Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas [Hardcover]

Cheryl Bardoe (Author), Jos. A. Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: K and up

The only picture book available about the father of genetics and his pea plants!

How do mothers and fathers—whether they are apple trees, sheep, or humans—pass down traits to their children? This question fascinated Gregor Mendel throughout his life. Regarded as the world’s first geneticist, Mendel overcame poverty and obscurity to discover one of the fundamental aspects of genetic science: animals, plants, and people all inherit and pass down traits through the same process, following the same rules.

Living the slow-paced, contemplative life of a friar, Gregor Mendel was able to conceive and put into practice his great experiment: growing multiple generations of peas. From observing yellow peas, green peas, smooth peas, and wrinkled peas, Mendel crafted his theory of heredity—years before scientists had any notion of genes.

Children will be inspired by Gregor’s neverending search for knowledge, and his famous experiments are easy to understand as an introduction to genetics.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–An attractive picture-book biography, this slim, oversize volume is as much a treat for the eye as it is for the curious mind. Smiths crisp, realistic paintings, often flooded with the bright green of pea plants, accompany Bardoes readable text describing a scientist whose physical and educational needs led him to the religious life, but whose curiosity about inherited traits caused him to become the father of genetics. Bright diagrams clearly depict Mendels famous plants, the internal arrangement of their seeds, and the results of carefully controlled experiments in cross-breeding with certain traits firmly in mind. An extensive authors note presents further information. This eye-catching picture-book biography falls nicely into a field that already includes the complexities of Peter Síss fascinating The Tree of Life (Farrar, 2003), Michael Doolings handsome Young Thomas Edison (Holiday House, 2005), James Cross Giblins eloquent Thomas Jefferson (Scholastic, l994), and Diane Stanleys attractive Leonardo da Vinci (Morrow, 1996).–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Smith's watercolors give this biography of the first geneticist an appropriately bucolic feel, especially those that picture the dedicated, bespectacled Mendel in his gardens laboring over willowy pea plants. Other pictures follow Mendel from his studious, enterprising youth to his decision to become a friar, a profession that helped him "feed his body, mind, and soul" and enabled him, between teaching, preaching, and ministering to the sick, to pursue his desire to make a great discovery. That he was unable to convince nineteenth-century scientists that he did, indeed, discover a "universal law that would apply to all living things" brought an end to his scientific endeavors, though as Bardoe indicates, his discoveries, resurrected years after his death, have profoundly influenced our world. Easy-to-understand graphs show the results of Mendel's experiments, which, along with his theories, are clearly explained. Published in association with the Field Museum in Chicago, this visually pleasing book works as a fine source of introductory information on both the man and the science he pioneered. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810954753
• ISBN-13: 978-0810954755
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Inventions & Inventors
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Biology
  • #67 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Science & Technology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, September 24, 2007

By 

Ana Braga-Henebry (Rural South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas (Hardcover)

Everything in this picture book is wonderful: the illustrations, the tone of the text, the amount of biographical and scientific information. This will serve as a fabulous introduction to Mendel's innovative scientific work on genetics for a 5th or 6th grader's science curriculum, or for just general family's enjoyment!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true biography that reads with the excitement of fiction., November 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas (Hardcover)

How does genetics work? Gregor Mendle was fascinated by passed-along traits all his life, and overcame poverty to found the science of genetics. He lived the life of a friar and put together an experiment involving growing multiple generations of peas. Kids in grades 3-4 will delight in a true biography that reads with the excitement of fiction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love using this book in my biology classes!, January 18, 2011

By 

Lisa S. Bircher (Columbiana, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas (Hardcover)

In this book, Bardoe develops a creative text that re-tells the story of the life of the great Gregor Mendel and his seminal studies on pea plants that led to the development of modern genetics understanding. The book contains beautiful illustrations by Jos. A. Smith that complement and expand upon the text. When I read this book for the first time, I was so excited, I purchased it immediately. I am a high school biology teacher and I could easily see how valuable this text would be for teaching about Mendel in my unit on genetics. For the past several years, I have read this text aloud to my high school (10th grade) students in both my honors biology course as well as my general biology course. My students appreciate learning more about Gregor Mendel; more than they get from the text book coverage of the topic. I especially enjoy the description of Mendel's early life and how he basically worked his way out of poverty through his schooling and later association with the Abbey of St. Thomas in Brno.

I really like the way that Bardoe speaks in language that is not condescending or patronizing. Actually, many of my biology students ask me upon completion of reading whether this book really is a "child's book?" The writing includes direct quotes from Mendel and detailed description of his experimental method with the pea plants. I love using this book so much in my biology classes and I hope that Bardoe will consider writing similar texts about some of the other great historic scientists like Charles Darwin or Linnaeus or maybe even a contemporary like Jane Goodall. I am sure whatever and however Bardoe writes, it will be fantastic and very useful for teachers like me who love to read aloud in the science classroom!