Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln

As the thorough timeline and endnotes explain, Abraham Lincoln believed that “[e]ven an ant values its life,” and Lincoln cherished animals his whole life, from his backwoods cabin in Kentucky all the way to the White House. When as an adventurous and free spirited boy Lincoln discovers Honey the dog with a broken leg in the woods, the resourceful young woodsman uses a stick and “the soft bark off a pawpaw bush” to set the dog’s leg with a splint. He insists to his mother, who is unsurprised to see her son arrive at the door late and with another stray animal, that he believes that Honey will “do lots of good things” for him. And when the (perhaps too) free-spirited Lincoln again ventures off, this time, without having informed anyone of where he was going, wandering deeper and deeper into a cave until he is eventually trapped behind a boulder, his prophecy proves true as Honey is able to lead villagers to him, and he is ultimately rescued. A valuable contribution to children’s literature detailing various parts of the sixteenth president’s life, this story is particularly unique as it’s based on an oral history of Lincoln shared by his childhood friend, Austin Gollaher. Groenink presents the story in digital illustrations that are simple and match the tone of a young Lincoln.

Based on a little-known tale from Abraham Lincoln’s childhood, this charming picture book written by debut author Shari Swanson and illustrated by acclaimed artist Chuck Groenink tells a classic story of a boy, his dog, and a daring rescue.

Deeply researched and charmingly told, this is the true story of one extra-special childhood rescue—a dog named Honey.

Long before Abraham Lincoln led the nation or signed the Emancipation Proclamation, he was just a barefoot kid running around Knob Creek, Kentucky, setting animals free from traps and snatching frogs out of the jaws of snakes.

One day, young Abe found a stray dog with a broken leg and named him Honey. He had no idea that the scruffy pup would find his way into Abe’s heart, become his best friend, and—one fateful day—save his life.