In the Garden with Dr. Carver

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In the Garden with Dr. Carver was written by Susan Grigsby and illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. This book has 32 pages and it was published in September 1st 2010 by Albert Whitman Company. [1]

Susan Grigsby, a writer and teacher, lives in St. Louis, Mo. Her picture books include the award- winning books In the Garden with Dr. Carver and First Peas to the Table. Her poetry has been published in national journals including Quarterly West, New Letters, Sycamore Review, Sou'wester, and Margie: The American Journal of Poetry. She has a Masters in Teaching and teaches creative writing in schools, museums, and nature centers, often integrating the lessons with science, social studies, and art. [2]

Summary

The story tells about a young girl named Sally, one Sunday Sally comes out of church to see that there is a “funny-looking” wagon parked in front of the church. A man called George Washington Carver owns the wagon, and he travels with it around the countryside. He uses the tools, seeds, and plants in the wagon to educate people about the best ways to make their gardens and crops more productive. This is vital information for the people who live in areas where cotton plants have stripped the earth of its nutrients. [3]

Pros

Some readers dropped their opinions about this book, they mentioned that in the story Dr. Carver visits a school and works the children studying plants and the environment. It is a great story for teaching ecology and gardening, this book is perfect to read in Black History Month. The illustrations in this book was beautifully done by watercolors. It is a good book to introduce children to who Dr. George Washington Carver was. The theme to this book was the quote that Dr. Carver said to the children which was “Listen to the plants, and they'll tell you what they need. The children will enjoy going back in time to the early 1900s in rural Alabama as they learn more about African American scientist George Washington Carver in the book In the Garden With Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby. As Sally leaves church, she sees a man in a wagon. This was no ordinary wagon, but an educational wagon ran by a man with the most unusual ideas about gardening. [1]

Library Thing's members gave their reviewed to this book on their online site, they explained that this picture book does a great job teaching an important part of American history and about Dr. Carver. He is a great role model. The reader learns about service, community, and taking action to make a positive difference. It is suitable for young children to discuss a variety of topics. The readers will get a sense of who Dr. George Washington Carver was and what he did. The book can be used to discuss natural science and also is a good addition for promoting diversity. Curricular connection - This book could be integrated with units on American History, role models, building a community, and environments. The best part of this book is the expressiveness in the faces of the characters was so great and real that it brought out an impression of mannerism and tone of speaking and even personality. [4]

Kirkus stated that 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. 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, stated Library Media Connection. [5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Retrieved February 11th, 2021
  2. Susan Grigsby. Retrieved February 11th, 2021
  3. In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Retrieved February 11th, 2021
  4. In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Retrieved February 11th, 2021
  5. In the Garden with Dr. Carver. Retrieved February 11th, 2021