“The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver”
George Washington Carver’s tale begins in a secret garden that he kept as a child. Exploring the woods to discover something new, young George studied nature on his own.
No matter how much others tried to discourage him, George grew his flower garden, experimenting and learning. He wanted to share what he learned with others. Soon he became known as “the Plant Doctor.”
At age twelve, he left his home and attended many schools to study agriculture and art. In 1896, George becomes the first Black man to graduate from Iowa Agricultural College with a master’s degree. During his life, George experiments with new crops, particularly the peanut. He develops over three hundred uses for the peanut. Check out this book to learn more about George Washington Carver’s life.
At the back of the book is a timeline of George Washington Carver’s life with further reading recommendations and a bibliography.
The gorgeous illustrations entrap the reader within George’s world.
This book promotes creative components of a creative person, courage, perseverance, and inventiveness.
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: I like this book because it shows rather than tells the story of George through word painting and illustrations.
TITLE: The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
AUTHOR: Gene Barretta
ILLUSTRATOR: Frank Morrison
PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books, 2020
AGE GROUP: 6-8
TOPIC(S): biography of George Washington Carver
CREATIVE COMPONENTS: creative person, courage, perseverance, inventive
LEARNING EXTENSIONS:
1) Plant a garden filled with vegetables that you enjoy eating.
2) Care for a plant in your home. Try experimenting with sunlight by placing the plant in different windows. See which light source helps your plant grow best.
3) Design an experiment to grow a plant, and then do it. What were your results? How might you redesign the experiment to grow more plants?
EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:
To learn more about author Gene Barretta visit:
To learn more about illustrator Frank Morrison visit:
