Uncle Sam's Victory Garden

Uncle Sam's Victory Garden tells the true story of 10-year-old Sam Podnetsky, who, like thousands of children throughout the United States, was recruited through school to plant a "war garden" (such gardens were later called "victory gardens") to make sure that his family and his neighbors didn't starve during World War I. At the time, America's farm food was being sent overseas to American soldiers. To make sure that there was enough food back home, elementary school children living in cities throughout the United States were given plots of land in parks and public spaces and were taught how to grow vegetables.

Uncle Sam's Victory Garden tells the true story of 10-year-old Sam Podnetsky, who, like thousands of children throughout the United States, was recruited through school to plant a "war garden" (such gardens were later called "victory gardens") to make sure that his family and his neighbors didn't starve during World War I. At the time, America's farm food was being sent overseas to American soldiers. To make sure that there was enough food back home, elementary school children living in cities throughout the United States were given plots of land in parks and public spaces and were taught how to grow vegetables. In Hartford, Connecticut, children were assigned to 8-by-20-foot plots of land in Colt Park. To give the children extra incentive, contests were held with prizes awarded for the best vegetables. This is a feel-good patriotic story that promotes collaboration, reading to gain knowledge, American know-how, compassion, child empowerment, diversity, agriculture, and the value of hard work. As for Sam, he became a lifelong gardener, and he lived to be 101.

Elizabeth Wissner-Gross is the author of multiple books and hundreds of articles connecting young people with exciting educational opportunities that advance their own intellectual passions and ambitions. Her previous titles have included "What Colleges Don't Tell You (and Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)" and "What High Schools Don't Tell You (and Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)." This book tells the true story of the author's uncle. It reveals how elementary school-age children throughout the United States came to the rescue when the nation was struggling with food shortages during World War I. It's a story that promotes collaboration, patriotism, diversity, compassion, a can-do spirit, and children's interests in how food plants grow.