SCIENCE
Engle, Margarita

Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Challenging the superstition that "summer birds"--butterflies and moths--were evil creatures spawned from mud, thirteen-year-old Maria Merian observed their life cycles and painted them. Despite a few terminology flubs (substituting cocoon for chrysalis), the book shines a light on a little-known seventeenth-century entomologist and artist. Decorative illustrations, often set against a white backdrop, are meticulous and richly detailed. An author's note is included.

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