7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
George Washington Carver, December 19, 2007
This review is from: George Washington Carver (Hardcover)
Bolden, Tonya. George Washington Carver. Abrams Books for Young Readers. 2008.
This very handsomely designed book chronicles the life of an extraordinary man. His story unfolds in clear informative text and fascinating archival photographs and other visuals including Carver's own scientific drawings and artistic paintings. It documents his heroic persistence to obtain a college education in a country laced with racism and then describes his impressive career as a researcher and educator. Carver taught and modeled a "waste not, want no" philosophy, believed that "every human need could be met by things that grow" and when he could no longer teach funded the creation of a foundation that would benefit students in the future. We need a teacher like him even more in the early twenty-first century. This absorbing, respectful and inspiring biography belongs on every library shelf.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding coverage, not to be missed!, February 6, 2008
This review is from: George Washington Carver (Hardcover)
Books about George Washington Carver are typically written for an older age range, so it's refreshing to find a picturebook biography on the subject complete with color illustration and vintage black and white photos throughout. Kids in grades 3-5 will find it most accessible, following his early life as a slave and orphan, his college achievement as the first Afro-American to attend Iowa State, and to his work in conservation. An outstanding coverage, not to be missed!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful story all kids to know, March 8, 2008
This review is from: George Washington Carver (Hardcover)
Most school-age children grow up learning about George Washington Carver, and about all his wonderful inventions with peanuts. In fact, because of these inventions, he became known as "The Peanut Man," an identity that George Washington Carver wanted to shed.
George was born to a slave woman in southern Missouri, but when he was young his mother was kidnapped and he never saw her again. George and his brother Jim were raised by the farm owners, and treated as their own kids. In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Carver encouraged George to further his education when they realized how talented he was with plants.
George went on to go to school and colleges, eventually earning his master's degree in Iowa before being called to Alabama to work. When he first arrived there, he was shocked by the poverty and devastation. He quickly developed the motto "Make grass grow"-and he promptly did just that, made grass grow on the campus, and then in the agriculture department that he directed.
There are some facts that are misrepresented about George in public education--for instance, I always heard that George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. According to this book, he didn't, but did come up with several other imaginative uses for it.
I read the book in one sitting out loud to my 12- and 6-year-old daughters. I appreciated how educational it was, but it was a bit hard to read all at once. It didn't hold my six-year-olds attention long either. My older daughter, on the other hand, was fascinated by the story as this was more information than she'd ever seen on this interesting historical character.
George Washington Carver is highly recommended for public school teachers, and home school students alike. Stock full of information, your child (and you!) are sure to go away with little known tidbits about this wonderful inventor.
Armchair Interviews says: Most interesting and educational.
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