Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians

This is an interesting book and the second science book that we have looked at which was written and illustrated by Aliki. In this book she covers a wide variety of aspects of Corn. She begins by explaining that a corn kernel is a seed. She then shows how sun and rain affects the planted seeds. There are drawings of developing corn with tassels and silk (boy and girl parts.) There is a smaller drawing of the route pollen takes to get to the kernel. The pollen travels down the silk to reach the kernel egg. It is at this point that I will say that I think 4 and 5 years of age is too young for this book. (I have a 5 and a 3 and it was definitely over their heads.) But to continue-- The book discusses how other plants scatter their seeds but how corn needs people to survive. It emphasizes that scientist have never found any 'wild' corn but only the `civilized' version we know now. From there the book divulges how native American were instrumental in developing the corn of today. It discusses how some groups used to bury a fish under each corn `hill' and how growing beans and squash with corn made all do better. It then proceeds to show how corn was used by native Americans, how it was stored and celebrated in religion and dance, and how Christopher Columbus took corn or maize back to Europe. The pilgrims appreciation of corn is discussed as well as the many, many ways that corn and corn products are used today. Five stars. A comprehensive book about corn for children. The artwork is alternatively in color and grayscale, but this should not be a big drawback for those interested in the subject. The age range as mentioned before, should be fairly advanced, say first or second grade and above. Example of text follows so you can gage reading level, etc.: "But although scientists searched, they had never found any wild corn. Not long ago they found some. It was in a cave in Mexico where people once lived. They found scraps of plants and tiny ears of ancient corn, more than 5,000 years old. It was not like any the scientist had ever seen."

Corn is Maize is a great book on corn. It not only shows how corn is grown and the many uses. It teaches the children about Indian culture and how they shared their corn with the prilgrams. A book of history, science, and social development.