This biography was written by Laura Driscoll and illustrated by Jill Weber. As a child George Washington Carver and his brother Jim were owned by the Carvers as slaves. George helped Susan Carver with her garden and discovered his desire to learn more about plants, so he decided to go to a school that accepted blacks. When George was about 30 years old he went to college and learned all that he could about plants. He was asked by Booker T. Washington, head of Tuskegee Institute, to teach everything he knew about plants to students and farmers. He had farmer's plant things like sweet potatoes and peanuts to put nitrogen back into the soil. George introduced the many, many things that can be made from peanuts, such as hand lotion, glue, coffee, and tons more! This is how he became known as the "the Peanut Wizard". I think that this book was such a fun and interesting way to introduce a historical figure. I did not know much about George Washington Carver and this book told me, not only about his life struggles and accomplishments, but how he became famous. Often, biographies are dull and hard for children to get interested in, but the fabulous illustrations and unique way that this book is put together pulls the reader in, wanting to learn more.
There are endless teaching possibilities with this biography. History: Slavery. Science: Farming, George Washington Carver (Scientist). Math: Measurements included with recipe in the book. Language Arts- Includes "dirty words" and their definitions: soil, mulch, fertilizer, manure, and compost.
