The Bug Girl: Maria Merian's Scientific Vision

by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Author) Filippo Vanzo (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
As a girl in the mid 1600s, Maria Merian was fascinated with insects, but the superstitious called bugs evil. Filled with curiosity, she began to study and paint them. This gorgeously illustrated biography celebrates a fascinating female pioneer who broke boundaries in both the arts and sciences. Full color.
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$16.99

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3--In Frankfurt, Germany, in the 1650s, a young girl called Maria Merian explored her interest in insects, wandering the gardens observing bugs. Her passion was not shared by the town's people, who believed that insects were nothing more than evil shape-shifters created by "spontaneous generation." Nonetheless, Maria started collecting silkworms and their eggs, which she studied at home. Maria knew how to draw and paint watercolors as well, skills she learned from her stepfather. On her canvases, she documented her observations, sketching silkworms, larvae, mulberry leaves, and hatched silkworm eggs. The subject's childhood passion inspired her to document her findings in artwork books that brought her recognition among scientists, collectors, and royalty; she was also acknowledged as the first woman entomologist. Marsh shows how Merian encouraged girls to pursue their interests despite societal standards. Vanzo's illustrations include transformative depictions of nature based on digital images of Maria Merian Sibylla's hand-colored engravings that takes readers back to the 17th and early 18th century. The comfortably large black text is organized through the pages, facilitating a storytime activity in a classroom or library setting for school-aged children. An author's note offers engaging details of Maria Merian's life. VERDICT A fresh and captivating offering for elementary science units on entomology.--Kathia Ibacache, Simi Valley Public Library, CA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"The text smoothly incorporates biographical and historical information into a well-told story... A pleasing introduction to a notable woman, scientist, and illustrator." —Booklist
Sarah Glenn Marsh
Sarah Glenn Marsh is the author of the Reign of the Fallen series. An avid fantasy reader from the day her dad handed her a copy of The Hobbit and promised it would change her life, she's been making up words and worlds ever since. Sarah lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and their tiny zoo of four rescued sighthounds, two birds, and many fish.

Ishaa Lobo is a British Indian illustrator based in London specializing in children's books. Her work is often inspired by nature, colorful interiors, and snippets of everyday life.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780807592571
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date
February 01, 2019
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Art
JNF051150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Zoology
JNF007090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology
JNF003120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Insects, Spiders, etc.
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF051170 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Discoveries
Library of Congress categories
Insects
Biographies
Picture books
Illustrators
Scientists
Germany
Naturalists
Entomologists
Merian, Maria Sibylla
Women naturalists
Scientific illustrators
Botanical illustration

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