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Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner
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.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2020
4 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
Janice N. Harrington
19 books44 followersHarrington’s writing reflects her beginnings in rural Alabama and her life in the Midwest. A former librarian and professional storyteller, Harrington now teaches creative writing in the Department of English at the University of Illinois.
-from janiceharrington.com
-from janiceharrington.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 12, 2022
I’m short on time to write reviews these days, so rather than not post at all, I’ll keep this brief and simply recommend it. It’s interesting and engaging and has excellent back matter. Here’s the opening: “Questions that itched like mosquito bites, questions that tickled like spider webs, questions you just couldn’t shoo away! Questions hopped through Charles Henry Turner’s mind like grasshoppers. His brain buzzed with questions about plants and animals and bugs.”
January 9, 2020
Another amazing scientist who should be more famous, this biography will add to the recent growing collection of good picture book biographies of non-white-male people who overcame odds and did great things. In this case, Charles Henry Turner overcame racism to follow his curiosity and write an incredible number of ground-breaking scientific papers exploring different aspects of insect behavior.
April 8, 2022
This children's book biography of Charles Henry Turner shows how he answered his buzzing questions with experimentation, observation and patience. He studied the behavior of spiders, bees, ants, cockroaches, doodle bugs, and wasps! One of the experiments can be done right in your house with only jar with a lid, a stick, lots of patience, and...a spider!
February 3, 2021
Without a doubt, Charles was a boy with questions.
His teacher encouraged him to search for his answers. And that's exactly what he did. After finishing high school, Charles Henry Turner did what very few African Americans did in 1886 -- he went to college.
He was the only brown-skinned man in the class and his white professor was worried about how he would be received. But the other students enjoyed the company of their fellow hard-working student.
Charles spent hours "peering through microscopes, planning experiments, gathering specimens, keeping records, drawing charts, ad reading scientific papers." His curiosity knew no limits.
Could spiders learn, or were they only weaving machines that made the same web over and over?
How did ants find their way home? Did the sun guide them? Did they follow a trail?
Searching for answers led to devising experiments. Which led to more information and more discoveries.
Along with his high school students, Charles investigated bee behavior. First, they fed them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When they only set out jam at breakfast, the bees still buzzed and circled at other meal times. From that, they deduced that bees had a sense of time.
Bees, giant water bugs, whirligig beetles, dragonfly nymphs, water striders, paper wasps, hornets, or tent caterpillars. Charles studied them all.
His mazes, spider jars, paper circles, and cardboard stages toppled old ideas about insects. He never stopped inventing new ways to study the smallest creatures, searching for new ideas, or asking new questions.
Despite facing racial prejudice, Charles became an integral part of his St. Louis community. He hoped that by studying biology, people could see the connections between all living things.
Charles Henry Turner, the boy whose teacher urged him "to go and find out," grew into a teacher himself, a devoted scholar who taught students to look closely, to find the webs that connect us all, and--just as he did--to fill the world with questions, questions, questions.
BACK MATTER
Resources at the back of the book include why Ms. Harrrington wrote this book, a timeline, and other resources. It is a great curriculum resource for Kindergarten-third grade classrooms and STEM book.
His teacher encouraged him to search for his answers. And that's exactly what he did. After finishing high school, Charles Henry Turner did what very few African Americans did in 1886 -- he went to college.
He was the only brown-skinned man in the class and his white professor was worried about how he would be received. But the other students enjoyed the company of their fellow hard-working student.
Charles spent hours "peering through microscopes, planning experiments, gathering specimens, keeping records, drawing charts, ad reading scientific papers." His curiosity knew no limits.
Could spiders learn, or were they only weaving machines that made the same web over and over?
How did ants find their way home? Did the sun guide them? Did they follow a trail?
Searching for answers led to devising experiments. Which led to more information and more discoveries.
Along with his high school students, Charles investigated bee behavior. First, they fed them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When they only set out jam at breakfast, the bees still buzzed and circled at other meal times. From that, they deduced that bees had a sense of time.
Bees, giant water bugs, whirligig beetles, dragonfly nymphs, water striders, paper wasps, hornets, or tent caterpillars. Charles studied them all.
His mazes, spider jars, paper circles, and cardboard stages toppled old ideas about insects. He never stopped inventing new ways to study the smallest creatures, searching for new ideas, or asking new questions.
Despite facing racial prejudice, Charles became an integral part of his St. Louis community. He hoped that by studying biology, people could see the connections between all living things.
Charles Henry Turner, the boy whose teacher urged him "to go and find out," grew into a teacher himself, a devoted scholar who taught students to look closely, to find the webs that connect us all, and--just as he did--to fill the world with questions, questions, questions.
BACK MATTER
Resources at the back of the book include why Ms. Harrrington wrote this book, a timeline, and other resources. It is a great curriculum resource for Kindergarten-third grade classrooms and STEM book.
November 6, 2020
Buzzing with Questions is a biography of Charles Henry Turner for young children. While it is on the point about details of Turner's life, it also brought up about the methods of how he studied insects he collected. Overall, this book serves as a brief introductory of the man himself to children, underlying the significance of asking questions as being part of a scientist's responsibility. The text is not overwhelming and the digital art is vibrant, allowing children to hopefully seek out more information about Charles Henry Turner.
December 21, 2020
Interesting topic & Black scientist I did not know about. But the actual writing felt disconnected to me while reading it.
November 21, 2021
I need to get this for my library. What an important scientist and source of inspiration for future entomologists. The book is a little long for a read aloud in my setting, but would be great as part of a biography unit. I need new biographies, so many of mine are old and written at a 6th grade reading level.
March 18, 2022
A fine story - for anyone.
Would love to see this book in every grade school!
Would love to see this book in every grade school!
May 13, 2025
an incredible children's biography about a man who I had never heard of until now! I have since gone down a Google rabbit hole! Great read!
December 6, 2021
"Questions that itched like mosquito bites, questions that tickled like spider webs, questions you just couldn't shoo away! Questions hopped through Charles Henry Turner's mind like grasshoppers. His brain buzzed with questions about plants and animals and bugs.
His parents’ home swarmed with books, but never enough books to answer all his questions. Charles Henry Turner asked so many questions that his teacher urged him to ‘go and find out.’
And Charles did.” (First two pages)
The author, Janice N. Harrington, threads the word “indefatigable” throughout this fascinating narrative about Charles Henry Turner, clearly making the case that this amazing, little-known historical figure was inquisitive, insightful and thorough (as well as perseverant) in his research. What’s even more amazing is that he did this in a time period when many African Americans had very limited access to learning; he was born in 1867!
A big part of this book is focused on Turner’s specific questions and how he went about finding answers. Harrington explains in kid-friendly details Turners methods for research – as a child and a student and an experienced scientist. For example, as a child, he wondered if spiders could learn. Harrington describes how Turner searched for and observed spider webs in the wild (“trudged through meadows, inspected stone walls, and scouted the sides of railroad tracks…”). Then he designed his at-home lab experiences to answer additional questions (“He filled the bottom of the jar with sand and pushed a post into the sand…”). Later as an adult he had questions about ants (“big-headed ants, false hone ants, and odorous house ants—all kinds of ants”) and how he “marked their abdomens with watercolors” (to tell them apart) and built “obstacle courses” and so on. Extremely interesting.
Theodore Taylor III’s digital illustrations are vivid and serve young readers well. The illustrations TELL the story without the words but also support the ideas Harrington expresses in words.
This would make for a GRAND READ ALOUD in grades 2-5. I’d read this aloud to launch a unit of study focused on asking questions, on observing, on the natural world around us. Read aloud to students just for the JOY of learning about this amazing, indefatigable individual. Then read it aloud again or give small groups time to read it aloud as they ponder questions like the following:
• How was Turner indefatigable (“a person who persists tirelessly”- Google)?
• How did Turner’s questions guide his research?
• How would you describe his methods for research?
• Why is knowing about this individual helpful to you as a young scientist?
OH, AND THE VOCABULARY IS DELICIOUS!!! Yes, there’s “indefatigable” but there’s also buzzed, urged, peering, planning, gathering, searched, trudged, toppled…
BTW when I have heard the Harrington speak, she is a FANTASTIC story teller!
His parents’ home swarmed with books, but never enough books to answer all his questions. Charles Henry Turner asked so many questions that his teacher urged him to ‘go and find out.’
And Charles did.” (First two pages)
The author, Janice N. Harrington, threads the word “indefatigable” throughout this fascinating narrative about Charles Henry Turner, clearly making the case that this amazing, little-known historical figure was inquisitive, insightful and thorough (as well as perseverant) in his research. What’s even more amazing is that he did this in a time period when many African Americans had very limited access to learning; he was born in 1867!
A big part of this book is focused on Turner’s specific questions and how he went about finding answers. Harrington explains in kid-friendly details Turners methods for research – as a child and a student and an experienced scientist. For example, as a child, he wondered if spiders could learn. Harrington describes how Turner searched for and observed spider webs in the wild (“trudged through meadows, inspected stone walls, and scouted the sides of railroad tracks…”). Then he designed his at-home lab experiences to answer additional questions (“He filled the bottom of the jar with sand and pushed a post into the sand…”). Later as an adult he had questions about ants (“big-headed ants, false hone ants, and odorous house ants—all kinds of ants”) and how he “marked their abdomens with watercolors” (to tell them apart) and built “obstacle courses” and so on. Extremely interesting.
Theodore Taylor III’s digital illustrations are vivid and serve young readers well. The illustrations TELL the story without the words but also support the ideas Harrington expresses in words.
This would make for a GRAND READ ALOUD in grades 2-5. I’d read this aloud to launch a unit of study focused on asking questions, on observing, on the natural world around us. Read aloud to students just for the JOY of learning about this amazing, indefatigable individual. Then read it aloud again or give small groups time to read it aloud as they ponder questions like the following:
• How was Turner indefatigable (“a person who persists tirelessly”- Google)?
• How did Turner’s questions guide his research?
• How would you describe his methods for research?
• Why is knowing about this individual helpful to you as a young scientist?
OH, AND THE VOCABULARY IS DELICIOUS!!! Yes, there’s “indefatigable” but there’s also buzzed, urged, peering, planning, gathering, searched, trudged, toppled…
BTW when I have heard the Harrington speak, she is a FANTASTIC story teller!
August 17, 2020
Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner is a biographical children's picture book written by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III. It is a thorough biography of early African American scientist Charles Henry Turner.
Charles Henry Turner was an American zoologist, educator, and comparative psychologist, known for his studies on the behavior of insects, particularly bees and ants.
Harrington's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, informative, and lyrical. Harrington's conversational, sometimes lyrical prose tells the story of African-American entomologist and zoologist Charles Henry Turner in his quest to learn all he could about insects. Backmatter includes an author's note precedes a timeline, an extensive source list, and a selected list of Turner's papers. Taylor's cartoon-like illustrations shows Turner observing specimens and conducting experiments to learn how ants find their way home.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Turner pursued his passion for entomology and experimentation, attending college and publishing more than fifty scientific papers while facing prejudice in the American South.
All in all, Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner is a well-written tribute to a deserving champion of science.
Charles Henry Turner was an American zoologist, educator, and comparative psychologist, known for his studies on the behavior of insects, particularly bees and ants.
Harrington's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, informative, and lyrical. Harrington's conversational, sometimes lyrical prose tells the story of African-American entomologist and zoologist Charles Henry Turner in his quest to learn all he could about insects. Backmatter includes an author's note precedes a timeline, an extensive source list, and a selected list of Turner's papers. Taylor's cartoon-like illustrations shows Turner observing specimens and conducting experiments to learn how ants find their way home.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Turner pursued his passion for entomology and experimentation, attending college and publishing more than fifty scientific papers while facing prejudice in the American South.
All in all, Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner is a well-written tribute to a deserving champion of science.
November 6, 2020
Interesting to think of how he designed the experiments to learn what he did. The one about bees and color is very cool.
And, it's an inspiring story of a boy who fought against expectations and societal norms to become a scientist.
Would pair well with stories about Maria Merian like Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian or The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science because she exhibited the same patience when investigating insects.
And, it's an inspiring story of a boy who fought against expectations and societal norms to become a scientist.
Would pair well with stories about Maria Merian like Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian or The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science because she exhibited the same patience when investigating insects.
November 4, 2022
I love the author's note as much as the book that a Black librarian wanted to write a picture book biography about Charles Henry Turner because she discovered him but realized no one really knew who he was.
Between the amount of information in the book that's a little bit bulkier (but not overwhelming) provides a well-rounded and inspiring tale of a boy who had so many questions to ask of the world and asked them and observed and found the answers. He asked questions about whether spiders just innately weave webs or is there some thought process for them, he asked how ants knew their way home, and if bees saw color.
The bright pages and movement and action accompanying the text works so well.
Between the amount of information in the book that's a little bit bulkier (but not overwhelming) provides a well-rounded and inspiring tale of a boy who had so many questions to ask of the world and asked them and observed and found the answers. He asked questions about whether spiders just innately weave webs or is there some thought process for them, he asked how ants knew their way home, and if bees saw color.
The bright pages and movement and action accompanying the text works so well.
November 11, 2019
I enjoyed learning about Charles Henry Turner. This biography focuses on his fascinating experiments on various insects while placing him in the context of his time to show how he had to overcome prejudice and how he worked to make his community in St. Louis better, how he inspired his students. The illustrations by Theodore Taylor III, of him strolling through lush green grasses and observing bugs closely always with an expression of deep kindness and respect coupled with the obvious admiration of the author, Janice N. Harrington, for her subject, makes this book a lovely read. I hope it leads many people to discover Charles Henry Turner.
August 2, 2020
“Biology could help people see the connections among all living things. Biology taught us to think less about ourselves and more about others.”
Charles Henry Turner never stopped asking questions “Questions that itched like mosquito bites”, and never stopped observing the world. He was passionate, persistent and “indefatigable.” He became “an internationally admired entomologist and one of the leading African American scientists of his time.” And though he often faced racial prejudice, he was generous and compassionate, working to better his community after the East St. Louis Riot.
A very inspirational read. Includes an author’s note, timeline and an extensive bibliography.
Charles Henry Turner never stopped asking questions “Questions that itched like mosquito bites”, and never stopped observing the world. He was passionate, persistent and “indefatigable.” He became “an internationally admired entomologist and one of the leading African American scientists of his time.” And though he often faced racial prejudice, he was generous and compassionate, working to better his community after the East St. Louis Riot.
A very inspirational read. Includes an author’s note, timeline and an extensive bibliography.
September 24, 2022
We always enjoy a good picture book biography at our house, and this one went very nicely with our current science unit. The author cleverly uses words normally associated with insects whenever she can, so those were fun to hear and anticipate. Charles Henry Turner is a person worth knowing, and we enjoyed learning about the word "indefatigable" as it related to him - lots of examples of hard work and determination. This would be good, too, as an introduction to the scientific method. It talked a lot about Turner's questions, which led him to test theories on many different natural science topics, most of which seemed to center on insects.
November 12, 2020
I'd love to see a review written by a reader from the intended audience. Many of the reviews seem to have an adult expectation of a child's book. I'd say the target range is 6-8 years old, maybe 10 years old. My eight year old loved it and told me, "Mom, you have to read this book!!" She doesn't say that too often. I agreed, I enjoyed it. There is some discussion about the St. Louis riots and a drawing of burning buildings if your child may be sensitive to that.
Overall, definitely happy we read this!
Overall, definitely happy we read this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2021
This is a very interesting and engaging look at the famous scientist, Charles Henry Turner. Entymology is very fun for students and will likely lead to many check outs for this one. There are pieces in there about the challenges faced by the scientist due to issues faced by African Americans in our country in his lifetime. The illustrations done by Theodore Taylor III are bright and engaging. I have talked to students much about back matter this year and the back matter is wonderfully done for this picture book biography.
July 11, 2023
I didn’t feel like the writing was fantastic in this book - it felt a little disjointed. But at the same time, it was interesting and all of us enjoyed learning about Charles H. Turner - the boy who asked so many questions, was told to “go and find out,” and he did! The kids especially enjoyed learning about his bee experiment where he definitively proved that bees could see color. :) lots of interesting info about scientific study within the realm of biology!
February 11, 2020
I am glad to learn about Charles Henry Turner. I think I would introduce it to students and let them choose to read it on their own. The drawings are colorful and interesting to just stare at. I think the author did it on purpose, but the repetitive text was not interesting to read. I think she did it for emphasis sake, but it doesn't add to the value of the story.
May 3, 2021
Informative and engaging, this biography for young readers provides a condensed summary of the life of Charles Henry Turner. I will have to re-read this with my son when we have more time to discuss - the book does touch on some of the prejudice that Turner faced, and bedtime reading did not lend enough time to thoroughly answer all of the questions that my seven year old had about those parts.
September 21, 2023
This is a nice biography about a man who always asked “Why”. Why do ants not get lost? Can bees see in color? Can a cockroach learn? It is by asking questions and studying the animals that scientific knowledge is gained. Charles Henry Turner was a man of his time, whose constant questioning led to many scientific discoveries.
December 6, 2024
This biography of biologist Charles Henry Turner intrigued my kids. It does a good job of using evocative language to describe his questions and experiments. Even before we finished reading it, my son wanted to replicate some of the experiments. The only drawback is that this gets loooong for a picture book. But that’s minor.
June 18, 2020
This is a wonderful story about Charles Henry Turner, an indefatigable scientist, who overcame racial prejudice and followed his inquisitive mind to keep asking and finding answers to all kinds of questions.
February 15, 2023
This is a beautiful history, science, and ELA mentor text. My students were sitting upright, eyes fixed on the screen to listen to things that they had never heard of, and to learn about a person in Black History that isn't brought up very often. It makes me happy because I love science, so to have a text that touches on all 3 of my favorite subjects is amazing. Great text. Highly recommend!
February 25, 2025
A nice introduction to a scientist/entomologist who deserves more recognition. Comes with a useful biography and timeline, as well as sources for further study. I hope this book inspires many young readers to pursue a love of science and nature!
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November 30, 2019Engaging biography about a new-to-me scientist who broke color barrier and was a gifted teacher.
December 16, 2019
Very interesting man but a slightly boring book. Both the text and the illustrations were just so-so.
January 10, 2020
Although a bit wordy, I think kids will get a kick out of this story of a man who studied the science of bugs.
October 13, 2020
Enjoyed the story and learning about a person history that I don't remember being exposed to. I also look forward to getting more books about Charles H. Turner for my kids to continue to read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews