ROOTING FOR PLANTS

A look at the life and work of an early-20th-century African American botanist.

Charles S. Parker, a young plant enthusiast from Spokane, grows up to do pioneering research on ferns and fungi and educate a generation of Black botanists at Howard University in Washington, D.C. This straightforward account of his life covers his experience as a lieutenant in the segregated U.S. Army in France during the First World War and, later, his explorations in the Pacific Northwest, along the banks of the Potomac in Maryland, and even in northern Canada. His studies of one genus of fungi—Hypholoma—yielded new species that now bear his name. Like Harrington and Taylor’s previous collaboration, Buzzing With Questions (2019), another picture-book biography of a Black scientist, this one is similarly thorough. Along with Parker’s contributions to the field of mycology, Harrington emphasizes his encouragement of young Black scientists. The digital illustrations, done in flat colors with black outlines, help readers understand his studies and depict mostly people of color with varying skin tones. Broken up into paragraphs and set directly on the artwork, the text looks more accessible than it actually may be to younger readers, but the backmatter includes a helpful glossary for the technical terms. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sure to inspire a passion for all things plant to take root among aspiring scientists.