Total Pageviews

Sunday, June 26, 2022

The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything: The Story of Marie Mitchell. Written by Laura Alary and illustrated by Ellen Rooney. Kids Can Press, 2022. $21.99 ages 8 and up


"The captain wasn't so sure. What could a girl 
possibly know of mathematics and machines? 
But what choice did he have? Maria set to work, 
her mind whirling with numbers, calculations, and 
measurements as tiny and precise as the springs 
and gears of the chronometer. 

She did not make a single mistake."

Born in the early 1800s, there were expectations of Maria to do what all young girls and women did at the time. There was so much more Maria wanted to do with her life. Balancing the duties expected of her with her innate curiosity, she made time to get outside in the wider world and extend her collections. She gathered natural elements that she found while, at the same time, ideas and words filled her thoughts. She was constantly on the lookout for something special. 

Even as an adult, her search for more was continuous. She longed to leave her island home in search of more. Whaling ships did not provide a solution; her interest in the stars and the role they played in guiding those ships was more to her liking. She looked to her father, a man of science, to teach her how to use a sextant to learn about the sky and its many wonders. She noted every discovery in her notebook. On the day her father was unavailable to help a ship's captain get his chronometer fixed; Maria stepped in and did the job. Her father was quick to reward her with a quiet place to do her writing and dreaming. 

Maria was a determined child and woman, never content to do what others expected of her. 

"She was a dreamer. 
A wonderer. A collector. 
She had to keep looking. 

But she also had to make a living."

Maria was not one to sit still. She started her own school. She became a librarian which led to new learning, and finally an opportunity to be the first person in the world to spot a new comet. Her search ended with a brand-new discovery, and a chance to make a name for herself in scientific circles. Offered a job as a professor of astronomy in New York, she found her calling and a use for all the knowledge she had gathered.  It took tenacity to be the teacher she wanted to be, and to encourage her students to do as she had done: ask questions, learn as much as possible, and put a rest to the expectations of others for the life they wanted to live. 

She passed the message to young family members as well, encouraging them to question everything. It remains an important lesson today. Well-written and appealing, this book offers readers a chance to learn about a woman of science whose wonder at the world led her to discover much about herself. 
Ellen Rooney uses collage artwork to take readers back in time, providing context for the information presented about a woman whose life is not well-known, and should be. 

Back matter includes an author’s note about life in Mitchell’s era, her Quaker background, and her belief in freedom of choice for boys and girls, as well as a list of resources. 

No comments:

Post a Comment