“First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew,” by Robbin Gourley
Clarion Books, Boston, 2011, 36 pages, Grades 3-4.
When the United States was an agrarian society, people’s lives revolved around the growing season. School could only be for nine months each year because all the students were needed by their families to work on farms. One of the great blessings of this type of society was the knowledge everyone had about the value of food and the effort needed to raise foodstuffs.
As the country urbanized, there was less connection to the land and less consciousness about how food gets to the grocery store. Fortunately, as knowledge of the environment has grown, people have begun planting gardens and growing their own food. This is a good idea since the food is fresher and people begin understanding what it takes to grow crops. Mrs. Michelle Obama has taken a lead in trying to get Americans to eat a healthy diet. One of the projects she started was a vegetable and fruit garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Through this very public project, Mrs. Obama has shown the value of home gardening to Americans. Robbin Gourley has written an interesting book about this garden and other gardens throughout history at the White House. The name of this informative book is “First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew.”
Gardens at the White House have a long history. The second president, John Adams, planted the first vegetable garden at the White House. Thomas Jefferson, the third president added to this garden and grazed cattle on the South Lawn. Edith and Woodrow Wilson actually pastured a herd of sheep on the South Lawn during World War I. During the Second World War, Eleanor Roosevelt raised a famous Victory Garden at the White House. So Mrs. Obama was in good company with her idea of a vegetable and fruit garden. She gathered the White House gardeners and a group of school children to assist her.
To keep the historical continuity alive, she had plants donated from seeds developed 200 years ago by Thomas Jefferson. Knowing that plants need to be pollinated, Mrs. Obama directed that a bee hive be placed nearby. After planting and hoeing, she and the school children sat back and eagerly awaited for the garden to grow. What happened?
What kind of vegetables grew in the garden? Could seeds descending from the plants of President Jefferson thrive in a garden during President Obama’s term? Why did the First Lady have such an interest in this project? How many pounds of honey did the bees make with all those plants nearby? What problems did the presidential helicopter cause for the bees? Have you ever grown any vegetables? How did it feel to eat the first tomato or apple that you harvested? To find out what happened to Mrs. Obama’s White House garden go to the library and check out this fine title, “First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew,” by Robbin Gourley.
This is an interesting title showing First Lady Michelle Obama modeling the interesting hobby of gardening and growing healthy foods. There are interesting historical antidotes and a surprising number of uses of the products of the First Garden at state dinners. Mrs. Obama is to be complimented on her dedication to a healthy life style and her perception that families need to sit down together and share meals. I hope you get a chance to checkout this fine book and use some of its ideas in your own lives. Perhaps you can help your children to raise some vegetables themselves. Then they will really understand what “bon appetit” means. Enjoy!
