| From the Dust Jacket |
Make Grass Grow
These simple words form the basis of George Washington Carver’s life’s work. How do we maximize resources and minimize waste? How can tired land be made new again? What can we do to live in harmony with the land, which supports life?
. . . Known famously as the “Peanut Man,” George Washington Carver brought sensible and life-saving concepts to people across the country, making a difference in the world despite the adversity he faced in his time and place.
Through period photographs and illustrative artifacts, Tonya Bolden illuminates Carver’s life and his accomplishments. Above all else, he made grass grow.
Reviews
“. . . a welcome addition to all biography shelves.”
–School Library Journal, starred review
“This companion book to the Field Museum’s George Washington Carver exhibit exceeds standard souvenir-shop fare, offering an informative introduction to the ex-slave’s landmark career in agricultural science and his dedication to improving the fortunes of some of the poorest of the nation’s farmers. ”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Offering sourced quotations throughout, Bolden covers subtleties that simpler treatments tend to bypass, such as Carver’s trepidation about leaving the mostly white Midwest to join Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. Directly and indirectly, Bolden also addresses criticisms of Carver for his lack of political activism: the mild-mannered researcher, Bolden writes, “was his own unique self with much to offer from his insights . . . into nature’s ways and gifts.” Photos and reproductions, many of Carver’s own paintings, are exceptional, and their arrangement in the style of an old-fashioned album lends the book a suitable gravitas.”
—Booklist, starred review
“This latest entry in the fertile field of Carveriana stands out for its compilation of period paintings and documentary photos, artful design and layout, and the authority lent by Chicago’s Field Museum, a partner in the publication. Bolden’s storytelling pulls all of the pieces together into an eminently readable whole. ”
—American Scientist, the magazine of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
»» A New York Public Library “Book for the Teen Age”
»» NAPPA Gold Award
»» A Booklist pick for its 2008 “Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth”
»» NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
»» International Reading Association Notable Book for A Global Society
»» 2009 Jefferson Cup winner (Virginia Library Assoication)
»» Sugarman Children’s Biography Award (Cleveland Public Library)
Age 10-up | 41 pages
Hardcover | Abrams Books for Young Readers | 2008 | ISBN: 978-0-8109-9366-2