The multitalented hand of Cheryl Harness creates another winning combination of history, biography, and illustration: the inspiring story of a man who rose from slavery to worldwide fame as Americas Plant Doctor.

Follow the action as Confederate raiders kidnap young Carveralong with his mother and siblingsand sell them to Arkansas slaveholders. Here, whooping cough threatens Georges life, yet the disease will be the key to his future. Unable to work in the fields, he spends his days studying plants. His desire for knowledge leads him to the rich farmlands of Iowa, where he becomes the first black studentand later the first black faculty memberat the state university. Carver pioneers hundreds of new uses for plants and revolutionizes American agriculture by teaching farmers the value of rotating cotton with nitrogen-rich crops. Cheryl Harness lively narrative follows Carvers rise to international fame: our hero dines at the White House, works with Henry Ford, and testifies to Congress. The books vivid illustrations are an invitation to step back in time and become an active participant in this compelling story.

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