Furthermore, I also do tend to find that the physical depictions of Maria Merian herself make her look rather more Dutch than German (but that is a personal observation and feeling, others might not think thus, and the illustrations are truly a visual treat in many ways). Now with regard to Julie Paschkis's accompanying illustrations, while they are bright and descriptive, I personally would MUCH RATHER see Maria Sibylla Merian's own illustrations utilised for at least the depictions of the butterflies (and personally, I think it is rather an insult to her talent and her legacy as an artist that they are not used, that no illustrations of her own work actually are included, are presented in Summer Birds). Thus Margarita Engle's lack of textual accuracy and the at times over dramatisation of Maria Merian's issues and struggles with her suspicious neighbours and acquaintances is a bit of an annoying and frustrating turn-off for me (not a huge turn-off, as I still think Summer Birds is a lovely, informative and engaging account of a talented and inquisitive late 17th century German girl, but enough of a frustration for me to only award two and half stars for Summer Birds, well actually two stars, as half stars are not possible on Goodreads).
For while Maria Sibylla Merian (indeed) was regarded with suspicion by some if not even many of her neighbours and acquaintances, she also did not have quite as tough and as problematic a time as portrayed either in the historical note or in the narrative itself (and actually had a very supportive family).
Maria Sibylla Merian lived in the 17th and early 18th century, and while there definitely was still quite a bit of rampant superstition especially regarding insects and other non vertebrates (and so-called spontaneous generation, with insects and worms supposedly generating out of mud and the like), there was also a great deal more openness than in, say, the Middle Ages (and why the Summer Birds book description actually places Merian in the Middle Ages, or at least seems to, I will NEVER even remotely understand and accept). And while for the most part, I have quite enjoyed Margarita Engle's Summer Birds, I do and with considerable annoyance find that there is a rather problematic lack of historical accuracy portrayed at times. When I heard that there actually exists a picture book fictional (auto)biography of the girlhood of famous German naturalist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), I immediately purchased a copy for my personal library.
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