Rooting for Plants: The Unstoppable Charles S. Parker, Black Botanist and Collector

(Hardback)

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Meet Charles S. Parker, an unsung yet trailblazing Black scientist who made major contributions to the fields of botany (the study of plants) and mycology (the study of fungi) in this inspiring STEM/STEAM picture book biography. In 1882, Black botanist and mycologist Charles S. Parker sprouted up in the lush, green Pacific Northwest. From the beginning, Charles's passion was plants, and he trudged through forests, climbed mountains, and waded into lakes to find them. When he was drafted to fight in World War I, Charles experienced prejudice against Black soldiers and witnessed the massive ecological devastation that war caused. Those experiences made him even more determined to follow his dreams, whatever the difficulties, and to have a career making things grow, not destroying them. As a botanist and teacher, Charles traveled the United States, searching for new species of plants and fungi. After discovering the source of the disease killing peach and apricot trees, Charles was offered a job at Howard University, the famed historically Black college where he taught the next generation of Black scientists-men and women-to love plants and fungi as much as he did.

Reviews

Dr. Parker was a pioneering botanist. He explored and collectedplants throughout North America, published his work on plant disease, andtaught new students of botany at Howard University. He was a professor of manytalents, and it is wonderful students will be able to learn about his life and legacy. Janelle M. Burke, associate professor of biology, director of the Howard University Herbarium

Rooting for Plants by Janice Harrington is a wonderfully lyrical encapsulation of the life of Black botanist Charles Stewart Parkerand a thoughtful introduction to the scientific method for young children.Sujin B. E. Huggins, professor, School of Information Studies, DominicanUniversity and current member of the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement committee

In the hands of a poet, science takes on a beauty not always accorded information. Thisbiography of an early Black botanist is not only deeply researched but also lyrically written.With vivid illustrations grounding the text, children as well as their elders will find themselves enriched.Betsy Hearne, former director of the Center for Childrens Books, University of Illinois

Author Bio

Janice N. Harrington is an award-winning poet and children's author. Her recent title, Buzzing with Questions- The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner, was listed among NSTA Best STEM Books and the Nonfiction Detectives' Best Nonfiction Book, and Chasing a Storyfish was A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Her books The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County and Going North won many awards and citations, including a listing among TIME magazine's top 10 children's books and the Ezra Jack Keats Award from the New York Public Library. She is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Theodore Taylor III is an illustrator and comic artist. He received the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award and the Texas Bluebonnet Award for When The Beat Was Born- DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop. He is also the illustrator of the forthcoming graphic novel, Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes.