Pioneer Plowmaker, A Story about John Deere
Grade 4-8-- Short chapters, large print, and picturesque language make this pioneer's story of interest to children. Information about Deere's life is skillfully intertwined with influences and events of his times; thus, readers can gain much insight into both the man and the condition of the nation in the mid to late 1800s. Deere's idealism and hard-working nature are seen as precisely the right characteristics to help him succeed as the United States expanded westward. Numerous full-page black-and-white illustrations enhance the text and will be especially appreciated by younger readers. Deere's life is neither overly glamorized nor oversimplified as Collins tracks him from boyhood when his interest in smithing was sparked, through various debts, disasters, and successes, to his old age. Emphasis is given throughout, however, on the work ethic of this remarkable man: "I will never put my name on an implement that does not have the best that is in me." This is a fast read about a man whose name has become a household word for most Americans. --Lee Bock Pulaski, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WICopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.