The Gourd Book

Download or read book The Gourd Book written by Charles B. Heiser and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2016-02-03 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humankind has had a long and intimate association with gourds, and one of them, the bottle gourd, or calabash, may have been man's first cultivated plant. Although grown in the United States today primarily as ornamentals, in other parts of the world gourds have many other important uses. With charming text and stunning black-and-white photographs, The Gourd Book provides fascinating scientific information and folklore about these remarkable plants and keys for identifying species. The first part of the book deals with tree gourds, widely used as containers and for decoration; the Cucurbita gourds, including the buffalo gourd, the Turk's turban, the silver-seed gourd, and the Malabar gourd, all utilized as food, and the beautiful ornamental gourds; the loofah gourds, popular as cosmetic sponges; minor gourds, such as the snake, wax, bitter, teasel, and hedgehog, sometimes used as food or medicine; and gourds mentioned in the Bible. The second part takes up the bottle gourd, which has been used for thousands of years. Even today this gourd is almost indispensable in many parts of the tropics, where species are used to make containers, musical instruments, and clothing, as food and medicine, and in art. The book concludes with a discussion of the gourd in folklore and myth and an appendix on growing, hybridizing, and preserving gourds for decoration. Delightfully written for general readers, this book will also appeal to botanists, anthropologists, horticulturists, and everyone interested in plants or gardening.

Download or read book The Magic Gourd written by and published by Blue Sky Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having been given a magic gourd by a Chameleon for rescuing him from a thorny bush, hungry Rabbit appreciates the gesture of the never-ending bounty of food, but when a greedy king steals it away, Rabbit finds a way to get it back and teach him an important lesson in the process.

Download or read book Follow the Drinking Gourd written by Jeanette Winter and published by Dragonfly Books. This book was released on 1992-01-15 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illus. in full color. "Winter's story begins with a peg-leg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the Underground Railroad. While working for plantation owners, Peg Leg Joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper). A couple, their son, and two others make their escape by following the song's directions. Rich paintings interpret the strong story in a clean, primitive style enhanced by bold colors. The rhythmic compositions have an energetic presence that's compelling. A fine rendering of history in picturebook format."--(starred) Booklist.

Download or read book Sugar in the Gourd written by Ben Garrison and published by First Works Publishing Company. This book was released on 2004 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revealing, Reflective... and sometimes Raunchy!Sugar In The Gourd is an inspiring and often tender chronicle of growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of rural North Carolina during the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. It's pure Americana. He describes things that are forever lost, but which should be passed on, and definitely not be forgotten.

Download or read book Follow the Drinking Gourd written by Cari Meister and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2013 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peg Leg Joe travels from plantation to plantation singing the Drinking Gourd song that will guide slaves to freedom in the North.

Download or read book My Great-grandmother's Gourd written by Cristina Kessler and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2000 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Residents of a Sudanese village rejoice when a traditional water storage method is replaced by modern technology, but Fatima's grandmother knows there is no substitute for the reliability of the baobab tree.

Download or read book Gourd Girls written by Priscilla Wilson and published by Gourdcraft Originals, Incorporated. This book was released on 2005 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Memoir about a lesbian couple's coming out in a rural community