Pioneer Plowmaker, A Story about John Deere [Paperback]

David R. Collins (Author), Steve Michaels (Illustrator)

Book Description

"The soil may be rich, but we can't pull a plow through it," farmers complained in the mid 1880s. The moist soil of the Midwest stopped any plow they used by sticking to the blade. The farmers thought a plow that could clean itself just couldn't be made.

But John Deere didn't. The young blacksmith had not let impossibility and disaster stop him before, and he wasn't about to now. In a lively and accurate text, biographer David R. Collins presents this hard-working, idealistic man whose steel plow opened up some of the world's richest farmland.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-- Short chapters, large print, and picturesque language make this pioneer's story of interest to children. Information about Deere's life is skillfully intertwined with influences and events of his times; thus, readers can gain much insight into both the man and the condition of the nation in the mid to late 1800s. Deere's idealism and hard-working nature are seen as precisely the right characteristics to help him succeed as the United States expanded westward. Numerous full-page black-and-white illustrations enhance the text and will be especially appreciated by younger readers. Deere's life is neither overly glamorized nor oversimplified as Collins tracks him from boyhood when his interest in smithing was sparked, through various debts, disasters, and successes, to his old age. Emphasis is given throughout, however, on the work ethic of this remarkable man: "I will never put my name on an implement that does not have the best that is in me." This is a fast read about a man whose name has become a household word for most Americans. --Lee Bock Pulaski, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 63 pages
• Publisher: Hobar Publications; 1 edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913163325
• ISBN-13: 978-0913163320
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars a worthwile purchase, January 27, 2010

By 

Robert L. Risser (Waynesboro,PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pioneer Plowmaker, A Story about John Deere (Paperback)

Books were purchased for gifts to our Grandsons. Arrived in good order and in a timely manner.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, December 25, 2008

By 

Maria Neis "Mom to Irish Twins" (Martinez, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pioneer Plowmaker: A Story About John Deere (Creative Minds Biographies) (Paperback)

What a great book to tribute a great person. This book was wonderful to teach my children about John Deere. The story was well writen and very historical accurate.