George Washington Carver

History Maker Bios

by Matt Doeden

True or False? George Washington Carver used peanuts to make lotion, milk, soap, paint, and gasoline. True! Carver did many experiments with peanuts. He found new ways to use peanuts so that farmers could grow and sell lots of them. He also created many recipes using peanuts, including several kinds of peanut butter. As a boy, he was known as the plant doctor. He loved to read and was a talented artist. he created a new kind of rubber from sweet potatoes.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Matt Doeden was born in southern Minnesota and lived parts of his childhood in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and Madison, Minnesota. He studied journalism at Mankato State University, where he worked at the college newspaper for three years. In his senior year, he served as the paper's Sports Editor, which put him in charge of the entire sports section, the sports writers, and the photographers. He covered mostly college sports, but also the Minnesota Vikings, who held training camp at MSU.

His work allowed him to meet and interview people like Dennis Green, Cris Carter, Robert Smith, and more. Matt went on to work as a sports writer for the Mankato paper, and then he got a job as an editor with a small children's publisher called Capstone Press, and in 2003 he decided to start his own business as a freelance writer and editor.

Since then, Matt has written and edited hundreds of books. Lots of them are on high-interest topics like cars, sports, and airplanes. He also writes and edits on geography, science, and even math.

Reviews

[Rebecca]

I was introduced to George Washington Carver through this book. Before reading it, I would confuse George Washington Carver with George Washington. This book was how I learned that Carver invented everything to do with peanuts except peanut butter. I admired George Washington Carver for his skill at discovery, even if I didn’t really understand the racial context of his life as a stupid little kid.

[Michelle Breniser]

Biography. 2nd - 5th grade. This was fascinating. Kids, all of us, need real stories about overcoming impossible obstacles and persisting in hard work. So many things he discovered made a difference for his community and world. It reminds me of the saying that we are made for such a time is this. He really made a difference in the time he lived in.