What Miss Mitchell Saw

A bright-eyed baby peers up from a star-studded swaddle; the baby will become one of history's most famous female astronomers, Maria Mitchell. Born in 1818 to a family of Nantucket Quakers, Mitchell earned international renown for discovering a comet in 1847, winning the King of Denmark's gold medal and besting male claimants to the prize. Barrett focuses on Mitchell's life up to that moment, emphasizing her persistence ("Schoolwork did not always come easy, but she studied with determination") and her environment ("celestial phenomena that arched overhead like a whale's sparkling splash"). Sudyka's watercolor, ink, and gouache illustrations show stars gleaming from the ocean depths and inching up a woman's hem; Mitchell herself is swept aloft by their beauty and power. Notes on the subject's path-breaking career close the book. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 3--This beautiful biography of astronomer Maria Mitchell begins with her birth and childhood on the island of Nantucket, where her father taught her to use a telescope and "sweep the sky" to observe and learn about all types of celestial phenomena. Mitchell's perseverance and fascination with the night sky led to the discovery of a comet and a gold medal from the King of Denmark commemorating her accomplishment. The ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations provide the perfect accompaniment to the story, especially the repeated use of the night starscape, not just in the dark sky, but also in the characters' clothes, reflected in the sea, on the school blackboard, and in the thoughts of the astronomer. The dialogue is effectively splashed across the pages rather than being inserted into the text. Both the text and illustrations introduce specialized vocabulary related to astronomy that might be used to launch further exploration. The book closes with additional information about Mitchell and her distinguished career, as well as some background information on the Quakers and how their beliefs are reflected in the book. VERDICT An engaging, inspiring biography of an important figure in the history of science. This book could also serve to launch discussions and inspire further research about astronomy. Highly recommended.--Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library