Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science (Girls Who Love Science)

Delightful and inspiring! By telling the stories of three girl scientists through verse, Atkins illustrates the interrelationships between disciplines of knowledge and proves that science is integral to our everyday life and experiences of the world. Moreover, that girls have the power to transform our world with science. She poetically imagines with nuanced beauty the everyday experience of these ordinary girls, who achieved extraordinary things in science.Maria Marian is a girl curious about the world forbidden to her as a female of her time and place. As she courageously learns through observation and painting, Maria not only learns about nature and the beauty she finds in the life cycles of insects. In Atkins telling, as she discovers metamorphosis, she also learns to cope with her changing family life, and her transforming self. Throughout Maria’s life story, art interweaves with science and alters perspectives on and her experiences of the everyday world. Mary Anning and her father find the shape of animals and mysterious creatures in rocks. Following her father’s death, Mary continues their work discovering wonders and supplying fossils as specimens. The physical fossils she uncovers meld with imaginative prose to recover that which was lost to human knowledge. Lastly, Maria Mitchell studies patterns, mathematics, and the stars to satisfy her yearning for a world beyond her Quaker upbringing on an island. Through close observation to patterns and connections, she discovers a comet and opens up new opportunities for herself and other women in science.With poetry, Atkins melds biography with novelistic imagining. Her account of these three historic lives demonstrate the important contributions of girls and women to science. This would be a fantastic book for integrative teaching in classrooms. Or a wonderful gift for a young girl in your life.

This is a beautifully written book about 3 unknown women from history who changed the world of science. It’s breathtaking in its poetry and images and celebrates those who question-even when it’s not always safe to do so. Maria Merian documented the metamorphosis of insects, Mary Anning excavated ‘dragons’ that were in fact dinosaur fossils, and Maria Mitchell found a comet. All of them living in times when women’s contributions to science were scorned or ridiculed. Though here I must point out that it’s impossible to even know what women contributed to science over the ages since it’s not documented anywhere. How do we know that it wasn’t Mrs. Gutenberg who invented the printing press? Maybe one day she was washing the dishes and listening for the millionth time to Johannes complain about the problems of printing and she said, “Joe! For heaven’s sake just use moveable type! And would it hurt you to throw your dirty socks in the hamper instead of on the bathroom floor?” And off he ran to the print shop shouting eureka without a thought to giving her credit for something that changed everything.Anyway, this book is wonderful for any age and would be a great read-aloud to a child before bed. Send them to sleep dreaming of their own possible contributions to the world.

Stories told in poems about 3 surprising girls/women. I was suspect to see "Poems," but the lyrical poems really pulled me along in the story, capture the beauty of nature and curiosity that each woman explored. Some of the stories are sad, as their lives were hard at times, but each persevered and achieved things through hard work and patience. Wow

Recommended to me through Diverse Books Club on GR, I would have never found this one on my own. It's a sad irony in that the three women featured I've never heard of before, either, though they surely made an indelible impression in the annals of science. The biographies of these women are told perfectly through verse. I think had the author written in an any other form, she would have missed her mark.Both fascinating as well as informative, I come away with a greater appreciation for living in the times that we do. In many ways, they were raised and encouraged to forge their own paths by strong male mentors; they went on to live fulfilling and some would argue independent lives. But I couldn't help feeling that their lives were so much smaller simply because of their gender.The detailed annotations at the back are not to be missed. Atkins knows that she has only piqued the interest of her readers with these scientists, and that they will want to know more. Finding Wonders should find a place in every library for both boys and girls to enjoy.

Wonderful book, inspiring for young girls, teens(?). Great info, I'm an educated elder and I learned from it 💓💓👍👍👍

Rare to find a very engaging children's book on girls who explored science and nature. My 11-year-old daughter is loving it! The quality of the writing is superb! And the historical settings are very beautiful and interesting. Just lovely!

My daughter enjoyed this book and has used it for 2 or 3 written assignments.

A different way of telling the stories.. keeps the interest of the kids along with increasing knowledge..highly recommended

Loved this book!