Carver: A Life in Poems
No doubt for many young adults today, George Washington Carver's name brings to mind only a spare remembrance from a history book or a photograph on a Black History Month poster. Some may be fortunate to have deeper knowledge of this greatly gifted man best known for his agricultural work as a botanist. Carver was also a painter, a musician, and a teacher and researcher at Tuskegee Institute during Booker T. Washington's tenure as its founder and leader. He was committed to improving the lives of others, especially poor Black farmers in the south. In an exquisite book of finely crafted poems, Marilyn Nelson creates an extraordinary biography from more than dates, events, relationships and accomplishments in the life of George Washington Carver. She conjures a living, breathing, feeling, powerful presence as she writes of a life that was centered and made whole by deep religious faith, a passion for nature, a hunger for learning, and a heart of unmatched kindness from the time he was a small boy. In poems that offer the gift of language on every page, she gives voice to Carver and others in his life, even the world of nature in which he found so much fascination and pleasure. The result leaves readers feeling they know him from the inside out. This work of tremendous creativity and imagination is grounded in the essentials of fact but soars into the realm of understanding that only knowledge of heart and soul can convey. ©2001 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Poetry
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
19th Century
20th Century
African Americans
Biography
Faith, Spirituality and Religion
History (Nonfiction)
Science and Scientists
U.S. History
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Front Street
Publish Year: 2001
Pages: 103
ISBN: 1886910537
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 811 Nelson