Name That Children's Book: Abe Lincoln as a boy, pencil illustrations

Post date: 2018-04-20 05:26:43

I owned this book as a child growing up in the mid-1980's. It was about Abraham Lincoln; at least part of it was specifically about his childhood. I would guess it was written for kids between 6-9. It definitely had a turquoise cover, was paperback, and was presented in landscape orientation. Beyond that ...

It had lovely graphite pencil illustrations that fascinated me; they were done in a realistic but 'loose' style, like what one might find in an artist's sketchbook. There was one of Abe as a boy writing on a slate board with chalk, and one depicting his stepmother Sarah either doing the washing or cooking something (pretty sure the text directly described these illustrations in these two instances --- I think with the slate board illustration, there was some reference to him having to erase over and over to do sums).

I have an impression of there being quite a number of pages - enough for an older kid's book, vs one for very small children.

As for the rest of the text, I want to say there were charming, idyllic details about Abe and his life in a log cabin (being helpful, chopping wood, doing homework by candlelight) but these could be a product of little!me looking at the pretty pictures and narrating them to myself. I don't recall anything in the book's content showing Abe as an adult, but that could also be my selective memory's work.

This has been nagging at me for months. I know it isn't much, hive mind, but ... help?

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