George Washington Carver

by Andy Carter

Born a slave near the end of the Civil War, George Washington Carver was a small and sickly child. Too frail to work in the fields of the Missouri farm where he grew up, George did chores around the house. But when his work was done, he headed for the woods. There his lifelong love of nature was born. As a teacher and scientist at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute in the 1900s, George Washington Carver became famous for his work helping farmers grow better crops while sharing with them his love of nature's beauty. Follow George's inspiring life through this beautifully illustrated and engagingly written book.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was born a slave at the end of the civil war on the Carver's farm. He had an older brother. The carves were kind to their slaves. As a baby, he and his mother were stolen from the Carvers to be sold to new masters. But Moses carver got George back, but George's mother Mary was never found. The Carvers raise George and Jim, his brother, more than their own children than slaves. Even after slavery ended, George and Jim lived on the farm. george was often sick and work around the house and tend Ssuan's garden. He liked collecting rocks and plants to study. One day, george brought some milkweed plants into the cabin and put them above the fireplace as he folded clothes. All of a sudden, there was a soft swirling of something like snow. The milkweed pods had burst open and hundreds of fluffy seeds floated everywhere even on the clothes. After that, George couldn't bring his outdoor finds inside.
In the woods, George like to experiment with plants he found in nature by planting some in sunlight and others in shade and watering them different. He became known for his knowledge about plants. George saw how plant did not waste things (plants decay and procide food for other plants and animals). Susan taught George how to spell. George lived with a family as he went to the black school. Once George knew as much as the teacher, he wanted to learn more. He worked as cook, in a laundry math as he went to high school in KS and college in Iowa. Although George was a skilled artist, he felt he could help his people more by becoming a scientist. In college, George discoveered ways to make soil better for plants. He became a teacher at iowa state college. He took a job in Alabama at Tuskegee Institute. The school's goal was to help black people succeed. Brooker T Washington was the president of Tuskegee. George also traveled by wagon to farms which he used like a classroom on wheels. He showed farmers how to make their soil healthier after years of planting cotton. He showed farm women how to preserve fruits and vegetables for the winter and how to use wild plants to make healthy food for themselves. He showed them how to make colorful paints from soils and flower seeds for their garden to make their homes beautiful. George knew from his college studies that growing peanuts could make the soil rich again. He studied peanuts to find new uses for them since no one wanted to buy them. (paint, milk, shaving cream, shoe polish). He made mroe than 300 things from peanuts. George and his students at Tuskegee cooked a big dinner where everything was made from peanuts. He became famous for his work with peanuts, spoke to Congress, won awards, and people wrote about him.
"I am not a finisher...I am a blazer of trails. Others must take up the various trails of truth, and carry them on."
In 1999, the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association marched in Washington, DC to protest unfair treatment. They believe the US government discriminated against black farmers in granting farm loans. Some of the marchers wore t-shirts with a picture of George Washington Carver.

[Shelbi St · Rating 5 out of 5]

"George Washington Carver" by Andy Carter is a great biography for young students to read or listen to because it teaches about the different times throughout his life. For example, it talks about when he and his family were slaves and they were stolen. The book explains how adventurous George was as a boy and how he loved to collect rocks and be outside exploring. I really enjoyed reading about George as a boy and keeping the age level in mind, I like how the author brought the term slavery up and did not go into much detail because they may be too young to understand what it was and how it really affected African Americans even to today. However, I do believe that by adding that his mother never returned did include a little background of what it was like for George during this time. When George grew older, he learned how to spell and he wanted to go to school. By providing this in the biography, children can see how much value education has. George went to college and became a scientist in which he founded many uses of peanuts. This is something that children can broaden their thinking and realize how we use peanuts in today's world. Finally, I really enjoyed reading that George and Booker T. Washington were connected with each other. This brings up another historical figure that can also be further looked into to learn more about Black History. I really enjoyed this biography because not only was it informational, but the pictures in this book were greatly detailed and colorful. This will allow student's interest to spark even more while either reading the book or being read to.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter, Saller, and Paladino create a colorfully illustrated biography of George Washington Carver. Included are appealing antidotes for lower-grade readers. The afterward provides additional points to contemplate. The timeline is an excellent reference aid.

[Sam Shaneybrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is for ages 6-8 years. This great biography starts when he was born a slave in Diamond, Missouri. He had an early love of learning and was always curious. He was a sickly child so his work on the farm consisted of knitting, cooking, and other stuff of the like. He was always fascinated with plants and that became a big focus of his work. He attended Iowa State University and then later went to Tuskegee Institue.
The water color illustrations in this book went along great with the text.

This is a great biography of a great man and I would highly recommend it to young readers.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am teaching my ESOL students from this book, and we are all learning so much from this brilliant, yet humble man. It's a simple children's book, but it makes me want to do more research on his life.