April Story Time

Calling all future scientists, techies, engineers, artists and mathematicians to story time. Families are invited to listen to fun and engaging stories that call out adventures and mishaps of kid scientists and engineers, and explore our universe from the far reaches of the galaxy down to tiny microbes here on Earth. Join us after the story for engaging STEAM hands-on activities.

About the Book

Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian, by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

In the Middle Ages, people believed that insects were evil, born from mud in a process called spontaneous generation. Maria Merian was only a child, but she disagreed. She watched carefully as caterpillars spun themselves cocoons, which opened to reveal summer birds, or butterflies and moths. Maria studied the whole life cycle of the summer birds, and documented what she learned in vibrant paintings.
This is the story of one young girl who took the time to observe and learn, and in so doing disproved a theory that went all the way back to ancient Greece.