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Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

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Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

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Overview

The story of Charles Henry Turner, the first Black entomologist — a scientist who studies bugs — is told in this fascinating book for young readers.

Can spiders learn? How do ants find their way home? Can bugs see color? All of these questions buzzed endlessly in Charles Henry Turner’s mind. He was fascinated by plants and animals and bugs. And even when he faced racial prejudice, Turner did not stop wondering. He constantly read, researched, and experimented.

Author Janice Harrington and artist Theodore Taylor III capture the life of this inspiring scientist and educator in this nonfiction picture book, highlighting Turner's unstoppable quest for knowledge and his passion for science. The extensive back matter includes an author's note, time line, bibliography, source notes, and archival images.

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629795584
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	123,331
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Janice N. Harrington is an award-winning poet and children's book author. Her children's books include Catching a Storyfish, Busy-Busy Little Chick, Roberto Walks Home, The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, and Going North. She is the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Theodore Taylor III is the illustrator of multiple children's books, including Shaquille O'Neal's Little Shaq series and When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop, for which he received the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award. Visit theodore3.com.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

08/26/2019
Full-color digital illustrations and Harrington’s conversational, sometimes lyrical prose tell the story of “indefatigable” African-American entomologist and zoologist Charles Henry Turner (1867–1923), who “toppled woodpiles, lingered over logs, and peeked into dusty corners” in his quest to learn all he could about insects. Through the turn of the 20th century, Turner pursued his passion for entomology and experimentation, attending college and publishing more than 50 scientific papers while facing prejudice in the American South. In cartoon scenes, Taylor shows Turner observing specimens (among them spiders, crustaceans, and cockroaches) and conducting experiments to learn how ants find their way home and that “even bees sense time.” Repetition (“Questions that itched like mosquito bites,/ questions that tickled like spider webs”) and fascinating anecdotes may well inspire more “indefatigable” observers and questioners. An author’s note precedes a timeline, an extensive source list, and a selected list of Turner’s papers. Ages 7–10. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

A NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book

★ "A relatively unknown entomologist comes out of oblivion in this engaging picture book biography. Harrington’s text is inviting, and Turner’s enthusiasm comes through clearly... Taylor’s bright, cheerful, expertly rendered cartoon illustrations complement the text. Harrington and Taylor have rescued a worthy scientist from obscurity." —School Library Journal, starred review

"A thorough biography of early African American scientist Charles Henry Turner... (the) extensively researched, jam-packed text intrigues and inspires with Turner's example of discovery and hard-won, meaningful contributions to knowledge about life. A well-written tribute to a deserving champion of science." —Kirkus Reviews

"Full-color digital illustrations and Harrington’s conversational, sometimes lyrical prose tell the story of 'indefatigable' African-American entomologist and zoologist Charles Henry Turner... fascinating..." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2019
Gr 2–5—A relatively unknown entomologist comes out of oblivion in this engaging picture book biography. Born in 1867, Charles Henry Turner was a groundbreaking African American scientist and teacher. He was raised in a loving household surrounded by books. After attending college, he continued his study of insects. He discovered, for example, what he called "intelligent action," where a spider would spin a web just right for its particular home. Harrington's text is inviting, and Turner's enthusiasm comes through clearly: "Questions that itched like mosquito bites, questions that tickled like spider webs." The word indefatigable is used throughout. Taylor's bright, cheerful, expertly rendered cartoon illustrations complement the text. Close-ups depict Turner studying ants or butterflies intensely. While there is some discussion of the prejudice Turner endured, the overall tone is upbeat. VERDICT Harrington and Taylor have rescued a worthy scientist from obscurity. Recommended for all libraries serving this grade range.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

2019-08-12
A thorough biography of early African American scientist Charles Henry Turner.
From a young age, "questions hopped through…Turner's mind like grasshoppers." His teacher encouraged him to "go and find out," and that is what he spent his life doing. He attended college when most colleges didn't accept African Americans, and he kept asking questions as he studied biology. The "indefatigable scientist" studied spiders: Two spreads explain how he learned that "each spider wove a web just right for its home." He studied crustaceans and ants, bees and moths. His significant findings are explained both in the illustrations and in the lucid paragraphs of text that describe the experiments and his conclusions. The importance of his findings in the field is made clear, and the curiosity and hard work that led to them are the focus. One spread mentions the racial prejudice he lived through and his service to the community. His work is cast in the light of uplifting humanity: "He wrote that biology could help people see the connections among all living things." The digital illustrations depict people, creatures, and experiments in thick black lines and swaths of color that help readers understand the science being discussed. This extensively researched, jam-packed text intrigues and inspires with Turner's example of discovery and hard-won, meaningful contributions to knowledge about life.
A well-written tribute to a deserving champion of science. (author's note, timeline, sources, notes) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

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