Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists

I really enjoyed this book about the pioneering naturalist women. I never knew how vital some of these women were to nature conservation.

Well written, straight forward biographies of some interesting naturalists. Not overly sentimental- the challenges of their lives are not glossed over, but they are not romanticized either. As expected, our 2nd grader- the one who can identify half a dozen types of slug in our garden- *loved* this book. What surprised us, though, was that her frilly sister- the one who reckons that gardens are for tea parties- enjoyed the book as well. Don't limit yourself to giving this book to nature-loving girls!

Six women whose interest in nature began as young girls are profiled in short biographies that are interesting and easy to read. The biographies are accompanied by lovely charcoal drawings of each subject engaged in her area of interest as either a young girl or woman or both. The women: Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), Anna Botsford Comstock (1854-1930), Frances Hamerstrom(1907-1998), Rachel Carson (1907-1964), Miriam Rothschild (1908-), and Jane Goodall (1934-) became noted scientists, teachers and authors but some were often discouraged from pursuing their interets. The book highlights each woman's fundamental understanding of the connections between all living things. This book would be an excellent additon to any middle school library .