George Washington Carver: First Biographies

Children's Literature

"Peanut butter" is a household word for many children and their families. But did you know that you can also make soap, ink and even cheese from peanuts? George Washington Carver did. In fact, he invented more than 300 products from peanuts. This addition to the "First Biographies" series focuses on the remarkable life of George Washington Carver—a boy born as a slave who grew up to be a professor at the Tuskegee Institute. Marking the milestones in this man's life, this simple biography introduces early readers to one of our country's African-American pioneers. Supplemented by paintings, photographs and a running timeline, this short book captures the essence of biographies for young children. A glossary, bibliography and listing of Internet sites provide ample information for further research. Whether as a part of a history lesson or study in biography, this book allows young readers to learn of the diversity of our nation's past. 2002, Pebble/Capstone Press, $14.60. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Leah Hanson AGES: 4 5 6 7 8

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-These titles are part of a series intended to support "national history standards for units on people and culture" for new readers. Material is diluted to fewer than 240 words on each subject. There isn't much substance, although the books are formatted nicely. Each spread contains a black-and-white photograph or drawing (some in Carver are in color) opposite three to four sentences of large text. Not all of the art is captioned. A time line extends across the bottom of each spread and fills up as the text progresses chronologically. Information is not consistent, which can confuse readers. For example, the time line in Carver says, "1896-1920 works with farmers"; those dates do not appear in the text. In Anthony, the text says, "In 1849, she moved to Rochester, New York," but that is omitted from the time line. Additionally, some of the dates in the subjects' lives are inconsistent with other sources. The following titles are longer, but with that length comes greater depth and detail: Margo McLoone's George Washington Carver (Bridgestone, 1997; o.p.), Carol Greene's George Washington Carver: Scientist and Teacher (Children's, 1992; o.p.), David A. Adler's A Picture Book of George Washington Carver (Holiday, 1999), and Lucile Davis's Susan B. Anthony (Bridgestone, 1998).-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.