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Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes
All of these women were discouraged from pursuing careers in science, but they all persisted in their passion.
This portrays the youths and careers of six remarkable women whose curiosity about nature fueled a passion to steadfastly overcome obstacles to careers in traditionally men-only occupations. The six:
- Maria Merian (b 1647)
- Anna Comstock (b 1854)
- Frances Hamerstrom (b 1907)
- Rachel Carson (b 1907)
- Miriam Rothschild (b 1908)
- Jane Goodall (b 1934)
All became renowned scientists, artists and writers. A wonderful resource for young researchers and biographers, these stories can be a starting point for issues of gender, science, and the environment.
This portrays the youths and careers of six remarkable women whose curiosity about nature fueled a passion to steadfastly overcome obstacles to careers in traditionally men-only occupations. The six:
- Maria Merian (b 1647)
- Anna Comstock (b 1854)
- Frances Hamerstrom (b 1907)
- Rachel Carson (b 1907)
- Miriam Rothschild (b 1908)
- Jane Goodall (b 1934)
All became renowned scientists, artists and writers. A wonderful resource for young researchers and biographers, these stories can be a starting point for issues of gender, science, and the environment.
64 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
About the author
Jeannine Atkins
23 books42 followersJeannine Atkins is the author of Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science, Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math, and Little Woman in Blue: A Novel of May Alcott. She teaches in the MFA program at Simmons College. You can learn more on her website at http://www.Jeannineatkins.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 29, 2024
Yes, Jeannine Atkins' 2011 Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes is definitely textually inspiring and describes with Atkins' simple yet empowering words the mini-biographies of six remarkable women whose curiosity about in particular nature and questions regarding the life sciences fuelled a passion to overcome obstacles to have and to also excel at careers in traditionally men-only occupations, engagingly penned, nicely educational but without being textually overwhelming or confusing the intended audience of readers from about seven or eight to ten or eleven years of age by making use of difficult syntax and convoluted science based jargon, and with detailed bibliographical lists of books (albeit no online resources) for further reading and research a much appreciated added bonus, and with Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), Anna Botsford Comstock (1854-1930), Frances Hamerstrom (1907-1998), Rachel Carson (1907-1964), Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005), and Jane Goodall (b. 1934) all shown in Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes as becoming renowned scientists, artists and writers. But indeed and truth be told rather delightfully for me, I frankly do not in fact consider Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes as specifically and only meant as reading material for girls (and no matter what the book title seems to imply and to insinuate). Because while Jeannine Atkins in Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes writes about six women, their careers and also of course and naturally showcases the struggles they often had to face in professions and in cultures dominated and run by men, Jeannine Atkins' text (and especially how Atkins shows Maria Sibylla Merian, Anna Botsford Comstock, Frances Hamerstrom, Rachel Carson, Miriam Rothschild and Jane Goodall persevering and winning through so to speak), well, this all is and should be inspiring to and for boys as well, and not to mention that Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes also with in particular the biographies of Anna Botsford Comstock and Frances Hamerstrom demonstrates supportive teamwork-like marriages/careers and that much of Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes is actually also about breaking out of the constraints of class and not just gender stratification (and yes, that Maria Sibylla Merian was in fact trained to be a professional artist by her very much supportive stepfather, pretty avant garde for 17th century Europe and what is now Germany).
Readable, enlightening and as such perfect for in my opinion ALL children interested in the sciences and in following one's passion no matter what is put into one's way, my inner child in particular has absolutely adored Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes and wishes that books like this could have been available during her own childhood (although she does find Paula Conner's accompanying artwork a bit over-exaggerated, too visually focussed on human faces and with in particular Conner's illustrations of Maria Sibylla Merian being rather ugly and almost a trifle creepy, but not enough so to consider these pictures as in any way interfering with Jeannine Atkins' text and thus also rather easy to ignore and to only or at least mostly focus on the latter). And indeed, the only reasons for my rating for Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes not being five stars is that my adult reading self does find it kind of frustrating that in the section on Maria Sibylla Merian Jeannine Atkins does not point out how when Merian was visiting the Dutch sugar plantations in Suriname with her daughter (in order to observe and paint South American insects and plants) she also spoke out rather sharply and indeed pretty bravely against slavery and that in the section on Rachel Carson, Atkins not identifying DDT or the producers of DDT, the Montrose Chemical Corporation as the main ecological villains in Silent Spring is for and to me both a bit ridiculous and also somewhat annoyingly cowardly.
Readable, enlightening and as such perfect for in my opinion ALL children interested in the sciences and in following one's passion no matter what is put into one's way, my inner child in particular has absolutely adored Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes and wishes that books like this could have been available during her own childhood (although she does find Paula Conner's accompanying artwork a bit over-exaggerated, too visually focussed on human faces and with in particular Conner's illustrations of Maria Sibylla Merian being rather ugly and almost a trifle creepy, but not enough so to consider these pictures as in any way interfering with Jeannine Atkins' text and thus also rather easy to ignore and to only or at least mostly focus on the latter). And indeed, the only reasons for my rating for Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: An Inspiring Chapter Book for Young Girls About Pursuing Your Passion and Breaking Stereotypes not being five stars is that my adult reading self does find it kind of frustrating that in the section on Maria Sibylla Merian Jeannine Atkins does not point out how when Merian was visiting the Dutch sugar plantations in Suriname with her daughter (in order to observe and paint South American insects and plants) she also spoke out rather sharply and indeed pretty bravely against slavery and that in the section on Rachel Carson, Atkins not identifying DDT or the producers of DDT, the Montrose Chemical Corporation as the main ecological villains in Silent Spring is for and to me both a bit ridiculous and also somewhat annoyingly cowardly.
May 7, 2016
A good book for elementary and middle school kids, especially girls. It's a quick read about six female naturalists who preferred getting dirty, chasing insects, or collecting spiders, than staying indoors. The short biographies read like stories and are accompanied by wonderful drawings. I read it this afternoon and learned a lot. I had really only heard of two of the women featured, Rachel Carson and Jane Goodall, and I learned more about them, as well.
March 6, 2019
I have 6 new heroes. I have heard several of these names before, but I hadn't read much about any but Jane Goodall before this book. These women were pioneers in life because they didn't let other people limit them or tell them what was an appropriate topic for little girls to be interested. The real heroes might be their parents for encouraging them to learn and letting them get dirty even when other people called it a waste or unladylike. Of course, in the introduction, the author mentions that the girls didn't care what others thought.
I'm sure these women weren't the only ones looking at bugs and studying nature, but they were exceptional because they went further:
The first naturalist-- both chronologically and in the book-- was Maria Sibylla Merian. I'd never heard of her. She learned to paint as a trade because of a progressive father who wanted her to have the ability to support herself. She painted nature and her technique of including insects with the flowers she drew to show the dependent relationship between the two was very forward-thinking. Most guides of the time had everything separate-- even the caterpillars and the butterflies they would become!
The second naturalist was Anna Botsford Comstock. She went to college even though her country neighbors didn't see the point in educating a farm girl.. She met women's rights advocates at college.
One of Anna's best legacies is an increase in nature education. She convinced the world that students should be taught about the world around them so they could be better stewards. I agree!
Frances Hamerstrom was next and is introduced with an anecdote about accidentally making the maid serve tadpoles in the water glasses during a tea. he he he She got steadily more cheeky as she grew up. She stabbed her gums with a pencil to get to visit the dentist--conveniently near the natural history museum. :) She got engaged after falling for someone in only three days. She lived in squalor and happiness with this new husband while studying Prairie Chickens. She burned up a beautiful velvet dress when she had no rags at hand. She trapped mice in her boots when she went to the movies to feed her animals later. Her greatest finding and contribution to the study of ecology was the simple notion of preserving habitat to save the species that lived there. I loved how she visited Kenya when she was ninety as part of her 'bucket list'. She went in to the tent to brush her hair because her mother always insisted it was rude to brush her hair in public. It was awkward in the tent.
Rachel Carson was the first I had heard of. Everyone knows her most favorite book, Silent Spring. She was instrumental in getting laws passed to ban certain insecticides. Her story is lovely and tragic. She grew up being teased and tended not to stand up for herself, which made it all the more awesome that she spent her later life standing up for the wildlife that couldn't speak up for itself. Rachel saw the ocean for the first time during college and fell in love.
Rachel had an eye-opening realization after a friend sent her a letter about a bird die-off after a pesticide spray.
Miriam Rothschild loses points for being too perfect. She came from a very rich family who all seemed to study nature. In addition to studying tiny fleas and other parasites, she adopted children, saved a great amount of Jewish children and adults from concentration camps, housed soldiers, and helped survivors find a new place. She spent her life giving to others. After the war, she went back to her estate and found that the lawns had all grown wild and were covered in weeds and wildflowers. She found that manicured lawns led to lower biodiversity and no food for the butterflies and other insects that used to live in the area. She left the 'ex-lawns' to grow wild. I loved how the author book-ended the story. When Miriam was young, visitors to her house though no one really lived there because it was perfect and museum-like in its stuffiness. When she was old, visitors said the same thing but this time it was because the lawns were growing wild and unkempt!
Jane Goodall. Of course I'd heard of her. I fell in love with her all over again when I read about her losing crickets out of her purse and chasing them around the restaurant on a date. She caught them, but didn't get a second date with the guy. Apparently, he had no sense of humor and wasn't right for her anyway. Jane's mother deserves an award for going to live with her daughter in Africa for 6 months. Of course, Jane loses some points in the mother category for naming her child Grub.
These naturalists were too busy watching animals to mind who was or wasn't watching them. They never stopped climbing trees when they grew up.
I'm sure these women weren't the only ones looking at bugs and studying nature, but they were exceptional because they went further:
These women were passionate scientists. They often worked alone, but they also taught enthusiastically, wrote energetically, and found ways to pass on their vision of how all lives are beautifully connected. Their stories remind us to look and to look harder and then to look again.
The first naturalist-- both chronologically and in the book-- was Maria Sibylla Merian. I'd never heard of her. She learned to paint as a trade because of a progressive father who wanted her to have the ability to support herself. She painted nature and her technique of including insects with the flowers she drew to show the dependent relationship between the two was very forward-thinking. Most guides of the time had everything separate-- even the caterpillars and the butterflies they would become!
Like a butterfly, Maria kept changing, too: from a girl to wife and mother, artist, scientist, and teacher. She kept an eye on lives so small that few others noticed their beauty.
The second naturalist was Anna Botsford Comstock. She went to college even though her country neighbors didn't see the point in educating a farm girl.. She met women's rights advocates at college.
It wasn't fair that intelligent women could not vote when even the stupidest man had that right.
One of Anna's best legacies is an increase in nature education. She convinced the world that students should be taught about the world around them so they could be better stewards. I agree!
Frances Hamerstrom was next and is introduced with an anecdote about accidentally making the maid serve tadpoles in the water glasses during a tea. he he he She got steadily more cheeky as she grew up. She stabbed her gums with a pencil to get to visit the dentist--conveniently near the natural history museum. :) She got engaged after falling for someone in only three days. She lived in squalor and happiness with this new husband while studying Prairie Chickens. She burned up a beautiful velvet dress when she had no rags at hand. She trapped mice in her boots when she went to the movies to feed her animals later. Her greatest finding and contribution to the study of ecology was the simple notion of preserving habitat to save the species that lived there. I loved how she visited Kenya when she was ninety as part of her 'bucket list'. She went in to the tent to brush her hair because her mother always insisted it was rude to brush her hair in public. It was awkward in the tent.
I'm ninety years old. I'm in the African jungle. Fran crawled out of the tent and laughed. She stood tall as she brushed her gray hair under the brilliant sky.
Rachel Carson was the first I had heard of. Everyone knows her most favorite book, Silent Spring. She was instrumental in getting laws passed to ban certain insecticides. Her story is lovely and tragic. She grew up being teased and tended not to stand up for herself, which made it all the more awesome that she spent her later life standing up for the wildlife that couldn't speak up for itself. Rachel saw the ocean for the first time during college and fell in love.
Just as some plants and animals can survive only in particular habitats, maybe some people are supposed to live in certain places, too.
Rachel had an eye-opening realization after a friend sent her a letter about a bird die-off after a pesticide spray.
...she had been amazed at how the earth had changed over millions of years. Now, she realized that humans could change the earth in only a few years.
Miriam Rothschild loses points for being too perfect. She came from a very rich family who all seemed to study nature. In addition to studying tiny fleas and other parasites, she adopted children, saved a great amount of Jewish children and adults from concentration camps, housed soldiers, and helped survivors find a new place. She spent her life giving to others. After the war, she went back to her estate and found that the lawns had all grown wild and were covered in weeds and wildflowers. She found that manicured lawns led to lower biodiversity and no food for the butterflies and other insects that used to live in the area. She left the 'ex-lawns' to grow wild. I loved how the author book-ended the story. When Miriam was young, visitors to her house though no one really lived there because it was perfect and museum-like in its stuffiness. When she was old, visitors said the same thing but this time it was because the lawns were growing wild and unkempt!
Jane Goodall. Of course I'd heard of her. I fell in love with her all over again when I read about her losing crickets out of her purse and chasing them around the restaurant on a date. She caught them, but didn't get a second date with the guy. Apparently, he had no sense of humor and wasn't right for her anyway. Jane's mother deserves an award for going to live with her daughter in Africa for 6 months. Of course, Jane loses some points in the mother category for naming her child Grub.
July 31, 2016
Six short and engaging, non-fiction stories about young girls who each had an unstoppable curiosity for the natural world. The author, Jeannine Atkins, shows us their excitement in exploring out in the natural world and then shares with us the directions that their interests led them a they became young women and adults.
Great stories for 4th grade - 7th grade readers - inspiring for young girls!
Great stories for 4th grade - 7th grade readers - inspiring for young girls!
July 6, 2016
We got this from the public library. My 8 year old daughter enjoyed the book so much. She related to the stories of these women as young girls interested in the environment/nature. I only knew of two of the six women and I learned so much. I would recommend it for a very quick read for adults too!
July 7, 2017
This will be an excellent supplemental resource for our fall science class. The biographies inspired me. The art of Maria Sibylla Merian is stunning and relevant. Hopefully, it will inspire students to keep a nature journal and sketches. Each woman can be a distinct lesson with different yet intertwining foci. I'm glad I ran across the book.
November 27, 2023
3.7
This is an inviting introduction to some women about whom I know nothing. It's always a good sign when I'm left wanting to know more.
On p 48, the reader is told that
Years ago [Miriam Rothschild] designed a simple, comfortable dress and jacket, and had several made in different fabrics. She wears one of these dresses every day so that she won't have to waste a minute deciding what to wear.
I love it! Hopefully some girls will appreciate this approach to choosing their clothes.
p24: says that FH was "immune to poison ivy" Ouch! She might not have developed a rash when exposed to poison ivy but that doesn't mean she was "immune."
This is an inviting introduction to some women about whom I know nothing. It's always a good sign when I'm left wanting to know more.
On p 48, the reader is told that
Years ago [Miriam Rothschild] designed a simple, comfortable dress and jacket, and had several made in different fabrics. She wears one of these dresses every day so that she won't have to waste a minute deciding what to wear.
I love it! Hopefully some girls will appreciate this approach to choosing their clothes.
p24: says that FH was "immune to poison ivy" Ouch! She might not have developed a rash when exposed to poison ivy but that doesn't mean she was "immune."
October 22, 2010
I read this at while working on the visitor center desk to kill time. I was embarassed to say that I had heard of maybe two of the six pioneering naturalists (but a large portion of them chronicled were from the late 1800's and early 1900's) and many of them were into insects (not my specality). Although the type was huge and there were lots of illustrations, I'm still not sure who this book was intended for. It wasn't written as a children's book although it seems to have been marketed as such. Anyway, it was pretty interesting and had a long list of additional resources to read.
July 4, 2016
This book tells the stories of 6 women, all pioneering naturalists. As children, they all loved the outdoors in different ways: bugs, animals, plants, fossils.
They all fought against the limitations imposed on women and eventually followed their dreams of protecting, researching and teaching about the natural world.
The women we read about cover the time period from the 1600s to the current day.
Wonderful book for any nature lover, but particularly inspirational to girls aged 11-15.
We further researched the artwork, books, research and film clips about the women.
They all fought against the limitations imposed on women and eventually followed their dreams of protecting, researching and teaching about the natural world.
The women we read about cover the time period from the 1600s to the current day.
Wonderful book for any nature lover, but particularly inspirational to girls aged 11-15.
We further researched the artwork, books, research and film clips about the women.
November 16, 2017
This was really disappointing. The illustrations are super corny, and the writing was didactic and far-reaching. This is the kind of book I would have hated as a child; kids know when they're being purposefully exposed to "role models." It's too bad, though, because the women did lead amazing lives and in another context, the stories presented here could have been wonderful.
March 24, 2010
I thought this book was fantastic. It is a short chapter book that briefly talks about several women who were first in their scientific fields. I like that it shows strong examples of women in science and encourages learning and curiosity in the world around us.
October 6, 2010
I purchased this inspiring book written for young adults as a gift for my granddaughter. Included are illustrated stories describing the lives of six pioneering female naturalists. In addition to young adults, I recommend this book to parents, teachers or others who work with young women.
February 11, 2015
This book was a very quick read, it was great though it left me wanting to know more. luckily there is a list of other books in the back for you to look up on the same subject. Yes, I'm going to look them up :)
July 6, 2015
This quick read profiles the lives of six female naturalists: Maria Sibylla Merian, Anna Botsford Comstock, Frances Hamerstrom, Rachel Carson, Miriam Rothschild, and Jane Goodall. This is an excellent book for a tween girl's library.
January 26, 2021
My adult daughter gave this book to me as a gift. A great introduction to some pioneering women. The Recommended Reading and other resources in the back of the book will keep me busy for quite some time.
February 6, 2021
Great book for late elementary and early middle school readers, focusing on the stories of six female naturalists and how they overcame sexism and gender biases to learn, teach, explore, and write about the natural world.
January 30, 2023
Forgot this one from last year! Bought at a cute kids/science/toy shop in Northport, MI in November; it's very short. Aside from a few icons we all know (Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, etc.) I learned of some women I hadn't previously heard of, and now have added more books to my TBR. Such is life!
November 18, 2009
Really, really enjoyed this and related to it. I'm hoping that my daughter will read it. She doesn't care for non-fiction, but I think the drawings and stories of real girls will interest her.
June 25, 2011
This is a great introduction to many famous women scientists. My hope for students who read this is that they would be inspired to learn more about the women highlighted.
April 29, 2012
Such a cute book! Great information written for a young audience. A great introduction to some amazing female naturalist.
September 3, 2012
Inspiring and beautiful stories, presented in a clear way. Very inspiring role models. Wish there were more stories in here!
November 29, 2023
if you want your kids to look closer at bugs and draw more, this is for you. A great book for boys and girls. Frances Hammerstrom should have a movie made about her!
December 1, 2014
I read this book with my daughter and learned things I never knew. Six amazing women.
August 18, 2015
Great introductory book to encourage girls to learn more about the contributions women have made to science
November 19, 2021
Cute and informative. With pictures even! I would suggest.
July 30, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It is a nice, short book that gave a lot of information. It inspired me and made me want to research more about these amazing women.
December 19, 2021
We need more books in the world profiling women naturalists. Enchanting profiles of six amazing women, some of them well known while the others never quite got their place under the sun.
February 10, 2024
Such a wonderful title and six amazing women featured, but sadly the writing didn’t live up to the title.
August 12, 2024
This was wonderful! So many cool, inspiring stories about women naturalists.
December 29, 2013
I bought this book for my daughter & I enjoyed the attempt to personalize these accomplished female science pioneers, but the book is short and the biographies are not as well developed as I had hoped. The stories are very simplistic and limited in details.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews