What Linnaeus Saw: A Scientist's Quest to Name Every Living Thing

by Karen Magnuson Beil

Overview

Winner of the 2020 CBHL Award of Excellence in Children and Young Adult Literature

The globetrotting naturalists of the eighteenth century were the geeks of their day: innovators and explorers who lived at the intersection of science and commerce. Foremost among them was Carl Linnaeus, a radical thinker who revolutionized biology.

In What Linnaeus Saw, Karen Magnuson Beil chronicles Linnaeus’s life and career in readable, relatable prose. As a boy, Linnaeus hated school and had little interest in taking up the religious profession his family had chosen. Though he struggled through Latin and theology classes, Linnaeus was an avid student of the natural world and explored the school’s gardens and woods, transfixed by the properties of different plants. At twenty-five, on a solo expedition to the Scandinavian Mountains, Linnaeus documented and described dozens of new species. As a medical student in Holland, he moved among leading scientific thinkers and had access to the best collections of plants and animals in Europe. What Linnaeus found was a world with no consistent system for describing and naming living things—a situation he methodically set about changing. The Linnaean system for classifying plants and animals, developed and refined over the course of his life, is the foundation of modern scientific taxonomy, and inspired and guided generations of scientists.

What Linnaeus Saw is rich with biographical anecdotes—from his attempt to identify a mysterious animal given him by the king to successfully growing a rare and exotic banana plant in Amsterdam to debunking stories of dragons and phoenixes. Thoroughly researched and generously illustrated, it offers a vivid and insightful glimpse into the life of one of modern science’s founding thinkers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324004684
Publisher:	Norton Young Readers
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	182,493
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	1110L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Karen Magnuson Beil has worked as a news reporter and science writer. Her work takes her on exciting adventures—such as paddling through a marsh with a muskrat farmer and climbing a tower to “interview” New York’s first reintroduced bald eagle. Beil lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Sjupp's Story 11

1 Not One Pumpkin 22

2 Every Growing Thing 43

3 Into the Arctic! 57

4 Dragon with Seven Heads 80

5 Can Bananas Grow in Holland? 91

6 Nature's Blueprint 103

7 Last Name, First Name 130

8 The Most Controversial Plant 151

9 Human vs. Animal 163

10 Student Explorers 188

11 The Professor 219

Timeline 229

Glossary of Botanical and Scientific Teems 235

Notes 237

Sources 244

Acknowledgments 251

Index 253

Illustration Credits 256

Editorial Reviews

"[An] enlightening narrative of a rule-breaker turned rule-maker."

Booklist

10/01/2019

Gr 7 Up—Many students can explain biological classification in its simplest terms. But how many know scientist Carl Linnaeus, the creator of that system? This biography presents the details of Linnaeus's life in chronological order, weaving facts with the unique experiences that influenced his life choices and scientific work. Beil, a former news reporter and science writer, widens the scope of her text with fascinating details about Linnaeus's travels as a young man, as well as the prevailing cultural and religious beliefs of his time, which had a significant impact on his views of the natural world and its living components. Researched information fills each chapter, as does educator-friendly content primed to spice up discussions about biological classification. Despite its readability, however, this work seems unlikely to be a popular choice among students looking for a quick read. There are an exceptional number of excellent historical illustrations included with the text, a detailed time line, and source material. VERDICT Beil's storytelling skill elevates the biographical information, mimicking the excitement and mystery of scientific discovery. A well-researched choice for YA biography collections about a significant scientific pioneer.—Casey O'Leary, Meredith Nicholson School 96, IN

School Library Journal

★ 2019-07-24
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was responsible for developing a method for classifying and naming plants and animals that remains in use today.

Linnaeus, born in Sweden, was an indifferent student, showing a complete lack of enthusiasm for the career in the ministry his parents intended he follow. It was nature that sparked his interest and eventually drove his future path to become a physician and, more importantly, a naturalist and influential college professor who inspired many of the next generation of scientists. It had been clear to Linnaeus from his youth that the study of the natural world badly needed a uniform method for organizing discoveries. After examining several existing methods, all of them significantly flawed, Linnaeus used his thorough understanding of nature to craft logical methods of classification and naming. They were quickly recognized by many European scientists as inspired methods for managing the complexity of the natural world, coming at a critical time when European explorations were resulting in myriad discoveries new to them. Beil's enthusiastic exploration of what could have been a dry and tedious topic is instead a highly engaging and entertaining page-turning presentation further enlivened with numerous period illustrations that perfectly accompany comprehensively researched text. Excellent backmatter rounds out this fine effort.

An outstanding biography of a brilliant and fascinating man who is well worth the attention. (Biography. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews