Maria Sibylla Merian Artist, Scientist, Adventurer

A Moonbeam Children’s Books Gold Award Winner, Sarah B. Pomeroy and Jeyaraney Kathirithamby’s picture book Maria Sibylla Merian is the first biography of the celebrated artist, scientist, and adventurer written for ages 10 and up to enchant budding scientists and artists alike.

In 1660, at the age of 13, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717) began her study of butterfly metamorphosis—years before any other scientist published an accurate description of the process. Later, Merian and her daughter ventured thousands of miles from their home in the Netherlands to the rainforests of South America seeking new and amazing insects to observe and illustrate.

Years after her death, Merian’s accurate and beautiful illustrations were used by scientists, including Carl Linnaeus, to classify species, and today her prints and paintings are prized by museums around the world. More than a dozen species of plants and animals are named after Merian.

With its lively text, quotations from Merian’s own study book, and fascinating sidebars on history, art, and science, this volume is an ideal STEAM title for readers of all ages and interests—who will be inspired by Merian’s talent, curiosity, and grit and will be swept up in the story of her life, which was adventurous even by today’s standards.

Sarah B. Pomeroy is Distinguished Professor of Classics and History, Emerita, at Hunter College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York. She is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of women’s history and has changed the paradigm in the field of classical studies. Her many publications about Greek and Roman women and ancient history include Xenophon Oeconomicus: A Social and Historical Commentary, Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece: Representations and Realities, and Pythagorean Women: Their History and Writings. She wrote Maria Sibylla Merian for her seven grandchildren. Jeyaraney Kathirithamby was a Rhodes Visiting Fellow and is an entomologist at the Department of Zoology and St. Hugh’s College, University of Oxford. She is the world authority on the entomophagous parasitoid Strepsiptera and has traveled to Asia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Europe, and North and South America for collection of material. She has published over 100 scientific papers, and in collaboration with her husband, Malcolm Davies, she has written a book, Greek Insects.