Non-fiction Monday: George Washington Carver by Tonya Bolden

Anastasia Suen of the  “Picture Book of the Day” blog has established “Non-fiction Monday”.  What a fabulous idea. 

The day came this past fall when it seem that packages and boxes of preview books were appearing at lest once a month.  I remember a year ago someone said that once review books arrive, it can get out of hand and before you know there are more than you could possibly review.  It felt that way last fall especially since I am up to my eyebrows in national board certification work.

Well,  George Washington Carverby Tonya Bolden appeared on my doorstep and it has been in my review basket.  It is a perfect book for “Non-Fiction Monday”. 

Tonya Bolden has combined black and white photographs of Carver along with his scientific drawings and sketches into a book that tells the story of a boy with curiosity and drive to learn as much as he could. 

Turned down by Highland University, “We take Indians here, but no Negroes”, according to a Highland Official, Carver did not give up and ended up at Simpson College in September 1890.  Throughout his life, George Washington Carver made astonishing advances in the horticulture, particularly in with peanuts and yams.

What makes Bolden’s book a wonderful addition to any collection is the rich photos of the time combined with Carver’s illustrations as well as other illustrations.  It brings  a visual reality to what life was like over a century ago.  The text grabs and engages the reader immediately.

A traveling exhibit featuring George Washington Carver’s work has begun at the Chicago Field House Museum and will make its way around the country.  (I wonder how I can get to Chicago again to see this) The book is published in association with the Field Museum.

Please visit and discover other great non-fiction books here.

Happy reading.

MsMac