When Lisa Day invited me to talk about The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything on her blog, Book Time, I was delighted. I don’t often get an opportunity to say so much about a book, but Lisa really did question everything!
This picture book biography about Maria Mitchell is about so many things: the history of science (not only astronomy, but navigation too); the development of women’s rights, especially in the areas of education and science; finding your vocational path through trial and error; the benefits of practice (and boredom); the power of mindfulness to give us insight into ourselves.
Some of my favourite questions were:
- What was it about her story that made you want to tell others about it?
- What is the goal of telling Maria’s story?
- What do you hope kids–and adults–will take away from Maria’s story?
You can read the responses–and the rest of our conversation–here.
Laura Alary 