In the Garden with Dr. Carver

Awards and Recognition
Reviews and Articles:
  • In this charming historical-fiction picture book, a young girl relates an educational and inspirational visit by Dr. George Washington Carver to her Alabama town…this is an enjoyable, accessible, and informative introduction to Carver’s work and philosophies as well as gardening basics.      - Booklist
  •  Rutger’s University
  • Tadgell’s watercolors add both playful side business and accurate botanical illustration to this admiring child’s account of the famous scientist’s stopover in a rural community…Though fictionalized, the encounter presents Carver’s work and ideas in a simple, engaging way that will stay with young readers.    ~ Kirkus Reviews
  • The Center for the Humanities at Washington University, St. Louis: The Figure in the Carpet, (December 2010)
  • This is a great book to use to improve the love of science and nature. It also provides beautifully rendered pastel illustrations that capture the time period and essence of Dr. Carver’s work.
    ~ Library Media Connection
  • The watercolor illustrations include many humorous asides of children acting like children—making horrified faces as they taste Dr. Carver’s menu of “chicken” made from peanuts and wild-weed salad, or being silly with friends when they are supposed to be listening. Scientific and historical information is well-presented through the gentle text and lighthearted illustrations. Teachers will find many uses for this appealing book. ~ School Library Journal
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In the Garden with Dr. Carver
Written by Susan Grigsby and illustrated
​by Nicole Tadgell ​(Albert Whitman & Company)

     Sally is a young girl living in rural Alabama in the early 1900's, a time when people were struggling to grow food in soil that had been depleted by years of cotton production.  One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help the grownups with their farms and the children with their school garden.
    He teaches them how to restore the soil and respect the balance of nature.  He even prepares a delicious lunch made of plants, including "chicken" made from peanuts.  And Sally never forgets the lessons this wise man leaves in her heart and mind.  

Resources:
Albert Whitman & Company: Accompanying Teachers Guide
Coloring Pages
The Field Museum’s online exhibit: George Washington Carver
Legends of Tuskegee (National Park Service, Virtual Museum Exhibits)
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
The George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri

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