Full of Beans Henry Ford Grows a Car

Famous car-maker and businessman Henry Ford loved beans. And he showed great innovation with his determination to build his most inventive car--one completely made of soybeans.

With a mind for ingenuity, Henry Ford looked to improve life for others. After the Great Depression struck, Ford especially wanted to support ailing farmers. For two years, Ford and his team researched ways to use farmers' crops in his Ford Motor Company. They discovered that the soybean was the perfect answer. Soon, Ford's cars contained many soybean plastic parts, and Ford incorporated soybeans into every part of his life. He ate soybeans, he wore clothes made of soybean fabric, and he wanted to drive soybeans, too. Award-winning author Peggy Thomas and illustrator Edwin Fotheringham explore this American icon's little-known quest.

Peggy Thomas is the author of multiple picture books, including award-winning Calkins Creek titles Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation, Farmer George Plants a Nation, and For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson. She is also the co-author of Anatomy of Nonfiction, the only writing guide for children's nonfiction.

Edwin Fotheringham is the illustrator of many picture book biographies, including Blue Grass Boy: The Story of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass Music; A Home for Mr. Emerson; and Those Rebels, John & Tom. He is also the illustrator of the Tony Baloney series by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Visit edfotheringham.com.