$11.75 with 38 percent savings
List Price: $18.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Sunday, May 19 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Wednesday, May 15. Order within 19 hrs 47 mins
In Stock
$$11.75 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.75
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Frank Morrison
+ Follow
Gene Barretta
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver Hardcover – Picture Book, January 14, 2020

by Gene Barretta (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 120 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.75","priceAmount":11.75,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"75","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Jo%2F2R%2F0FQiH%2BnEf29TBigbBaq6gn%2Fg07mpRHxemu0Od5utMEelxuoh1850u57T%2F0tnQZiw7Hn2d9VF2SogdFRruF5uZA7rQsW%2FP%2B0UCDVL64wKcOEipPywaE22tc02aI%2BgMRuQ7DP40mO%2Fotfi5AqQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The inspirational story of George Washington Carver and his childhood secret garden is brought to life in this picture book biography by the author-illustrator team behind Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born. 

When George Washington Carver was just a young child, he had a secret: a garden of his own.

Here, he rolled dirt between his fingers to check if plants needed more rain or sun. He protected roots through harsh winters, so plants could be reborn in the spring. He trimmed flowers, spread soil, studied life cycles. And it was in this very place that George’s love of nature sprouted into something so much more—his future.

Gene Barretta’s moving words and Frank Morrison’s beautiful paintings tell the inspiring life and history of George Washington Carver, from a baby born into slavery to celebrated botanist, scientist, and inventor. His passion and determination are the seeds to this lasting story about triumph over hardship—a tale that begins in a secret garden.

* A Texas Bluebonnet Award Book of the Year *

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    800L
  6. Dimensions
    9 x 0.5 x 11.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    Katherine Tegen Books
  8. Publication date
    January 14, 2020
  9. ISBN-10
    0062430157
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0062430151
  11. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver
$11.75
Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Zonia's Rain Forest
$12.69
Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Wonder Walkers
$12.39
Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An expressive picture book... Barretta creates a strong impression of Carver’s delight in nature, drive to learn, and sense of purpose. The oil paintings by Morrison, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor recipient, reinforce those impressions with glorious scenes of the woodland garden and sensitive, dignified portrayals of Carver." — Booklist (starred review)

"The beautiful oil on board illustrations show the wonder of young Carver as he contemplates the petals on a flower or the first green sprouts of spring. Barretta’s prose, combined with Morrison’s art, fully illuminates the depth of Carter’s considerable contributions to the science of agriculture, the farming community, and racial equality… A well-thought-out biography that highlights a different side of Carver and will be a first purchase for school and ­public library collections." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"The substantial text holds readers on each spread long enough to appreciate not only the subject matter of the painted illustrations, but Morrison's artistic techniques―strong strokes and careful dots, artful combinations of textures and shapes... Memorable art earns this biography a respectable place on the shelf. " — Kirkus Reviews

"Barretta opens this sensitive biography on a moment of triumph as Carver overcomes the scorn of a roomful of white congressmen in 1921... Through myriad lush garden scenes and impressive portraiture by Morrison, Carver emerges as a generous figure, a “living folk hero,” able to do whatever he set out to and “always ready to serve humanity.”" — Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Gene Barretta is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. He is the recipient of the Carolyn W. Field Award and the Bank Street Cook Prize Honor. His books include Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare, Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin, Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones, and Muhammad Ali. Gene has contributed illustrations and animation to Sesame Street and Between the Lions. He has also designed characters for the Jim Henson Company. He lives in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. You can visit him online at www.genebarretta.com.

Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including Jazzy Miz Mozetta by Brenda C. Roberts, winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent; Katheryn Russell-Brown's Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; and Gene Barretta's Muhammad Ali. Before becoming a children's book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family. You can visit him online at www.morrisongraphics.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Katherine Tegen Books; Illustrated edition (January 14, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062430157
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062430151
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 800L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.5 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 120 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Frank Morrison

    Frank Morrison

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Frank Morrison started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn’t until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with his dancing group, that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, Scope Miami and Red Dot art fairs, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Mason Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta, GA. He is the illustrator of over 20 children’s books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books, Little Melba and her Big Trombone and Let the Children March. Frank was a Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Silver Medal Honoree two years in a row, for The Roots of Rap and R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Gene Barretta

    Gene Barretta

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Gene Barretta is an award winning author and illustrator of children’s books.

    Among his honors are an NAACP Image Award nomination, winner of the Carolyn W. Field Award and the Bank Street Cook Prize Honor.

    His books include, "Starring Steven Spielberg: The Making of a Young Filmmaker," "The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver," “Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin,” "The Bat Can Bat: A Book of True Homonyms," “Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare,” “Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo Da Vinci,” "Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born," “Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones,” and “Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives.”

    Gene has contributed illustration and animation to Sesame Street and Between the Lions. He has also designed characters for The Jim Henson Company.

    He lives in Bryn Mawr, PA.

    For more information on Gene and his work, please visit:

    www.genebarretta.com

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
120 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Neat
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
The illustrations are so beautiful, I, as a 75 year old, white, great grandmother am transported to the place and era and hardly need words to clarify the story. There may be better histories written about Carver but there can't be better art depicting his life for my g grandchildren.
Helpful
 Report
Jeffrey C. Shieh
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for 4-8 year olds
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020
Verified Purchase
I saw this book in a bookstore and was impressed by its gorgeous illustrations so I bought a copy as a gift to my son’s kindergarten classroom on his birthday. It was perfect. The reading level is labeled accurately for 4-8 year olds and the words, despite rudimentary, really touches one’s heart.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Keira
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful picture book
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book about George Washington Carver’s life. My first grade class enjoyed the pictures and the interesting life he led.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
My first graders enjoyed this book!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Rafael
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great read for a 6 year old. Engaging and educational.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tanya A Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid pictures
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Illustration is wonderful and vivid.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
kkred
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Story
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2023
George Washington Carver is an American Treasure. His discoveries and contributions have made outstanding advancements in American society that still hold weight til this day. This is a wonderful recounting of his life and contributions on a scale that is easy for children to understand and appreciate. The illustrations give the text a surreal backdrop that transports the reader back in time. Definitely shelf worthy.
Helpful
 Report
Kristy H
3.0 out of 5 stars Biased Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021
Verified Purchase
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and entirely enjoyable. However, this isn’t my favorite telling of George Washington Carver’s life. The narrative is a bit biased against many of the characters- including Moses and Susan Carver, who raised George and his brother as their own children.

Carver spent a life time working to raise the ideals and lifestyle of his people, and I don’t believe this book depicts his vision well. There are much more accurate tellings of this man’s life.
13 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Nickolette Stefanova-Kiryazov
3.0 out of 5 stars GWC
Reviewed in Germany on March 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
While beautiful, the book isn't really engaging. I have noticed that is challenging to make kids book about historical figures exciting.
Report
Vickie
5.0 out of 5 stars It was nice.
Reviewed in Japan on July 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
I sent this book to my grandchildren. My daughter said "It’s nice. It has a lot of information about his life. Noah, who is 5 yrs old, especially liked the parts about when he was a child. Those were easiest to understand. But it’s a nice overview of his entire life, his hardships and his achievements. "
Report