Scientist Biographies by Peggy Thomas

Since returning home from NSTA, we've been going through our books picking out which ones we'll take back to San Antonio at the end of the week--this time to share with teachers at the fast approaching International Reading Association Convention!  Two that are at the top of our list are Farmer George Plants a Nation and For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, both of which are biographies, NSTA Outstanding Trade Book Award winners, and written by Peggy Thomas.
 

Farmer George tells the story of George Washington, First President of the United States and agricultural innovator. In narrative form, Peggy masterfully integrates the stories behind George's contributions to the agricultural field, including adapting a plow that enabled it to do three jobs at once, supervising construction of a treading barn that could be used to thresh wheat even in bad weather, and conducting scientific experiments to analyze the impact of various kinds of compost on plant growth. Peppered throughout the text are excerpts from letters and other papers written by George himself.  Peggy's meticulous work enables us to see beyond the Revolutionary War General to the inventor, scientist, and dedicated farmer. And, she includes some great additional information about George (including a timeline, information on George and his Mt Vernon home and a bibliography) in the final pages of the book. Oh! And don't forget to explore the end pages which include a fabulous map of Mt Vernon.

You might not recognize the name Roger Tory Peterson, but if you've ever picked up a Peterson Field Guide, you would be reading his work. Again, Peggy's book is a biography of a scientist, but this one starts by describing Roger as an inquisitive, unique child who spent hours outside collecting specimens for further exploration. Influenced by a teacher who formed a Junior Audubon Club, Roger was inspired to put his artistic talents to work drawing birds of all sorts. Frustrated by trying to paint birds from memory, by the time he turned 14, he earned enough money delivering papers to buy a camera and his dreams became a reality. His passion for birdwatching coupled with his keen eye and meticulous data collection eventually led to the publication of A Field Guide to Birds. Again, Peggy does an excellent job of bringing Roger's work to life in a most engaging manner. And, if you want to extend the book with some great free resources, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.

Even if the content is not directly related to your grade level curriculum, both books model characteristics (curiosity, determination, perseverance) and practices (asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data) of scientists in ways that students of most ages can relate to. (The books are a bit on the long side for K-1 students.) Thus, these are great resources for both content, if applicable, and process. And, are beautifully illustrated to boot!