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Seeds of Discovery: How Barbara McClintock Used Corn and Curiosity to Solve a Science Mystery and Win a Nobel Prize – An Inspiring Biography of a Pioneering Female Geneticist
The quirky and singular Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock, a founder of modern genetics who did things her own way, is honored in this lively young STEM biography by Sibert Honor winner Lori Alexander.
Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity, this engaging and highly illustrated biography introduces young readers to the field of genetics. As a rare female botanist in early twentieth-century America, Barbara McClintock never let other people’s notions of what was proper slow her down. When she faced doubting colleagues and unsupportive institutions, she drove across the United States, climbed through windows, and even slept in her laboratory to conduct her research. In so doing, she helped pave the way for future scientific discoveries that can cure diseases and save lives—and won a Nobel Prize in the process!
Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, source notes, and further reading.
Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity, this engaging and highly illustrated biography introduces young readers to the field of genetics. As a rare female botanist in early twentieth-century America, Barbara McClintock never let other people’s notions of what was proper slow her down. When she faced doubting colleagues and unsupportive institutions, she drove across the United States, climbed through windows, and even slept in her laboratory to conduct her research. In so doing, she helped pave the way for future scientific discoveries that can cure diseases and save lives—and won a Nobel Prize in the process!
Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, source notes, and further reading.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2025
3 people are currently reading
3287 people want to read
About the author
Lori Alexander
19 books54 followersLori Alexander loves to read and write! She has written picture books like BACKHOE JOE (Harper, 2014) and FAMOUSLY PHOEBE (Sterling, 2017) as well as the FUTURE BABY board book series (Scholastic, 2019). She also writes non-fiction chapter books, such as ALL IN A DROP (2019) and A SPORTING CHANCE (2020), both from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Lori resides in sunny Tucson, Arizona, with her scientist husband and two book loving kids. She runs when it’s cool and swims when it’s hot. Then she gets back to reading and writing.
Visit Lori at www.lorialexanderbooks.com or on Twitter @LoriJAlexander
Lori resides in sunny Tucson, Arizona, with her scientist husband and two book loving kids. She runs when it’s cool and swims when it’s hot. Then she gets back to reading and writing.
Visit Lori at www.lorialexanderbooks.com or on Twitter @LoriJAlexander
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 13, 2025
I loved this one! The illustrations, the narrative writing style, the credit where credit was due. Just great
March 5, 2026
Good light read about DNA.
September 11, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Born in 1902, Eleanor McClintock's family was supportive of her endeavors, and even changed her name from the "delicate" Eleanor to the more assertive Barbara! She and her siblings were active and curious, and Barbara even asked her mother if she could wear bloomers instead of dresses when she played outdoors. Her father was involved in World War I, so Barbara got an office job at 16 and spent long hours in the library reading and educating herself, but when he returned, she was able to attend college at Cornell. She studied science, which was unusual at the time, and became insterested in chromosomes in corn. After graduating in 1923, she continued her graduate studies, often going into the fields to pollinate plants, and wearing pants to do so. Along with Harriet Creighton, she worked out that genes pass on traits and these genes are on chromosomes. They published a paper on the topic, but it was still difficult for McClintock to find a job. She spent time traveling around the US doing research until she was offered a position at the University of Missouri. She did experiments with X Rays, finding that they could fray chromosomes, and studied mutations. She eventually got a position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where she could concentrate on research, in 1941, and became the first female president of the genetics society in 1945. Her work was steady and groundbreaking, but she was forced to retire in 1967 because she was 65 years old. That didn't stop her from continuing her research, and in 1983 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Her work was instrumental in many developments in the field, such as the Human Genome Project and CRISPR technology. She passed away in 1992.
Strengths: I have a standard biography of McClintock that I really want to read now (Cullen's 2003 Barbara McClintock: Geneticist) because I didn't realize how groundbreaking she was! People who find important work that they enjoy and to which they can devote their entire lives fascinate me. I wonder if she and fellow scientist Norman Borlaug ever met? She faced many challenges, and the book doesn't sugar coat these; I found the statistic that there weren't as many women students in college as men until 1979 fascinating. Studying science was much harder when it was not attached to home economics, so it was impressive that she was able to continue her work with fairly little drama AND that she was able to not only publish papers under her own name but that she was awarded the Nobel Prize as an individual! I'm definitely buying a copy of this for our biography section and recommending it to students. It's a good length (128 pages), and has lots of attractive illustrations.
Weaknesses: I wish that this hadn't made so much of McClintock wearing pants. Many, many women were able to accomplish all sorts of things while wearing dresses; my grandmother had a huge vegetable garden that she tended into her 90s, and she never wore slacks! Of course, I might be the only woman out there who thinks that skirts are part of my feminist heritage and should be embraced.
What I really think: Readers who want a bit more information than Clinton's She Persisted series will enjoy this interesting biography about a STEM pioneer who deserves a lot more attention!
Born in 1902, Eleanor McClintock's family was supportive of her endeavors, and even changed her name from the "delicate" Eleanor to the more assertive Barbara! She and her siblings were active and curious, and Barbara even asked her mother if she could wear bloomers instead of dresses when she played outdoors. Her father was involved in World War I, so Barbara got an office job at 16 and spent long hours in the library reading and educating herself, but when he returned, she was able to attend college at Cornell. She studied science, which was unusual at the time, and became insterested in chromosomes in corn. After graduating in 1923, she continued her graduate studies, often going into the fields to pollinate plants, and wearing pants to do so. Along with Harriet Creighton, she worked out that genes pass on traits and these genes are on chromosomes. They published a paper on the topic, but it was still difficult for McClintock to find a job. She spent time traveling around the US doing research until she was offered a position at the University of Missouri. She did experiments with X Rays, finding that they could fray chromosomes, and studied mutations. She eventually got a position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where she could concentrate on research, in 1941, and became the first female president of the genetics society in 1945. Her work was steady and groundbreaking, but she was forced to retire in 1967 because she was 65 years old. That didn't stop her from continuing her research, and in 1983 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Her work was instrumental in many developments in the field, such as the Human Genome Project and CRISPR technology. She passed away in 1992.
Strengths: I have a standard biography of McClintock that I really want to read now (Cullen's 2003 Barbara McClintock: Geneticist) because I didn't realize how groundbreaking she was! People who find important work that they enjoy and to which they can devote their entire lives fascinate me. I wonder if she and fellow scientist Norman Borlaug ever met? She faced many challenges, and the book doesn't sugar coat these; I found the statistic that there weren't as many women students in college as men until 1979 fascinating. Studying science was much harder when it was not attached to home economics, so it was impressive that she was able to continue her work with fairly little drama AND that she was able to not only publish papers under her own name but that she was awarded the Nobel Prize as an individual! I'm definitely buying a copy of this for our biography section and recommending it to students. It's a good length (128 pages), and has lots of attractive illustrations.
Weaknesses: I wish that this hadn't made so much of McClintock wearing pants. Many, many women were able to accomplish all sorts of things while wearing dresses; my grandmother had a huge vegetable garden that she tended into her 90s, and she never wore slacks! Of course, I might be the only woman out there who thinks that skirts are part of my feminist heritage and should be embraced.
What I really think: Readers who want a bit more information than Clinton's She Persisted series will enjoy this interesting biography about a STEM pioneer who deserves a lot more attention!
March 4, 2025
A clear and precise biography of scientific and feminist hero Barbara McClintock written for older elementary school students. This book highlights genetic concepts and advances in a way anyone can understand. Told in a linear fashion, the reader meets McClintock as a young girl so fascinated by learning that she forgets her name. She bucks traditional roles for girls and women in the early 20th century, cutting her hair short, wearing pants, and insisting on going to college. Her scientific career also bucks tradition, as she challenges the beliefs of other scientists through her meticulous, often solo, experiments. She became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine as a solo scientist (30 years after she made her groundbreaking discovery) and the book takes the time to show how her work led to the advances we see in genetics today.
The illustrations are soft and cozy, adding a whimsical touch to the biography that reflects McClintock's at-times-unorthodox scientific approach.
Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The illustrations are soft and cozy, adding a whimsical touch to the biography that reflects McClintock's at-times-unorthodox scientific approach.
Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
February 15, 2025
In high school I took bio and AP bio. In college, I took bio 101, cell bio, micro, and genetics. I'm pretty sure I took genetics in grad school. I learned about Darwin, Mendel, Watson, and Crick. I don't ever recall learning about Barbara McClintock. I may have and simply forgot. And that is a shame. But! This book is a wonderful overview of her life and research, as well as an introduction to genetics. Highly recommended.
January 16, 2025
Barbara McClintock was not at all interested in the things her mother wanted for her most – to be a social girl who would attract a man, get married, and have children. She loved action and learning math and science, and after the war ended, was able to go to Cornell University. While there, she became fascinated with chromosomes and began a lifelong study of the genes in maize. Eventually she completed a PhD in 1927 in botany and authored a paper on transposons that was groundbreaking, albeit ahead of its time enough that hardly anyone understood it. In 1952, after Rosalind Franklin and her assistant took the famous Photo 51, the first usable image of DNA, new interest in McClintock’s work developed. She was essentially the person who discovered that genetic traits are found in chromosomes, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983.
This short chapter book with illustrations does double duty: it shows the development of a singular soul into a scientist and explains enough about genetics to explain why McClintock’s work was groundbreaking, which is no easy feat. Barbara McClintock was a single, independent woman who cut her hair short and insisted on wearing pants way before it was acceptable. She was a thinker who insisted on being herself, even if society and the scientific community didn’t know what to do with her. The book explains scientific concepts and what basic research is in context and there are short inserted sections on topics such as women’s education in the early 20th century and what chromosomes actually are. The author does a great job of giving McClintock a personality and causing the reader to root for her. The digital artwork is an appealing complement to the text and a welcome tool to imagining McClintock’s life. I thought I would miss photographs of the subject, but the illustrations really do seem to capture this singular woman’s life. With a timeline, glossary, copious source notes for many of McClintock’s words, a bibliography and index, this is wonderful title to recommend to science-minded kids, especially those who don’t fit the mold.
This short chapter book with illustrations does double duty: it shows the development of a singular soul into a scientist and explains enough about genetics to explain why McClintock’s work was groundbreaking, which is no easy feat. Barbara McClintock was a single, independent woman who cut her hair short and insisted on wearing pants way before it was acceptable. She was a thinker who insisted on being herself, even if society and the scientific community didn’t know what to do with her. The book explains scientific concepts and what basic research is in context and there are short inserted sections on topics such as women’s education in the early 20th century and what chromosomes actually are. The author does a great job of giving McClintock a personality and causing the reader to root for her. The digital artwork is an appealing complement to the text and a welcome tool to imagining McClintock’s life. I thought I would miss photographs of the subject, but the illustrations really do seem to capture this singular woman’s life. With a timeline, glossary, copious source notes for many of McClintock’s words, a bibliography and index, this is wonderful title to recommend to science-minded kids, especially those who don’t fit the mold.
February 4, 2025
Children's biography. I don't know that I had heard of Barbara McClintock before picking up this book. I really enjoyed the last biography I read by this author, What's a Germ, Joseph Lister?: The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal, and this one was also well done. Barbara McClintock is a Nobel Prize winning scientist important in the field of genetics. She did most of her research on corn, first confirming that genes were located in the chromosomes and later discovering that some genes "jumped" to other chromosomes. These were eventually given the name transposons and found (by other scientists) to exist in other species.
The science was explained clearly but not dumbed down. McClintock's lifestyle choices were also addressed, such as her refusal to wear dresses or long hair, to get married or have kids. She was dedicated to and passionate about her work, confident in her research even when it went underappreciated by others. Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, and suggested reading. An approachable, informative biography for upper elementary aged readers and up.
I based my review on a digital ARC provided by netgalley and the publisher.
The science was explained clearly but not dumbed down. McClintock's lifestyle choices were also addressed, such as her refusal to wear dresses or long hair, to get married or have kids. She was dedicated to and passionate about her work, confident in her research even when it went underappreciated by others. Back matter includes a timeline, glossary, and suggested reading. An approachable, informative biography for upper elementary aged readers and up.
I based my review on a digital ARC provided by netgalley and the publisher.
September 4, 2024
Thank you, Lori Alexander and NetGalley, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!
This was such a quick and easy read. It's such a great book, and I loved the pictures in it. It teaches you a lot, and I certainly learned a thing or two my science classes never taught me. This truly will be a great book for anyone, in my opinion. It's dosent drag, and it's well paced. You'll definitely finish this in one sitting, and it's not negative. To me, I seem to find a pot of science books that drag and seem negative, and that just sucks. This one was wonderful and lighthearted.
Do you love science? Learning new things? How about corn and how one woman's research changed the world as she dug deep into the life of corn! Read and see what life was like for a woman in the past and what all she was accomplished, and how she changed our world.
I definitely enjoyed reading this and would recommend it for even adults because I learned a few things from it.
This was such a quick and easy read. It's such a great book, and I loved the pictures in it. It teaches you a lot, and I certainly learned a thing or two my science classes never taught me. This truly will be a great book for anyone, in my opinion. It's dosent drag, and it's well paced. You'll definitely finish this in one sitting, and it's not negative. To me, I seem to find a pot of science books that drag and seem negative, and that just sucks. This one was wonderful and lighthearted.
Do you love science? Learning new things? How about corn and how one woman's research changed the world as she dug deep into the life of corn! Read and see what life was like for a woman in the past and what all she was accomplished, and how she changed our world.
I definitely enjoyed reading this and would recommend it for even adults because I learned a few things from it.
July 28, 2024
I adored Seeds of Discovery! This is a fantastic book for young readers about Barbara McClintock, a scientist who researched genetics in corn. I might have heard Barbara's name before, but definitely did not know much about her. It was fascinating to learn about all of the research that she worked on and how she overcame the discrimination that she faced. I think the illustrations were really well done, and added a lot of character to this book. Even as an adult reader, I was fascinated and immediately turned to the internet to learn more about Barbara. This book will be great for inspiring young readers.
Thanks to NetGalley, Lori Alexander, and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley, Lori Alexander, and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.
January 21, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!
I really enjoyed learning about Barbara McClintock, a scientist who I had never heard of before. She finally won the Nobel Prize in 1974 after many years of research in the area of genetics, particularly around the ways that genes can move between chromosomes. It was interesting to learn about her life (defying expectations for girls and women) by wearing pants, going onto higher education, and not getting married. The science was explained in a very accessible way. There was a good mix between biographical information about her life and scientific explanations. I loved the colorful illustrations, especially the different colors and fonts on pages. What an empowering book for girls who are interested in the sciences!
I really enjoyed learning about Barbara McClintock, a scientist who I had never heard of before. She finally won the Nobel Prize in 1974 after many years of research in the area of genetics, particularly around the ways that genes can move between chromosomes. It was interesting to learn about her life (defying expectations for girls and women) by wearing pants, going onto higher education, and not getting married. The science was explained in a very accessible way. There was a good mix between biographical information about her life and scientific explanations. I loved the colorful illustrations, especially the different colors and fonts on pages. What an empowering book for girls who are interested in the sciences!
February 1, 2025
I admit that I misunderstood the age group for this book, but I’m glad I read it! I didn’t know much about Barbara McClintock, which is unfortunate as I have studied biology. The pictures were so pretty and helpful in understanding trickier science.
The theme of Barbara fearlessly going against the grain of society held true throughout her life’s work. I would have loved this book as a girl and will definitely introduce it to my children when they are older.
The only thing that kept coming to mind is that there might be room to recognize Native American “seed keepers” as they have been doing similar work (less formally) for centuries. “The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson is a fiction book on this topic.
((ARC provided by NetGalley))
The theme of Barbara fearlessly going against the grain of society held true throughout her life’s work. I would have loved this book as a girl and will definitely introduce it to my children when they are older.
The only thing that kept coming to mind is that there might be room to recognize Native American “seed keepers” as they have been doing similar work (less formally) for centuries. “The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson is a fiction book on this topic.
((ARC provided by NetGalley))
April 5, 2025
Lori Alexander is the Sibert Honor Award winning author of two other fascinating middle grade science books, but they both feature men. Barbara McClintock is a wonderful subject -- a female scientist who discovered how genes mutate at a time when women were expected to marry, not do research. Alexander manages to write a biography that includes an introduction to genetics so kids can understand what her research was about as well as an introduction to CRISPR technology (yes, in one slim volume to read in one go) so kids know how her research has fueled and supported other research. And she also makes clear how difficult it was to navigate science as a career as a woman in the 1940's and 50's. A wonderful addition to kids' science biographies!
September 17, 2025
This colorful book tell s the story of Barbara McClintock's life, starting when she was very young, and incorporating all the everyday sexism of the early 20th century. Barbara was a singular person, focused on her experiments throughout her whole life. That quiet dedication helped her make big discoveries about genes, even though not everyone recognized them while she was making them. She didn't do big lectures of big things, she just focused on her research and eventually she was recognized.
This book made all that work clear and interesting. It even touched on how men stole rosalind Franklin's work without getting too deep into it. Easy to read, but lots of great information about a woman I didn't know much about previously.
This book made all that work clear and interesting. It even touched on how men stole rosalind Franklin's work without getting too deep into it. Easy to read, but lots of great information about a woman I didn't know much about previously.
June 30, 2025
This is a quick little read I found while waiting for the book I really wanted. This turned out to be very interesting. As a retired teacher I think this would be a great book to play to a middle school science class along with a “listening for answers” worksheet. This book teaches that determination, good work ethics and not giving up produces desired results, eventually! It’s also a good lesson that girls can be successful at science! I’m so glad I stumbled onto this great little book!
August 2, 2025
Strong women accomplish great things just as Barbara McClintock did. This title is full of interesting scientific data regarding Ms. McClintock’s research on corn & maize and how that research was the foundation for our knowledge of genetics across plants and animals. The colorful and whimsical illustrations support the text and provide greater understanding of some intricate information. Many nonfiction features make this an ideal title for 3rd to 7th graders.
April 18, 2025
What a fascinating woman! It would be fun to do a unit on characteristics of successful people. McClintock was quirky and fiercely independent and definitely didn’t like skirts (of all things to make a stink about). But dang! Did she persevere. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend buying it for your elementary library.
July 6, 2025
A fascinating biography about the Nobel award-winning scientist Barbara McClintock and her study and discovery of genes and DNA. This is a chapter book and details not only the life of this great scientist but goes into quite a bit of detail regarding the specifics of her work and discoveries. This would be a fantastic read for a middle school science class discussing this branch of science.
January 27, 2026
Biography of Nobel prize winner Barbara McClintock whose pioneering work in genetics (studying corn), set the stage for the unlocking of the structure of DNA. McClintock was ahead of her time and spent her life bucking society’s “rules” for women.
February 2, 2025
A short, delightful read about the lasting impact of one tenacious woman in STEM.
February 9, 2025
My horrible grades in science still apply today.
February 28, 2025
Really easy to read and understand.
Read
March 25, 2025an engaging story about an impactful person who effected so much
of the science we know today, so many obstacles and so much knowledge
& work in one life of exploration
of the science we know today, so many obstacles and so much knowledge
& work in one life of exploration
April 14, 2025
It was good to learn about Barbara during Women's History Month. She's so inspiring.
December 22, 2025
Nice biography, covers her whole life.
February 28, 2025
4 1/2 stars. From childhood Barbara was driven by a love of science. Born in 1906 her joyful interests propelled her, enabling her to repeatedly defy gender conventions and push through constraints to make groundbreaking genetic discoveries. Twelve short chapters that focus on Barbara’s life and legacy are supported by ten substantive asides that explain scientific concepts or provide historic background. Many charming vignettes in 1950s hues illustrate scenes from Barbara’s life and clarify scientific ideas. Readers gain an enhanced understanding of genetic research and an appreciation of a unique individual whose delight in pursuing her passion allowed her to disregard sexism, scorn, and slights, eventually earning a Nobel Prize at eighty-one. A few final asides raise questions that distract focus. A digression on using gene splicing to recreate wooly mammoths to help with climate change - something about them reducing arctic snow cover by stomping on snow and thus less sunlight is reflected, or the earth is less insulated / some tricky counter intuitive theory - unfairly pulls attention from the more than worthy woman and her research on corn. Extensive back matter includes illustrated timeline, glossary, source notes, bibliography, additional reading, photo credits, and index.
February 5, 2026
ALA ALSC Notable 2026
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews