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rereader33's review
5.0
2023 April Reading Challenge
Prompt: read a book with any form of nature on the cover
This was a fascinating and well-written children's biography! I definitely think this was better written and more in depth than "Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor," purely because it never shied away from discussing the sexism Marianne faced. Not only that, but it gave fun anecdotes about her (like her nickname Pop) and gave relevant information about her life. Sometimes the writing could be a little clunky, like a lot of nonfiction, but for the most part the writing flowed well and learning about her life was engaging and educational. I highly recommend this others wanting to learn more about independent, strong women history often leaves out, you won't be disappointed.
Prompt: read a book with any form of nature on the cover
This was a fascinating and well-written children's biography! I definitely think this was better written and more in depth than "Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor," purely because it never shied away from discussing the sexism Marianne faced. Not only that, but it gave fun anecdotes about her (like her nickname Pop) and gave relevant information about her life. Sometimes the writing could be a little clunky, like a lot of nonfiction, but for the most part the writing flowed well and learning about her life was engaging and educational. I highly recommend this others wanting to learn more about independent, strong women history often leaves out, you won't be disappointed.
ivyinthepages's review
5.0
Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children/ Non Fiction book
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children/ Non Fiction book
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
mlottermoser's review
4.0
This book was fascinating for an adult, but my kids quickly lost interest and struggled with the advanced vocabulary. Beautiful artwork shows the life and travels of Marianne North in the 1880’s. She traveled the world as a single woman documenting plants with oil paint and attention to their surroundings. Marianne has a dedicated art museum in Kew Botanical Garden. I would love to go and visit it some day.
artbymonimack's review
5.0
So much information put into the pages of this children book and it is told in such a beautiful manor. It still amazes me to learn how women were not allowed to learn or create and criticized even by their parents. I’m so happy that Marianne believed in herself and went after her passion to travel, create and live. Her legacy lives on in the amazing oil paintings she created.
trist_2art's review
5.0
“Did I not paint? And wander and wonder at everything” - North
From meeting Charles Darwin to creating 110 paintings in 9 months travel avg 12 botanical paintings a MONTH . North is a gem.
Great inspiration as a STEAM book! I highly recommend this to those interested in nature, art, and science. Marianne North was incredible. I saw some comments that children lost interest in this, which I can see .... The text isn’t as simple or fun as most children’s lit; however, this book is listed under junior biography at my library. I argue it’s got a little something for all ages with beautiful art and easy to follow biography.
Although she was divergent from her societal expectations and an incredible artist , I like that the biography wasn’t entirely an encomium and didn’t shy away that she had her privileges and biases.
I want to learn more about this incredible naturalist and artist!
From meeting Charles Darwin to creating 110 paintings in 9 months travel avg 12 botanical paintings a MONTH . North is a gem.
Great inspiration as a STEAM book! I highly recommend this to those interested in nature, art, and science. Marianne North was incredible. I saw some comments that children lost interest in this, which I can see .... The text isn’t as simple or fun as most children’s lit; however, this book is listed under junior biography at my library. I argue it’s got a little something for all ages with beautiful art and easy to follow biography.
Although she was divergent from her societal expectations and an incredible artist , I like that the biography wasn’t entirely an encomium and didn’t shy away that she had her privileges and biases.
I want to learn more about this incredible naturalist and artist!
lagobond's review
3.0
I love this book for introducing me to Marianne North's paintings, which are spectacularly gorgeous and botanically/geographically/historically intriguing. I would love to visit Kew Gardens' Marianne North Gallery someday to see her art in person, and in the way she intended for it to be seen.
[a:Becca Stadtlander|7813989|Becca Stadtlander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402513558p2/7813989.jpg]'s illustrations are attractive and evocative. She did a particularly fabulous job capturing the difference between Marianne North's suffocatingly formal, strait-laced surroundings in England (sparse settings done in muted colors, lots of straight lines, Marianne visually distant from people and events on the page) and the lush, exciting tropical locales she loved so much (busy scenes in bright colors, soft shapes, Marianne fully immersed in her environment). The difference in style between the first and second halves of the book is so striking that I double-checked if the illustrations had been done by two different artists! Obviously Stadtlander incorporated some of North's motifs and color choices into her paintings, but still I'm impressed by how she managed to pull this off.
Unfortunately the text feels somewhat disjointed and impersonal, and I had a hard time figuring out what age range the book is meant for. At first glance it appears to be a picture book for younger kids (ages 4-7 or so?), but the writing is obviously directed at older kids (ages 9-12 perhaps). Then again, I can't see any reason why books for older kids shouldn't have plenty of beautiful illustrations, or why the language in younger children's books should be dumbed down. So I'm really of two minds about this book, and I'm not at all sure that's the book's fault. The more time I spend with this publication, the more it grows on me.
[a:Becca Stadtlander|7813989|Becca Stadtlander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402513558p2/7813989.jpg]'s illustrations are attractive and evocative. She did a particularly fabulous job capturing the difference between Marianne North's suffocatingly formal, strait-laced surroundings in England (sparse settings done in muted colors, lots of straight lines, Marianne visually distant from people and events on the page) and the lush, exciting tropical locales she loved so much (busy scenes in bright colors, soft shapes, Marianne fully immersed in her environment). The difference in style between the first and second halves of the book is so striking that I double-checked if the illustrations had been done by two different artists! Obviously Stadtlander incorporated some of North's motifs and color choices into her paintings, but still I'm impressed by how she managed to pull this off.
Unfortunately the text feels somewhat disjointed and impersonal, and I had a hard time figuring out what age range the book is meant for. At first glance it appears to be a picture book for younger kids (ages 4-7 or so?), but the writing is obviously directed at older kids (ages 9-12 perhaps). Then again, I can't see any reason why books for older kids shouldn't have plenty of beautiful illustrations, or why the language in younger children's books should be dumbed down. So I'm really of two minds about this book, and I'm not at all sure that's the book's fault. The more time I spend with this publication, the more it grows on me.