John Deere, That's Who!

December 15, 2016
In 1836, John Deere--then a young, white Vermont father and blacksmith--moved to Illinois to settle debts brought on by two forge fires--and wound up inventing a superior plow. Deere was an excellent blacksmith whose plow improvement was purely pragmatic: many of his farming customers were ready to give up on Illinois, and he needed their payments to bring his family to him from Vermont. Farmers accustomed to sandy soil discovered that the Midwest's rich, black soil stuck to their easily pitted, heavy iron plows--causing frequent pauses to scrape off what they called "gumbo." Deere tinkered with a discarded steel blade from a sawmill, thinking that a shiny, curved, lightweight plow might "slice through gumbo." Soon overcoming skeptics by demonstrations and giving samples to farmers, John Deere's "singing plow" became wildly popular. By 1838 he had moved his family to his side and had established a manufacturing company still in existence. The only missing piece in Maurer's tale is a sudden leap from "steel was rare that far west and too pricey" to the big success story; readers must make their own deductions. Otherwise, the text is smoothly conversational and has just enough details to interest without overwhelming. The illustrations are gorgeous: semiprimitive paintings with deliberate crackling for an aging effect. The winding patterns of rivers and plows are especially noteworthy. An informative look at an inventor and his invention's impact. (glossary, additional facts, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

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January 1, 2017

Gr 1-4-Who was John Deere, and how did he start the business that bears his name? In this picture book biography, Deere is introduced as a blacksmith living in Vermont in the 1830s. After his forge burned down twice, Deere decided to move west. Trying to use traditional plows in the tough, sticky Illinois prairie ground was a difficult and time-consuming endeavor. Through trial and testing, Deere came up with a plow that made the work quicker and easier. (A note at the end provides further information about Deere and the development of the company.) Told in a conversational manner, the factual narrative is well matched to the folk art-style illustrations. Rendered in acrylic paint on plywood, along with stains and glazes, the pictures effectively reflect the subject and the time period. Although Deere was not widely known or documented in his own time, historians have worked with "recollections of family and friends, notes in diaries, newspaper articles, letters, and business materials." The author includes a lengthy source list and suggests visiting the John Deere company website. VERDICT An effective resource for economics lessons, as it examines product development, testing, and distribution. Also a solid selection to demonstrate the creative thinking and problem-solving skills needed for design or maker learning.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Grades 1-3 Who would want to change the functional, long-standing plow of the 1830s? John Deere, that's who. Adding to a growing field of picture-book biographies about STEM innovators, this narrative follows Deere, a young, penniless blacksmith from Vermont, who followed the stream of pioneers west and resettled in Illinois, hoping to earn enough money to send for his family. The soil in the Midwest was different and difficult for pioneer farmers, who had to constantly scrape gumbo, the sticky dirt clumps, off their iron plow blades. After studying plow angles, Deere designed a lighter, more effective plow that used a steel blade, forever changing America's prairies. Acrylic paintings, reminiscent of Thomas Hart Benton, fittingly set the tone of this story, which highlights both engineering and Deere's place in history. It also briefly describes the early development of Deere's famous company. So who invented the tractor? Not John Deere, that's who. Children can read this and other related facts in the back matter. Dig in for more insight on this household name.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)