Farmer George Plants a Nation
With big, lush oil paintings and a detailed text, this picture book for older readers celebrates George Washington’s role, not as victorious general and first president, but as lifelong farmer, who learned all he could about agriculture. He planted trees, bred mules, designed a barn, switched from growing tobacco to wheat, and experimented with all kinds of field crops, mixing fertilizers and compost to grow shrubs and vegetables. With quotes from Washington’s diary and letters, the hands-on account of the great leader who was also a pioneer farmer will inspire young gardeners. Unfortunately, the idyllic pictures of smiling field hands (who are, of course, slaves) will jar children who know the tragic history and are reading this today. Thomas addresses this in a final note, explaining that Washington believed that slavery was wrong, but kept his concerns to himself. Includes a bibliography and a Mount Vernon Web site. Grades 3-5. --Hazel Rochman