The Story of George Washington Carver

Scholastic Biography

by Eva Moore, Alexander Anderson (Illustrator)

Born into slavery, George Washington Carver became one of the most prestigious scientists of his time. This biography follows Dr. Carver's life from childhood to his days as a teacher and discoverer.

Genres: Biography, History, Childrens, Nonfiction, Science, American History, Middle Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Sam Kuntz · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Washington Carver is about George's life story. When George was three, he and his mom were kidnapped by bandits who stole slaves and sold them. They found out that George's mom had run away from the bandits. George was often sick and he stuttered when he talked. When George was about ten, he wanted to go to school. The nearest school was in Neosho which was eight miles away from where he lived. George did not waste any time going to school. He walked the eight miles in one day without stopping. The school that George went to was very noisy and crowded and only accepted blacks. George did not like the school so he went to look for a college. The first college that he was allowed to go to found out that he was black and turned him down. When George found a good college that he liked he was 26 years old. The college accepted him and he loved it. One day he got a note saying that the government wanted him to teach botany at a college. The college was entirely built by students. The lab for George's class had not been built yet so George had his class make gardens on the lawn. George was one of the most loved Professors.
George discovered many uses for peanuts and the potato. George Washington Carver died of old age on January 5, 1943.

[Lauren Bunting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pretty basic true story of the life of George Washington Carter. It's a good read aloud to do with your kids because the vocabulary has been simplified for better understanding. I appreciate how the story included his devotion to God and how it was woven throughout his story from beginning to end.

[Emma Bechill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good biography. Tells a full story. One which is very interesting! Wish it was written with a bit more energy, diction, and voice. The vocabulary is basic. This is an appropriate choice for 3rd grade.

[Axton · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was good

[Ewan McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very interesting!, it told me a lot about George Washington Carver to, and how he was born a slave and grew up to be the worlds greatest botanist. (At his time) But overall I would rate it a 10/10.

[Rowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty cool

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of George Washington Carver (Scholastic Biography) by Eva Moore- The book narrates a biography of Afro- American agriculture scientist George Washington Carver. The book narrates the story of childhood of Afro-American George Washington Carver. When George Washington Carver was just a young child, he had a secret: a garden of his own. Here, he rolled dirt between his fingers to check if plants needed more rain or sun. He protected roots through harsh winters, so plants could be reborn in the spring. He trimmed flowers, spread soil, studied life cycles. And it was in this very place that George’s love of nature sprouted into something so much more. His hard work in the field was the light for his bright future. The book showcases his curiosity and love for nature from his earliest days after being born into slavery in 1864. He tended a secret garden and learned an incredible amount of knowledge from trial and error. He learned how to sew, make dyes, create medicine from plants and leaves. At the age of 12, he moved away from his childhood home and traveled through several states continuing to learn about art and agriculture. He was the first Black man to graduate from Iowa Agricultural College and he went on to teach agriculture at Tuskegee Institute. On the very last page of this book, we are left with a final thought, which appeared to be his mantra: "Regard Nature. Revere Nature. Respect Nature."

[Dawn Poulterer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this at a Habitat store and was intrigued to read about this man I know very little about. Those of you who have kids should read it once a year with them until they can tell you the story of this man's life themselves. If I had a child, I would want this man's passion, purpose and endurance to be the goal.

[Mary L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is a biography written for children it was very interesting to read about this favorite man. My favorite quote is the end of the closing paragraph: "He had lived his life to help others and that is the best a person can do." I love reading books that lift you up and make you think about what you can do that is of worth not only to yourself but to others also.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyrighted 1971, this biography for middle-school readers has excellent content. Moore presents interesting facts about George Washington Carver in an appealing way for school children. Photographs and illustrations enhance this biography. It has an easy-to-read font and contains less than 100 pages.

[Laura W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy-reader. It had some photographs of Carver, interesting details of his childhood and some basics about his career. A bit light for for use in AO year 5, but we needed an easy one to balance the load.

[Anson Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

All these scholastic biographies are perfect by young readers. They are the ultimate introduction to history and a great way to meet people you never would’ve known about!

(Also as a high schooler, I still use these if I just need baseline information about something 😁)

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great until the author said God was talking to George. There is no new revelation. God does not speak to us outside of scripture. See Revelation 22:18-19

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughters and I loved this book. We used it as a read aloud paired with elementary US geography. Dr. Carver was such an inspiring man!

[Lexi Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good children’s biography of GWC! My class loved for book club.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids were hooked. We read the whole book in one sitting.

[Bethanyanne]

Summer reading with my daughter. We really enjoyed this one together

[Rustie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8- 1st Grade Read Aloud; 50 States Midwest Region

[Cala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to T(9) and S(6) as part of Notgrass Our 50 States. It’s an age appropriate, interesting biography.

[Stephanie VanAlmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little biography! Such a great man and it was our privilege to read this short, sweet book that honored him.

[Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great book! There was a balance of everything. There was not too much detail, but there was not too little detail. Sometimes children's biographies can be really boring but this one was perfect. It was not boring. It was actually not at all boring! It was AMAZING! George Washington Carver discovered lots of ways to use sweet potatoes and peanuts. He actually had three hundred products, like ice cream and shampoo, and peanut oil for your skin. He worked super hard. When he was a kid, he went on walks in the woods to find plants that he had never seen. The beginning of George's life was very terrible. His mother was stole by slave thieves ("night riders") from Missouri. The man who owned Mary, but who knew slavery was wrong, paid a man to find Mary and baby George. He could only find George, who was wrapped in a dirty blanket and barely alive. This book showed how important George Washington Carver was. Without him, former slaves would not have gotten the education they needed to survive and run their own farms. I'm seven and a half. We found this book at a Little Library outside the elementary school.

[Rebekah]

It's not where you start; it's where you finish! That adage really does fit George Washington Carver. Born into slavery, orphaned as an infant, scrawny with a stuttering problem, and not physically fit for outdoor work, George found a way to fulfill his dreams of getting an education and helping his people to improve their lot in life. He always loved plants and the culmination of his career was finding hundreds of uses for sweet potatoes and peanuts! What an inspiration is the life of this hard-working man, who happened to have dark skin.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the description above has nothing to do with the book, the title and author are accurate. This was a very interesting book about Dr. Carver's life. It is written for elementary school kids. It describes his life and hardships without the gruesome details. I felt comfortable letting my child read this account of Dr. Carver's life.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a biography of George Washington Carver about three years ago, that really helped me understand and appreciate the accomplishments of this humble and intelligent man. Unfortunately, I cannot remember if it was this biography or not. It was an older biography.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't think of a more inspiring person for young people to read about. This is a simple biography of George Washington Carver, but my students never fail to love it. There are so many life lessons that can be taught from his actions.

[Godzillla /rayvon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeremaih picked out this book for me and I did't really
unstand.And it was kind of boring,But if you want to know more about slavery then you should read this book.

[Brian Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a children’s 100-page Scholastic Biography of the amazing story of an American who was born a slave and became a world-famous scientist, worth every minute of the read.

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple read for kids about an interesting man.

[CFAITC]

This biography describes the life of George Washington Carver, who was born a slave and became a world famous scientist.