Books Read During the Month of July

Did you know that one of my favourite things to do while on vacation is to read books?  I know.. totally shocking eh?  (not).  :)

Anyways, we had a week camping up at Grundy Lake, only a week so I brought nine books with me and got 8.5 read.   

Timestoppers: quest for golden arrow is the second in a series that I am thoroughly enjoying. I won't tell you a whole lot about it as a review is coming up.  Suffice it to say though... GOOD BOOK.  Hubby is waiting in line to read it after the lad gets finished (though that might take a spell).

 

The Help.  Wow.. fascinating book.  A look into the lives of negro house servants after emancipation and what not.  How friendships were formed, how hatred and bigotry were shown just so casually, how black people had to be so careful to walk the right thin line.   It was eye-opening and a very interesting read.

 

Alex Cross's Trial.  Other black's in the south motif for this book.  This one with a darker theme when the KKK was active, people taking a stand.  I do not understand the level of hatred and vitirol displayed.   It makes no sense to me the betrayal, the whites only and the depth people would go to protect their own and attack another race.  I know things like this go on today in other forms and stuff, but it's just plain nastiness.   Hard read, but glad I took a look into that world.

 


Vision in White.   What can I say.. a romance with a touch of mystery to it.  It's a light easy read and much needed after the two previous books.  Discovering strength within, overcoming ones' past.  Themes were good.






A train of thought.  I love trains and thought I just might enjoy this story.  I DID!  I want the lad to read it when he's older.  The wisdom in the stories, and old railroader speaking to how things were.  It's a review coming up so won't say much more.

NYPD RED 2.  Another Patterson book but quite different. The mob, vigilante justice, the power of a evil minded leader and a docile follower.   Disaster neatly avoided.  I was intrigued throughout the whole book AND surprised a time or two.   Good read if you like a suspense-filled mystery.



Fatal Illusions.  OH.. oh ...oh.. how I wanted this bad guy caught!   He was just a nasty minded fellow out of a nasty minded woman.  Oh.. but a positive note.  A family was drawn closer together.  Faith was made evident.   Repentance seen where needed AND.... (spoiler alert) bad guy was stopped!  Makes for a good read that!  :)


 

Alexandria.  Honestly started this one, but didn't finish it.  Not sure I will.  The style of writing and the time period is just totally loosing me.   A mystery in Egypt when Britain was "helping" rule her.







The Villa.  Another Nora Roberts book.  Needed a light easy read after going through NYPD RED and Fatal Illusions.    I haven't finished this one yet, but so far, it's a decent read.

OH!   I almost forgot.  The Memory Keeper's Daughter.  WOW...this book was fascinating and very sad and lost and drew me in like a moth to the flame.  Captivated by the joy, the sorrow.  The fact that a hidden secret about ruined a family and then drew them back in again.  Fascinating book.  





Books read as reviews: 
The Benevolent Bee: I liked this book.  A bit more technical than the other bee book I read, but a good book with stories, crafts, recipes.  

TimeStoppers book one!   Loved this first book, begged for the second.  :)   Good sci-fi book for younger readers as well as older ones.  :)

My Jesus Bible.  Hardcover bible story book for preschoolers. 

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies.  A fascinating book about how art and science intermingled, creating new information for the science community while producing good works of art. 

Junk Drawer Engineering.  A rather neat STEM book for upper elementary through highschool, with hints and options for various ages AND the science behind it. 

Miniscapes: Create your own terrarium.   My son is in LOVE with this book currently.  Making different terrariums, gaining new insights into the world of miniature plants. 

50 Natural Wonders to Blow your Mind. Neat little book about different natural wonders from around the world.   Pictures and facts. 

Goats of Anarchy.  A neat picture book about a goat rescue. 

The Beginner's Bible for Little Ones.   Hardcover bible for young children.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Death to sin, live letting God use us for Good.

 Today we are reading from Romans 6:1-14.

 So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? 
I always find this an interesting question.  The thought that it even needs to be raised!  To me it's an automatic no, though in some way I can understand people thinking it, so I guess it did need to be raised.  
 
  ² No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin? ³ Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. ⁴ When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life.
Paul gives an emphatic NO.  We shouldn't be running around sinning thinking we're all that, so that God's grace can abound all the more in us.  Seriously dude... when we believe in Christ, in his death on the cross, that means we are part of him.  Do we really want something as ugly as sin to be part of that as well?   ICK when you think about it.  Adding that dirtiness to something so pure.   Paul's point is this though... we have DIED to our old sinful lives, so why would we want to deliberately choose to continue living in that sin.  Just as Christ was raised to a new life through God's power, so we can have that new life as well.   Don't live in the past!
  
⁵ Christ died, and we have been joined with him by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from the dead as he did. ⁶ We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. ⁷ Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control.
Oh.. I like this line.  " Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control."  To be free of sin's control.  It's such a battle you know?   To always want to live in the past, with what I know so well. And yet seeing that brighter future and possibility. Fighting for that.  You know what I mean?   Paul gives us hope here.  He tells what the new reality is.  We have DIED to the old way.  God's power is there to help us live a new life.   Take that power!  Use it.  Remember that sin doesn't have control of us anymore. 

⁸ If we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ Christ was raised from the dead, and we know that he cannot die again. Death has no power over him now. ¹⁰ Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God. ¹¹ In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive with God through Christ Jesus.
Paul spells it out for us.
We died with Christ (if we believe in him).   That means we also LIVE with Christ.
Christ, raised from the dead.   We live with him.
He can't die again.  Death has no power over him.   
Think about that.  We live with Christ...one that death has no power over, he can't die again.  We live with him.   That's a surety don't you find?  A surety of hope, of sin no longer having the upper hand.
I need to see this more clearly in my life, what about you?   To see God's power to keep me in the new life.
 
¹² So, do not let sin control your life here on earth so that you do what your sinful self wants to do. ¹³ Do not offer the parts of your body to serve sin, as things to be used in doing evil. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used in doing good. ¹⁴ Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law but under God’s grace.
Hear Paul's Words to us.   Do not let sin control your life.   Don't let parts of your body be used for evil.   Don't let that sinful self do what it wants.  Remember.. we died to sin's control.

Instead do this:
Offer your body up to do good.   Give it up to God.  You are under God's grace, not under the law of sin.   So let God use your body to do good.  I see choice in these words.  People can choose to live the old way, the way they died to.  OR they can choose to let God use their body for good. and live   Follow the old way.. or choose to let God work in you.   Let us today make that right choice eh?

What say you? 

 To follow along with the rest of this devotional series in Romans Click Here.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Parenting Series: Control

Can you believe we only have three chapters left!!!   I know.. time flies eh?

Today's chapter is about control...and I like this chapter.  Frankly it fits where we are at in the raising of our lad.   We are giving him more and more choices about things and it's flummoxing him.   He's such a people pleaser that we are trying to give him no-fail options and he's still struggling.  I think with time it will come, but right now he's just flummoxed. 

You see.. I figure if he starts out small... when we can help guide his actions and help him consider the larger ramifications of things in the light of who  GOD wants us to be, it will serve him well in the long run.

We ran into that today with a "game troll" today that has the lad all upset and wanting to respond to him, and we told him.. Let it Go.  Don't feed the troll.  Ignore him and eventually he will stop (or at least we'll get used to ignoring him). The lad didn't understand why or how that would work and why he couldn't yell at this troublemaker.  Which gave us a chance to talking about how if you don't feed the troll it helps bring peace again.  How God calls us to go beyond ourselves.  It's good to help him think these types of things through.

So as we work through this choice and decision making time with our lad we need to consider his needs.
For Guidance, protection, instruction, wisdom, authority, rules, structure, preparation, understanding, confrontation, discipline, warning, love, forgiveness, and security.

But beyond this wonderful list there is a deeper need that our children have. 
To understand their sin so they will call out to God for mercy.
To understand the nature of sin so they don't negate it's danger
To understand that their problem is not with their parents, but with God. 
To understand that sin produces behaviour problems.
To understand their only real help is to run to the forgiving grace of God.

The end is God.  That's where it is.
Working through decisions, you need to see God's help.

This is what I need to do with my lad...help him to see God in his decision-making, helping him, guiding him, forgiving him.   This is something he is needful more and more of seeing.
Seeing it this deeper need, makes the letting go of a lad an easier thing. A good thing as he matures and becomes more of the person God has called him to be.  

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: The Benevolent Bee

You know what?  I happen to like bees.  I admittedly wasn't fond of them as a child when one stun me on the eye (landed on my face so I grabbed at it)  BIG mistake.  So it took me a while to get back that, but once I realized how neat they were, I developed a fondness for them.  Stephanie Bruneau brings us the Benevolent Bee, a  book crafted to show us the bee and how she works, AND how we can benefit from all she provides.   

I have to admit, this is a rather neat book.  It talks briefly about the lifecycle and work of the honeybee, but devotes itself to the benefits of honeybees.

Ms Bruneau first teaches the science behind each of the benefits of the honeybee.  She works her way through propolis, pollen, honey, royal jelly, venom and beeswax.   Did you know that in it's final state honey can last forever without spoiling? 

She follows this up with recipes, crafts or projects one can do.  You can learn to make elderberry syrup, honey fire tonic, royal jelly fudge, stinging nettle tea with honey, turn honeycomb into beeswax or make a floating acorn cap candle.  So many different recipes and ideas to explore.

She even included stories of people using bee venom.  I'd heard about using bee venom before but never really looked into it. It's been used in China for more than 2000 years. You can also use bee venom to reduce allergic reactions! 

All in all it's a very helpful book.   For the budding apiarist this book would be helpful in explaining the benefits of bee keeping.  For the person just wanting to know more about the benefits of bees, this book provides it all!  It's a wonderfully helpful book indeed.  :)
About the Author:  Stephanie Bruneau is a beekeeper, herbalist, and artist. She runs The Benevolent Bee, a small business selling honey, beeswax candles, herbal body care products, and other handcrafted and hive-derived items. At the Benevolent Bee "Teaching Apiary" Stephanie observes, learns, and teaches about bees and bee behavior to students of all ages.

The Benevolent Bee: Capture the bounty of the Hive through Science, History, Home Remedies and Craft.
Stephanie Bruneau
Quarry Books
160 books
Oversized trade paperback

Reviewed for: Quarto Group

Where can you find The Benevolent Bee?

Amazon.ca: The Benevolent Bee: Capture the Bounty of the Hive through Science, History, Home Remedies and Craft - Includes recipes and techniques for honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, and bee venom

Amazon.com: The Benevolent Bee: Capture the bounty of the hive through science, history, home remedies and craft. 

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Book: StickerBomb Journal Galaxy

Know what I was doing the other day?   Cleaning off book shelves.  Oh my!  It was amazing the books I pulled off and said "I don't need to keep this book".  So out it went.   A good 10 of them were space exploration books, my son is done exploring space so they headed off to the book sale.

When I brought in the mail, this little gem was in the packet from Raincoast.  I looked and thought hmm.. odd little sticker book and then I REALLY looked at it and noticed..it's not a sticker book, it has sticker for personalization, but it's really a journal.   How cool would this have been for my boy to use while we were studying space!!

He could have jotted down notes, drawn pictures, pasted in images and what not.  It would have been all contained in one neat looking space oriented journal.

The page quality is wonderful.  Thick without being cumbersome, and 128 pages!!!   So much room seriously!    Even if you didn't want to use it as part of a study, it's a great journal just for jotting down notes and what not. 

Four pages of stickers are included to personalize the cover.  That's over 100 stickers to use to make this journal your own.   I didn't test to see if the stickers can be removed and reapplied, so if getting it you'd need to test that out on your own. 

My thoughts:
It's a really nice journal, geared toward children, that would be just lovely for jotting down thoughts, or using as a notebooking spot when doing a space unit study.  :)

StickerBomb Journal: Galaxy 
Designed by SRK
Published by Laurence King
Pages: 128
Age: any
Approximately 6 x 8 inches.

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Looky Looky! The Canadian Learning Bundle is Here!

 Hey

Just wanted to let you know that the Canadian Learning Bundle is on sale again!
And boy oh boy, look what all you get!

 
 Only $27 and you get French, Unit Studies, Canadian Heroes, Art, History and more!  A nice bundle that will get you well situated for learning!

All new products this year.  Check it out at my affiliate link here. 

Want to know everything that's included?
Here you go:
 
*Canadian Online Homeschool Conference Pass
*Timeline from Confederation to Today (The Canadian Homeschooler)
*Canada: The First Fifty Years (Chantel from Intentional Homeschooling)
*Deluxe Homeschool Planner (Jennifer from Deliberate Homeschooling)
*Basic Grammar for All Writers course (Excellent Resources)
*Homeschool, Simplified: What Matters Most ebook (Bonnie from Oh, That's Simple)
*French: Sing & Learn Vol.2 (Leanne from FrenglishLearning)
*5 Days to Your Best Homeschool Years e-Course (Ana from They Called Me Blessed)
*Mini Homeschool Tune-Up (Edna from Edna's Homeschool Helps)
*Fall Semester of Artsy Startsy's ROAM program (Rebecca from Artsy Startsy)
*UnLock Math 1 month subscription (Unlock Math)
*Canada150 Writing Activities, Terry Fox Activities, & Current Events (Diana Bailey on TpT)
*North American Continent Collection (Cherine from Making Montessori Ours)
*3 mini unit-studies: Penguins, Beavers, & Sharks (Rebecca from Hip Homeschooling Blog)
*Digital Organization Pack (Kimberly from GeekSchooling)
*Student Planner (Grace from Plum Cheeky Solutions)
Plus a couple of discount offers.
*French Sing & Learn Vol. 1
*Homeschooling with JOY
*Edna's Homeschool Helps Consultations
*Hands on History Book

Isn't that just a fantastic offer?   Check it out today eh?

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Hymn Study: How Deep the Father's Love for Us

We sang this song a week or so before vacation.
As always my heart was broken and then raised again.
God's love for us... sometimes I find it so unfathomable.

Lyrics:

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss -
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life -
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart -
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Stuart Townend Copyright © 1995 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl. UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family, songs@integritymusic.com)

Written by Stuart Townend.   His words are poetry to my soul, reminding me of the depth of God's love for me and all his very own children.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: Time Stoppers

 I LOVED this book.

Admittedly...when it started I was wondering what in the world Raincoast had sent me, children being hurt, feeling lost and alone, adults letting them down, but it didn't take too long before I was totally hooked.

Time Stoppers by Carrie Jones is a winner. 

Half way through chapter two I was hooked.  Monsters?  In a sleepy little town?   Okay.. so what was the deal with the girl Annie in the first chapter?  Was she connected? How was she connected?  What's with the dog thing?  My curiousity aroused, I kept reading...and reading..and reading.  My sweetheart told me to get my nose out of the book and talk to him.. I distinctly remember mumbling at him... :)

Finding myself impressed with the character development. Watching Annie and Jamie develop into characters with gumption.  Laughing at Eva and her uniqueness and being delighted with Bloom with his determination.   Just great characters that I would like to continue to see in action.

Aurora is where Annie and Jamie end up, with a choice.. stay and protect or return to their home (albeit in a better situation than before).  They make their choice and now we have to see if Aurora will be safe. 

The nasty guy is well.. NASTY!  Seriously.   I'd like to stomp on him. But the youth are determined... will they see through.. well.. you gotta read the book as I'm not into spoilers.  :)

My Thoughts:
I cannot say that the first chapter of this book is an easy read.  It isn't.  Things happen that should not happen to anyone.  Seriously.  BUT that 'not goodness' sets the stage for the choices made later on.  Sensitive-minded children would need to be encouraged to push through and see what happens later with those choices.   (or just wait until they are older to read the book).  Beyond that.. LOVED THIS BOOK.  I found it a great read and the parts I read to my lad have him interested in reading it too... So we may end up with a Carrie Jones fan on our hands eh?   Which isn't a bad thing as ... there's a second book! 

Time Stoppers
Carrie Jones
Bloomsbury Children's Books
372 pages
Fantasy, softcover
approximately 8 x 5 inches
Age: 8-12 years.

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.


Where can you find this treasure?
Amazon.ca: Time Stoppers

Amazon.com: Time Stoppers

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Parenting Series: False Gods

Have you ever asked yourself these questions.
1. Why do my children do the things they do?
2. How does change take place in children's hearts and lives?
3. How can I be a tool of change in the hearts and lives of my children?

The answer to all these questions is this: worship.

Everything children do is related to what they worship most in that moment. 

Is it outward appearance?  Making other people happy?   Wanting to do their own thing?   Wanting more stuff?   What is at the root of their behaviour?

I  was recently reading in Romans that when one gives glory to God it makes your faith stronger.   Mr. Tripp talks about how worship is something that we live everyday.  It's an attitude and choice.  Worship is that inner desire to wonder and amazement that we all possess. It's part of our life long hunt for God. 

So tying these thoughts together... as we increase the chances for our children to worship God, we will grow their faith.  Makes sense eh?  So we need to see the bigger struggles and not just the surface stuff.  We need to build on that connection to God.

Mr. Tripp lists off seven things in our goal to do that.
1. The capacity of the heart of our children to worship is meant to drive them to God.
2. The capacity of your children to worship is the most important biblical insight for parents.
3. Since your children are worshippers, you must be committed to being an instrument of seeing.
4. Since your children are worshippers, a vital skill for you is to learn how to lead them to confession. 
5. To say your children are worshippers means you have no power to free them from their biggest problems.
6. Because your children are worshippers, your only ope for them is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. We are more like our children than unlike them.

Remember.. God has given you the grace to parent the children he gave you.  Search their hearts, help them search their hearts, help them to see God more clearly so they can worship him all the more.

Want to follow along?  Amazon affiliate links below.


Amazon.ca:  Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family


Amazon.com: Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: My Jesus Bible

Want a board book bible for your littlest ones?   One that is easy to hold on to, that tells the story of Jesus, and will take some abuse?

Have I got the bible story book for you!   Called My Jesus Bible. 16 stories, 40 pages.   It follows the story from Mary hearing the news to Jesus's death and resurrection.    

This is a delightful little book, a solid, brightly coloured book.   The colours are so vibrant and the text gives enough detail to give the basics, which leaves you ample room to supplement with additional details if desired.

Each story covers two pages.   Are the colours lovely?  And the text, a bit smaller than what I would have thought, covers more information than is normally found in a board book. 

Check out the text eh?

 

My Thoughts:
This is a bright, colourful book, with sturdy board book pages.  The handle is nice size for little hands that can take some throwing around (not that you'd want your littles doing that but you know... sometimes things happen).  It makes it so easy for them to bring along with them to church or grammas or the park.  The stories are short with just enough detail that you can easily embellish, or let stand on it's own.   I appreciated how in the story of Peter and Jesus on the raging see how it mentioned how Peter took his eyes off Jesus and that's when he started to sink. 

My Jesus Bible
Text: Michael Berghof
Illustrator: Gill Guile
Tommy Nelson
Type: Board Book
Children's story bible
40 pages
Age: Preschool
Reviewed for BookLookBloggers


Where can you get one?
Amazon.ca:  My Jesus Bible: With Handle

Amazon.com: My Jesus Bible: With Handle

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Book: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies

When I first got The Girl who Drew Butterflies I thought cool.. an art book!  I'll get to see lots of pictures of butterflies and be totally amazed.   Little did I know the wonder and joy I would experience when I realized that it was not only an art book but it was also a science book.  A way to combine two loves!  It's GREAT!!!!

Imagine you live in a time when people aren't sure where bugs come from, and no one can really answer the questions of a curious girl child.  Maria, who helped her step-father, Jacob Marrel, with his artistry. He liked to draw still life pictures and Maria would often bring in flowers for him to draw, and found the insects that crawled on them fascinating. 

Her interest was fostered as her step-dad was also interested in the insects as he thought they made his pictures come to life, so she was sent out to gather more for him. 

Maria was so curious about where all these insects came from but no one really knew where they came from.   Perhaps from mud or old clothes?    Marel taught Maria the tools of the trade, teaching her everything he knew. But Maria's mind was captured by the insects around her and she burned to discover the answers to her questions.

She started with silkworms. Watching everything, drawing it too.

Jotting down everything she could. Asking questions, seeking out the answers to her beloved insects.  Learning how to do this AND fulfill the role destined for her by society.

This is a fascinating book.

I learned so much about what was going in the day.  Witch hunts...seeking after women who varied from what society expected of them.  Women had to be so careful in what they did.  Not receiving recognition for the work they did, yet contributing mightily to society around them.

Gradually society shifted opinions, and just as gradually Maria became known as the caterpillar lady.

She learned, and documented how all moths and butterflies went through the same transformation.



Ah... I want to tell you all that I learned but that would spoil the book for you it would!  It's just a neat book, really.  I so enjoyed it.   Seeing her determination to stick to her love of insects, her patience .. biding her time, watching, observing, starting over, and her stepping out with what she knew.  

She led a fascinating life and ended up drawing/painting so many pictures with plants and their insects.   Showing the world their beauty as she could best show it.

She was simply a fascinating lady, well focused on her life's passion, and so determined to see it through.

To see all the she saw and be able to document everything... so fantastic!

Read the book, be inspired.  See art teach science something new.

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Marian's Art Changed Science.
Joyce Sidman
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
160 pages.
Age: 10-12 

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
 

Where can you get it?

Amazon.ca: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

Amazon.com: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

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