Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas

“All his life, Gregor Mendel hungered for knowledge.” From this opening line, which I feel such solidarity with, this picture book hooked me! Gregor's yearning to unlock the secrets of nature started young and, of course, was not what his family had hoped for him. And yet, they supported his dreams, and sacrificed greatly to send him beyond the village grammar school.

            At 16, to be able to continue his studies, he became a friar. At the abbey, he received three meals a day and had access to a library of 30,000 volumes. So like the rest of his friar brothers, he continued his own education, reading and discussing ideas with others who were studying mathematics, botany, philosophy, and geology. This is the scenario that stirs every homeschool family's blood.

            The abbot was so impressed with his zeal that he sent Gregor to the University of Vienna, where he studied with famous scientists and learned scientific procedure. After returning to the abbey, he taught science to local schoolchildren for a while, but then began to focus on the one nagging question he'd had since childhood, How do mothers and fathers pass down traits to their children?

            And so began the inquiry that would lead to his carefully controlled genetic experiments, his explanation of character traits being passed down through “genes,” and his eventual world fame.

            This is a beautiful and easily understood explanation of a complicated topic. There's just enough “meat” here for your older elementary and even junior high aged students, but  the explanation is not too complicated or detailed. The chart of pea plants greatly adds to the explanation. This makes the story more memorable and more “narrate-able” if I can use that expression.

            The illustrations are clear and beautifully done. From the pea vine decorated endpapers to the modern scientific lab, they set just the right tone to enhance, and not detract from, Gregor's story.

            This is a great addition to your shelf and a valuable scientific biography. Gregor Mendel's quiet, comtemplative life defined by his longing for knowledge for its own sake will inspire you and your students. Don't be deceived by the recommended ages...this is a book that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Having heard the name for many years and never quite understood why it was so important, I definitely learned a thing or two.

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