Will Allen is no ordinary farmer. A former basketball star, he's as tall
as his truck, and he can hold a cabbage--or a basketball--in one hand.
But what is most special about Farmer Will is that he can see what
others can't see. When he looked at an abandoned city lot in Milwaukee
he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world.
No space, no problem. Poor soil, there's a solution. Need help, found
it. Farmer Will is a genius in solving problems. In 2008, the MacArthur
Foundation named him one for his innovative urban farming methods,
including aquaponics and hydroponics.
Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of the Caldecott Medal winner,
Snowflake Bentley, and Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious ,
along with debut artist Eric-Shabazz Larkin's striking artwork, tells
the inspiring story of the African American innovator, educator, and
community builder.
Farmer Will Allen is the first book of Martin's Food Heroes series,
followed by Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious. In 2015, it was
selected by Points of Light Foundation to set a new Guinness World
Record for the most children reading the same book across the globe to
promote literacy. Nearly 300,000 participated.