Lovely illustrations in this book, whimsically drawn. Tells the story of Maria Mitchell's life and discovery of a comet. Back matter also includes information about other comet-spotters, and background on Mitchell, including her Quaker heritage. ( )

Beautifully written and illustrated story of America's first female professional astronomer.

What Miss Mitchell Saw tells the story of Maria Mitchell and her discovery of a comet. As a little girl, Maria worked with her father, sweeping the stars. She knew all the stars and planets by name. One day she discovers a comet and sends work out to the king. It takes a while, but finally, Maria is recognized as the first to discover the comet and is given a medal. The illustrations were so fitting in this book! Full of a dreamlike quality, they resonate with the heart of the story. Another great book to introduce to young girls, particularly those interested in the sciences. ( )

"Miss Mitchell saw a comet.
The world saw her."

Maria ("ma...rye...ah") Mitchell was born on Nantucket in 1819, and her father taught her how to use a telescope to observe the night sky. She learned the stars and planets by name - just as she knew the shopkeepers in town. Maria also learned to rate the chronometers that ship captains brought to their house. On October 1, 1847, she observed a comet. Three other astronomers around the world observed it also, but - astonishingly - the scientific community agreed that Mitchell saw it first, and it is still known as "Miss Mitchell's Comet" today.

Back matter includes "A bit more about Maria Mitchell - Astronomer, Educator, Activist."

See also: Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed (children's picture book biography), The Genius of Women by Janice Kaplan (adult nonfiction) ( )

Maria (pronounced ma - RYE - ah) Mitchell was born in 1818 in Nantucket, Massachusetts to a Quaker family. Her father, a teacher and amateur astronomer, showed Maria how to use a telescope and to sweep the sky as carefully as she would sweep a room. The author quotes Maria’s father as advising her:

“Thee must wonder. Thee must watch closely. Then will thee see and know for thyself.

Maria’s father also taught her to use other instruments, including the sextants and chronometers whalers used to help them steer their ships off the Nantucket shores.

Maria became a teacher, like her father, and a librarian, like her mother. She used the quiet time at the library to study advanced mathematics and celestial navigation. At night, she continued to sweep the stars.

One evening, she found a comet, and she and her father rushed to publish the news; the King of Denmark had pledged a gold medal to any astronomer who discovered a new comet with a telescope.

Maria, only 29, made the historic observation in 1847, and won the medal. It bore the motto: “Not in vain do we watch the setting and the rising of the stars.” (These were the dying words of the great astronomer Tycho Brahe). The author concludes: “Miss Mitchell saw a comet. The world saw her.”

End matter includes more information about Maria Mitchell, such as the fact that she was the first woman astronomer employed by the U.S. government, the first professor hired at the newly founded Vassar College (though she had no college education of her own), the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a cofounder of the Association for the Advancement of Women.

The author also notes that Maria was active in campaigning for both women’s rights and for abolition. She even refused to wear clothes made out of Southern cotton. She became quite well-known, and entertained prominent activists in her home, including Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

Maria died in June 28, 1889 at the age of 70. An organization, the Maria Mitchell Association, was established in Nantucket to honor Mitchell’s work and to promote the sciences. It also operates an observatory named in her honor.

Illustrator Diana Sudyka uses gouache, watercolor, and ink to depict Maria’s world as one filled with both the ocean swirls off the coast of Nantucket and the stars and planets in the night sky overhead. (This connection is a reflected in the text as well: “She marveled at the celestial phenomena that arched overhead like a whale’s sparkling splash.”) A variety of fonts help emphasize what was important to Maria.

Evaluation: This welcome addition to picture book accounts of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) should have great appeal to its intended audience of 5-8 years. I especially loved the way Maria’s clothes are shown as sparkly and full of stars, which might convince girls fond of glitter and princesses that scientific endeavors are worth their consideration. ( )