Mary Pope Osborne - Abraham Lincoln. A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln at Last!

They are so good. I cant wait for the next one. All I can say for now is prepare to be amazed! Alexander N.

I have read every Magic Tree House book there is. The [Fact Trackers] are a thrilling way to get more information about the special events in the story. John R.

These are fascinating nonfiction books that enhance the magical time-traveling adventures of Jack and Annie. I love these books, especially American Revolution. I was learning so much, and I didnt even know it! Tori Beth S.

[They] are an excellent behind-the-scenes look at what the [Magic Tree House fiction] has started in your imagination! You cant buy one without the other; they are such a complement to one another. Erika N., mom

Magic Tree House [Fact Trackers] took my children on a journey from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, to so many significant historical events! The detailed manuals are a remarkable addition to the classic fiction Magic Tree House books we adore! Jenny S., mom

[They] are very useful tools in my classroom, as they allow for students to be part of the planning process. Together, we find facts in the [Fact Trackers] to extend the learning introduced in the fictional companions. Researching and planning classroom activities, such as our class Olympics based on facts found in Ancient Greece and the Olympics, help create a genuine love for learning! Paula H., teacher

Text copyright 2011 by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce
Illustrations copyright 2011 by Sal Murdocca
Cover photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks and A Stepping Stone Book and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Magic Tree House is a registered trademark of Mary Pope Osborne; used under license.

The Magic Tree House Fact Tracker series was formerly known as the Magic Tree House Research Guide series.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Abraham Lincoln / by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce; illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
p. cm. (Magic tree house fact tracker)
A nonfiction companion to Magic tree house, #47: Abe Lincoln at last!
A Stepping stone book.
eISBN: 978-0-375-98861-5
1. Lincoln, Abraham, 18091865Juvenile literature. 2. PresidentsUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. I. Boyce, Natalie Pope. II. Murdocca, Sal, ill. III. Title.
E457.905.O77 2011 973.7092dc22 [B] 2011013116

Random House Childrens Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

v3.1

For Jeremy Greensmith, Simone Dinnerstein, and Adrian David Greensmith

Historical Consultant:

JAMES M. CORNELIUS, Ph.D., Curator, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Education Consultant:

HEIDI JOHNSON, language acquisition and science education specialist, Bisbee, Arizona

With special thanks to the great folks at Random House: Gloria Cheng; Mallory Loehr; Chelsea Eberly, our indispensable photo researcher; Sal Murdocca, who always creates the best art; and our editor, the inordinately brave and plucky Diane Landolf

Abraham Lincoln was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. His birthplace was a one-room log cabin at Sinking Spring Farm along Nolin Creek. The cabin had one window covered with greased paper, one door hung by leather straps, and a fire burning in the fireplace. Outside, the wind blew through chinks in the logs, chilling the room and making the fire sputter.

Abraham and his mother, Nancy, slept under bearskin blankets on a mattress made of corn husks. Nearby, his two-year-old sister, Sarah, played on the dirt floor by the dim light of the fireplace. Thomas Lincoln, the babys father, told his wife he felt proud to have a son.

Abrahams Parents

Thomas Lincoln had come to Kentucky as a boy with his family in 1782. His father hoped to start a new life with a larger farm than the one they had owned in Virginia.

At this time Kentucky was part of Virginia. It became a state in 1792.

The trip from Virginia was long, slow, and dangerous. There were few roads. Mostly there were just overgrown paths. Much of the country was wilderness where bobcats, wolves, and bears roamed the fields and forests. A horse-drawn wagon could cover twenty-five miles a day. Oxcarts traveled only about half of that.