George Washington Carver

A Coretta Scott King Honor Award author offers a fresh look at this pioneering American innovator

Shampoo from peanuts? Wallpaper from clay? Ink from sweet potatoes? Discover Carver's imagination and inspiration in this one-of-a-kind biography.

With imagination and intellect, George Washington Carver (1864-1934) developed hundreds of unexpected products from everyday plants. This book reveals what an exceptionally uncommon man Carver was: trailblazing scholar, innovative scientist, pioneering conservationist, and impassioned educator.

This book follows his life from slave and orphan to his college days as the first African American to attend Iowa State College (where he later taught), and on to his life and work in the field of agriculture. Illustrated with historical artifacts and photographs, the book traces Carver's life, discoveries, and legacy.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7- Carver was born into slavery and raised by German-American farmers in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, and his humble beginnings could not even hint at the innovative scientist and the passionate educator he would become. Bolden traces the course of his life and reveals how his love of nature, keen intellect, and ingenuity as a problem-solver earned him the name "the Wizard of Tuskegee." His famous research with peanuts represents only a portion of his work; his studies led to the development of hundreds of unexpected products from everyday plants. As a lifelong conservationist, he also pioneered research into the use of vegetables to create fuel. In this richly illustrated picture book, Bolden uses extraordinary historical photos and prints, as well as many reproductions of Carver's own sketches and botanical drawings, to create a well-planned biography that invites readers to peruse. The engaging narrative includes many of Carver's own quotes and sayings. His message, "Regard nature. Revere nature. Respect nature," rings with a truth that is still relevant today. Published in association with Chicago's Field Museum as part of an exhibition, this book includes a comprehensive list of notes and sources but lacks an index or table of contents. It is, however, a wonderful resource that will appeal to young researchers and should be a welcome addition to all biography shelves.-Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY

Tonya Bolden has written more than twenty books for children and adults. Her book Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America was named a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal. Her Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists received a starred review in Booklist magazine. Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALSC 2006 Notable Children's Book, a NAPPA Gold Award Winner, a CCBC Best Book of the Year, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. She lives in New York City.