|
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science
Last updated Sunday, August 15, 2021
Author: Joyce Sidman
Date of Publication: 2018
ISBN: 0544717139
Grade Level: 4th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Aug. 2021
Synopsis:
Bugs, of all kinds, were considered to be "born of mud" and to be "beasts of the devil." Why would anyone, let alone a girl, want to study and observe them?
One of the first naturalists to observe live insects directly, Maria Sibylla Merian was also one of the first to document the metamorphosis of the butterfly. In this visual nonfiction biography, richly illustrated throughout with full-color original paintings by Merian herself, the Newbery Honor-winning author Joyce Sidman paints her own picture of one of the first female entomologists and a woman who flouted convention in the pursuit of knowledge and her passion for insects.
| Note to readers: |
| • |
This PDF contains the first nine chapters of the book.
|
| • |
Chapter 1 begins on page 18.
|
| • |
Butterfly Glossary on pages 9-12.
|
| • |
Each chapter contains a quote or a history blurb that elaborates.
|
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
| • |
School is starting in two days. How do you feel about that, especially since everyone will be masking up?
|
| • |
Can you name the insects on the cover?
|
| • |
Have you seen any of these insects in real life?
|
| • |
What do you like to draw/paint/watercolor/sketch?
Vocabulary
|
| • |
Emerald – bright green in color
|
| • |
Despise – to look down on with disrespect
|
| • |
Lore – a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group
|
| • |
Apprentices – a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer
|
| • |
Outlandish – looking or sounding bizarre or unfamiliar
|
| • |
Precarious – dangerously likely to fall or collapse; depend on chance.
|
| • |
Spontaneous – performed or occurring as a result of a sudden inner impulse
|
| • |
embellish – make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorate details
|
| • |
voracious – wanting or devouring great quantities of food
|
| • |
finicky – fussy about one’s needs or requirements
|
| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
| • |
What country is Maria from?
|
| • |
What kind of business does her family run in Frankfurt?
|
| • |
During that era, what were people referring to when they saw “summer birds?”
|
| • |
During that time what was used to create different colored paints?
|
| • |
Who taught Maria how to paint flowers for profit?
|
| • |
What were silkworms raised for?
|
| • |
Have you caught any insects and conducted experiments on them before?
|
*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
|
