Summer weather has finally arrived. The mosquitoes are busy making us itch, the worms are close to the surface of the garden soil, butterflies and bees flit from flower to flower drinking nectar and spreading pollen. It's a great time to be outside. When you need a break from the heat and mosquitoes, head to the library to check out these two book and learn about two incredible entomologists.
Title: The Bug Girl: Maria Merian's Scientific Vision
Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Illustrator: Filippo Vanzo
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2019
Opening: As a young girl growing up in the 1650's, Maria Merian was curious about everything. Her hometown of Frankfurt Germany, was full of creatures that crawled, flew, and scuttled. Butterflies were her favorite insect because their wings held a rainbow of colors. She could watch for hours as the butterflies flitted around the flowers blooming near her home.
Why I like this book:
This is a wonderful picture book biography about Maria Merian and her scientific illustrations. I had never heard the phrase "spontaneous generation" before reading this book. It opens the door to so many topics of discussion.
* Encourages kids to study the living world around them.
* Women scientists in the 1600's
* Spontaneous generation -- seeing how taking the time to understand the world around us changes our world view.
* Women artists
* Curiosity
*Forging ahead even when it is not the popular thing to do.
Title: Small Wonders: Jean-Henry Fabre & His World of Insects
Author: Matthew Clark Smith
Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri
Publisher: Two Lions, 2015
Opening: Once there was a village in the sunny south of France: a village much like any other, where the cocks crowed and the church bells rang, and everyone seemed to know his or her place. Everyone, that is, but one.
At the very edge of town, behind high walls and plane trees, there stood a pink house. In the house lived an old man with beetle black eyes and a black felt hat who talked to animals. Whether he was a sorcerer, or simply a madman, no one could agree.
Why I like this book:
I love learning about people who studied nature and paved the way for us to have a better understanding of the world around us. Jean-Henry Fabre loved nature and insects and spent his life studying them and writing about them.
This book starts like a scary story with the old man in the black coat and hat coming from the pink house. We don't know who is man is and yet, the President of France is coming to visit him. How curious.
Activities for both books:
Make your own Nature Journal.
Start a Nature Journal. See what you notice throughout the year about the insects and nature around you. Here are some tips about nature journaling.
Raise a caterpillar and watch the metamorphosis process. Keep track of it in your nature journal. Then set your butterfly or moth free. This time of year, you can find eggs and caterpillars to bring in and raise on your own. You probably already know that Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. Did you know you might find a swallowtail egg or caterpillar on a dill plant. I wonder where you might find a Cabbage White caterpillar?
Learn about a cocoon and a chrysalis. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
You can download and read books by Jean-Henri Fabre.
Learn more about Maria Sibylla Merian
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes.
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