A Man for All Seasons: The Life of George Washington Carver [Hardcover]

Stephen Krensky (Author), Wil Clay (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2008 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Profiles the African American scientist George Washington Carver, who not only put the peanut on the map, but was also one of the first advocates of recycling.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—Young George Carver loved knowledge. He and his brother were raised by their former owners once slavery was abolished and the boys' parents died, and the younger child learned to ask questions and search for ways to continue his education. This biography introduces readers to Carver by illuminating small details of his life—how a friend's compliment persuaded him to add "Washington" as his middle name, and how he first entered college as an art student. Discrimination of the post-Civil War years shaped Carver's life, but love of learning and sharing his knowledge shaped his character. Krensky reveals his subject as an unselfish, humble man who believed his talents to be "God-given." Clay's full-page acrylic portraits exhibit both action and individual expression. The book concludes with a time line of the scientist/educator's life. With a flowing text suitable for either leisure reading or reports and quotations that reveal the man behind the scientist, this book makes a fine addition.—Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
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From Booklist

This picture-book biography traces George Washington Carver’s life, from his boyhood on a Missouri farm to his many years at Tuskegee Institute, where he headed the agricultural department. Passionate about learning and teaching botany, he applied his knowledge to help farmers improve their crops and became widely known and respected through his research on the peanut. Although the book includes no source notes, even for quotes, an appended bibliography lists events in Carver’s life, including the intriguing fact that one of his paintings was exhibited at the Chicago Word’s Fair in 1892. The informative text lauds Carver as a scientist who “viewed nature as his partner” rather than something to be conquered. Clay’s often handsome paintings do a good job of showing Carver aging throughout the book while remaining recognizably the same person. A typical double-page spread includes a few paragraphs of text accompanied by a full-page or larger illustration of Carver at work. A solid introduction. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Amistad (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060278854
• ISBN-13: 978-0060278854
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,965,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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