pets, like his horse, Old Bob; his dog Fido, who he left with friends in Springfield, but only after getting his photograph taken; and his cat Tabby, who ate at the table with the Lincolns at the White House.

In her Author's Note, Jackson reveals the sources for many of her stories, while the facing page lists twenty books and articles that she used for her research. I'm especially intrigued by Ruth Painter Randall's Lincoln's Animal Friends: Incidents about Abraham Lincoln and Animals, Woven into an Intimate Story of His Life.

Abe Lincoln Loved Animals is written fairly simply but is in-depth enough that it provides historical context for Lincoln's life, particularly during his years as President. Jackson relates his compassion for animals to a commitment to mercy and fairness in general, particularly when it came to slavery. The illustrations are effective, especially those that show him in the company of a variety of animals. As an added bonus, the photograph of Fido is included on the title page. While Jackson and Ettlinger might be accused of taking a rather sentimental approach to Lincoln, particularly in the way they choose to end the book, children who love animals should find it a fascinating study.