Fearless World Traveler: Adventures of Marianne North, Botanical Artist

A life full of adventure with a lasting legacy. (Picture book/biography. 9-12)

Copyright 2021 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission. 

In this captivating picture book biography, Lawlor tells how Marianne North (1830-1890), born into great wealth in England, faced a total lack of support for her interests in music, art, and botany: "Marianne's mother said she was wasting her time." Trapped into a caretaking role until her father's death, she finally found freedom at age 40. She began to travel the world alone, painting the pictures of flowers and plants that fill her namesake gallery in London's Kew Gardens. Lawlor's narrative of North's astounding journeys on steamships, camels, and canoes weaves in direct quotes that capture her irrepressible spirit--"Did I not paint?... And wander and wonder at everything?" Stadtlander's vibrant watercolor and ink illustrations capture details--gimlet-eyed crocodiles, patterned carpet bags, a crab scuttling over a paint-smeared palette, "marauding crows" stealing "glittering tubes of paint"--that conjure the rich peculiarities of North's intrepid and privileged life. Ages 6-9. (May)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 2-4--This is a splendid account of Marianne North, who was born in England in 1830. Options for women in that time period were negligible. Her interests were music, drawing, painting, and exploring the natural world. Going to soirees and preparing herself for running a household bored her to tears. After her mother died, North did end up running her father's household as a dutiful daughter would but continued her study of botany and recorded specimens in her paintings. It was when her father died that she was finally able to do what it was she wanted, trekking all over the world and recording botanical and wildlife examples. North's paintings and her contribution to the botanical and natural sciences of the time were extraordinary (her paintings are the only images left of some extinct animals and plants), as was her determination to pursue goals that most women at the time could not. The illustrations are beautifully done, with attention and care carrying the spirit of North's paintings throughout. Back matter is included. This book would pair well with Barbara Cooney's Eleanor, covering another independent and courageous woman who gave back to the world. VERDICT A must for all libraries. This is an impeccably attuned biography of a woman who broke the rules to the benefit of all.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

★ The illustrations are beautifully done, with attention and care carrying the spirit of North's paintings throughout. . . . This is an impeccably attuned ­biography of a woman who broke the rules to the benefit of all. —School Library Journal, Starred Review

captivating . . . Stadtlander's vibrant watercolor and ink illustrations capture details—gimlet-eyed crocodiles, patterned carpet bags, a crab scuttling over a paint-smeared palette, 'marauding crows' stealing 'glittering tubes of paint'—that conjure the rich peculiarities of North's intrepid and privileged life.—Publishers Weekly

Stadtlander's artwork is intricate and full of detail. She includes almost every shade of green imaginable in her illustrations, which are lush and rich with life both extant and extinct. . . . Plenty of backmatter makes this book an excellent starting point both for further research and to teach children how much work goes into creating a nonfiction book. —Kirkus Reviews