Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas

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.