Abe Lincoln at Last is the 47th book in the Magic Tree House
series and it is a perfect example of historical fiction. Just as in all of the Magic Tree House books,
the main characters, Jack and Annie, set out on an adventure through their
magical tree house. This time their chore
is to locate an historical artifact, a feather from a great hero.
When Jack and Annie are first transported back in time, they meet two boys
(who turn out to be President Lincoln’s sons), Tad and Will who tell them that
they can introduce them to the President.
The children are unsuccessful, however, because of Mr. Lincoln’s
extremely busy schedule. Not able to
meet with the President, Jack and Annie travel further back in time where they
meet a boy named Sam who also tells them he can introduce them to Lincoln. When Sam is injured by a kick to his head
from a horse, Jack and Annie help him with his chores. Sam thanks Jake and Annie by giving them a
quill (feather) that he uses for his schoolwork. When Jack and Annie travel forward in time
again, back to the White House, President Lincoln (who was really Sam as a
child) recognizes the quill and Jack and Annie who helped him. Jack uses the quill to write a message to the
President and their quest is fulfilled.
Abe Lincoln at Last is historical fiction because it is an adventure for
Jack and Annie which is a fictional story but it is set in a true historical
era, the lifetime of Abraham Lincoln and it provides the fictional characters
with the opportunity to interact with the real, historical people and
events. The book is great for teaching children what life was like for Abraham Lincoln as a child and for
President Lincoln when he led our country from the White House. The book is divided into chapters and
contains frequent, black and white illustrations of the characters and the
scenes in the story.
Classroom Activities:
Create a historical “treasure hunt” for the children where they are given
clues about historical figures and events which lead them to find a surprise
reward.
Ask the children to write a brief work of historical fiction, showing
their ability to incorporate their own ideas, characters and scenarios with
true, historical facts.
Ask the students to describe a place in the past that they would like to
go or a historical figure they would like to meet and why.
Questions:
What was it like for Abraham Lincoln as a child?
What kind of ways does being President affect Abraham Lincoln’s ability to
interact with regular visitors and his children?
I really liked the surprise elements of the book like Will and Tad being
President Lincoln’s children and Sam being the younger version of Abraham
Lincoln. I enjoyed how the author stayed
true to Jack and Annie’s nievity about traveling back to that era by not
letting them know the children with whom they were interacting. I really thought that added a cool element to
the puzzle within the story.
Osborne, M. (2011) Abe Lincoln at Last!.New York, NY: Random House , Inc.
Galda, L. Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.
Osborne, M. (2011) Abe Lincoln at Last!.New York, NY: Random House , Inc.
Galda, L. Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the Child (7th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworths, Inc.
Marlyn,
ReplyDeleteI loved your activities. They let the children use their imagination. Here are two more that could be done with this book.
1. Have the children create a scene from the book through making puppets and acting the scene out for the class.
2. The children can use a Vin Diagram to compare and contrast themselves with Abraham Lincoln when he was a child.