The life and times of corn

Charles Micucci

Book - 2009

Facts and illustrations tell the story of corn, the giant of grains.

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Subjects
Published
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 2009.
Language
English
Main Author
Charles Micucci (-)
Physical Description
32 p. : ill. (chiefly col.), col. maps ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780618507511
  • The overlooked discovery
  • An a-maize-ing grain
  • Farmers' favorites
  • Rainbows of corn
  • Poppin' through the ages
  • Growing to the sun
  • Treasure in the wind
  • Harvesting corn
  • Bushels of corn
  • A cornucopia of uses
  • A menu of maize
  • Guiding hands
  • Sharing corn culture
  • Corn country.
Review by Booklist Review

Micucci follows up on what he did for the apple (The Life and Times of the Apple, 1992) and the peanut (The Life and Times of the Peanut, 1997) with an equally entertaining and informative mix of bite-size scientific and historical facts and mouth-watering watercolors. He notes that Columbus barely mentioned corn, but it has subsequently grown into our most commonly grown crops as he puts it, If Corn' were a separate state, it would be the fifth-largest state in America with a multitude of uses as food, feed, fuel, and more. Along with a dazzling variety of multicolored cobs and kernels, the pictures feature animated scarecrows and human figures planting, harvesting, and, most of all, chowing down on this worldwide staple. He never quite gets into the environmental hazards of growing a heavy-feeding monocrop, but young readers will never take their morning cornflakes for granted again.--Peters, John Copyright 2009 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-5-As he did in The Life and Times of the Honeybee and The Life and Times of the Peanut (both Houghton, 1997), Micucci covers his subject through a melange of interesting narrative, lucidly presented facts, and whimsical illustrations. Introducing corn as "The Overlooked Discovery" (upon Christopher Columbus's return to Europe, people were more interested in hearing about gold than the "tall grass" the Native people called maize), the author discusses the plant's anatomy, different kinds of corn, the science and history of popcorn, growing and harvesting crops, the grain's "Cornucopia of Uses" (including ethanol and an array of consumer products), and corn-based dishes. The book concludes with a brief history of the crop's cultivation ("Native Americans planted corn with their hands, and they revered it with their hearts"), the sharing of corn culture with European settlers, and fun facts. Figures sprinkled throughout the text indicate the importance of this "A-maize-ing Grain" in world agriculture. The writing is clear and engaging, with plenty of kid-friendly examples. In addition to adding visual interest and charm, the clearly captioned, watercolor, gouache, and pencil cartoons extend the text and deepen the informational impact. Touches of humor (e.g., the table of "Corntents") will amuse readers and keep them on their toes. Plant this handsome, well-researched title in your agriculture section to satisfy report writers and to generate interest in this versatile staple.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Micucci, who has closely examined the apple, the peanut, the honeybee and most recently the ant (The Life and Times of the Ant, 2003, etc.), now turns to the largest crop in Americacorn. Who knew those little kernels contained so much history and lore? In a conversational and lively narrative, the author follows the growth, cultivation and shocking number of uses of this "a-maize-ing" plant. Sensitive to children's sensibilities, he delights in explaining large statisticsbushels are stacked high, each equaling 100,000,000, to represent leading corn producers. Plus, he carefully explains, if all 125,000 square miles of cultivated cornfields were put together, "corn" would be the fifth largest of the United States! In a clear, logical order, punctuated by timelines, maps and fun corn facts, the author introduces the history and life cycle of this staple. Columbus sought gold when he came to the New World; little did he know how much those yellow kernels were really worth. (sources, acknowledgements) (Informational picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.