Summary
This intriguing story centers on a curious young boy from Washington named Gary. Gary and his brother Isaac learn about “organic dry cleaning”. The boys are shown an old piece of paper about Thomas Jennings. Thomas Jennings, who was born a free man in 1791, however, fulfills the requirements to be granted a patent. In other words, he is completely entitled to his invention, “dry scouring”. Gary promises himself after leaving Mr. Baker’s, “One day I’ll be a great inventor like Mr. Jennings.”
Theme(s):
Family, History, Curiosity
Personal Response
I found this book to be inspirational. It was an awesome book for a real aloud because it’s not too long but is packed with beneficial and effective information for young minds. The story not only is intriguing with the main character Gary’s curiosity, but it’s also educational in the aspect of talking about such important history and historical figures such as, Thomas Jennings. This book is intriguing and a great source for younger readers to learn about African American history.
Teaching Ideas
This book could be used to teach a history/engineering lesson. This is a great way to incorporate the reading into the students building their own inventions, while also understanding that African American’s were not able to take credit for their work if they were enslaved during that time period. This gives the teacher an opportunity to get the students to have deeper thinking and meaning toward their inventions, while incorporating both social studies, science, and literacy into the lesson.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05
