Beatrix Potter, Scientist

August 10, 2020
In wondering, lyrical language, Metcalf explores Beatrix Potter’s life before Peter Rabbit, revealing “a girl of science” who “observes... questions... collects ... records” and “when the animals die—after she cries—she removes their flesh to admire their bones.” Potter becomes a self-taught scientist captivated by mushrooms, but, because she is a woman, her mycological work is rejected. “She withdraws her paper, rallies her resolve, and returns to her lab. She sprouts more... observes more... draws more... until she doesn’t.” Though no one knows exactly why Potter stopped, Metcalf’s tale illustrates difficulties of breaking through prejudiced systems. Wu’s softly smudged pictures have a sketchlike quality, fitting for a story that both shows what was and hints at what might have been. Includes an author’s note, timeline, and bibliography. Ages 4–8.

August 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-This picture book biography stresses Beatrix Potter's scientific research. As a child, Potter found inspiration in nature. The text describes her methods as observing, questioning, collecting, and recording. Potter and her brother Bertram loved animals. However, when a pet died, she mourned the loss and also studied the animal bones. As Metcalf explains in an extensive note, artists in the 19th century boiled their dead pets so they could remove the skin and muscles, preserve the skeletons, and therefore learn about the inner workings of animals. Potter's parents encouraged her art, but she did not receive the same formal education as her brother. She was deeply interested in fungi; she spent years experimenting with spores, making sample slides to study under her microscope, and creating detailed drawings of fungi. When she tried to submit her work to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, male scientists initially dismissed her findings. Why she stopped studying fungi and pivoted to children's books is not explained; the answer seems to have been lost to history. Wu's colorful, vivid illustrations appear to be rendered in pastels. Wu does not attempt to replicate Potter's style but captures a sense of her drawings within the larger spreads. VERDICT Celebrating how Potter's talents and interests informed each other, this inviting biography illuminates an unfamiliar aspect of an accomplished woman's life.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's Sch., Richmond, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2020
The scientific passions of a beloved children's-book creator. Beatrix Potter is revered for her classic children's tales, but many will be unaware of her love of science. Soft, smudged pictures in Potter's palette accompany informative prose infused with a childlike wonder at the natural world, and together they depict young Beatrix's fascination with the landscape of Scotland, various animals, and, later, the study of mushrooms. Unsupported by her family, largely self-educated, and armed with microscope, paper, and pencil, Potter works with Scottish naturalist Charles McIntosh for years, exchanging samples and artwork until she is among the first to sprout spores in Britain. Initially rejected due to sexism, Beatrix struggles to make her findings known through a male colleague, is told that more work is required, and then mysteriously ceases her work. "What makes her stop? Does she suspect she will never be taken seriously as a scientist? Does she begin to doubt herself? Like pages ripped from a book, history holds those secrets," the text wonders. While Peter Rabbit and company might never have come into being had Potter not switched her focus, readers and listeners will see how the ambitions of a budding woman scientist were effectively quashed, perhaps leading them to object to the unfairness of her treatment and to wonder what other discoveries go unmentioned due to inequality. All characters are White. An unusual combination of women's history and science that shows not all questions can be answered. (biographical note, timeline, acknowledgments, bibliography, source notes, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

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August 1, 2020
Grades K-3 Although best known today for her illustrated stories about cuddly animals, Beatrix Potter's first love was science, a passion she pursued by observing, questioning, collecting, and recording. She collected animals, sketched them in life, and, after death, examined their bones. She also studied fungi and was among the first in the world to propagate fungal spores. She convinced a male scientist to read her paper about this project to the Linnean Society (which did not permit female participation); they declined to print it, leading Potter to redirect her considerable skills to creating children's picture books. Metcalf's lyrical text is succinct and focused on this one aspect of Potter's life. Wu's gentle artwork, crafted in what looks like colored pencil, has a hazy, nostalgic feel, although botanical details are very distinctive. The art also includes nods to Peter Rabbit and other iconic Potter characters. Appended with additional details about Potter's life, a time line, further reading, and source notes, this makes a worthy addition to STEAM and women's history units.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)