DRAGONFLIES OF GLASS: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls

Born into the mid-nineteenth century, Clara Driscoll's grew into a family of secure means during an era in which women painting nature was a respected pastime. Clara honed her talent and examined the fragile beauty of nature in her back garden, but eventually followed her calling by attending art school in New York City with her sister. That respectable pursuit led her to the attention of Mr. Louis Comfort Tiffany, already a highly 

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successful business owner and innovator in the  world of ART glass. The sisters were hired to work in the design department (only single women were allowed to work in public businesses at that time).

DRAGONFLIES of GLASS: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls is the nonfiction biographic profile of a lesser-credited artist whose iconic designs are among the most famous (and priceless) of all Tiffany glass objects. Clara led a team of women whose designs involved inspiration, sketches, refinement, and many stages of cutting, assembly, and monitoring throughout their creation. Written by Susan Goldman Rubin and illustrated  by Susanna Chapman, this account rises to a very high bar of capturing a complex life and exquisite illustration on the page.

The tools they used  were many, but the ultimate media were uniquely colored and textured sheets of glass. These works of glass art sheets both nspired and limited the ultimate results. From window panes to lamp shades, ranging from massive to diminutive, masterpieces were designed by "Tiffany Girls" under Clara's supervision and guided by her talent and leadership skills.

Abstractions and colorful patterns produced by the glass workers (all men) were impressive, but Clara developed original designs to use them, drawing her images from nature similar to the works she first created in her garden. Her most inspired lamp design featured dragonflies on a mosaic pedestal base. It was immediately requested by customers, but Mr. Tiffany also recognized it as worthy of wider recognition. Until that time, the only name assigned to any Tiffany works was "TIFFANY". But, in the case, this rare and original lamp was entered in an international design competition, and CLARA DRISCOLL was the name added to the Tiffany brand for the design.

If that sounds like I gave Clara's story away, think again. This account takes many twists and turns, and that only references the main text. Throughout the spreads there are also fine-print quotations from Clara and her family members, passages excerpted from more recently discovered troves of letters written throughout her career and life. With family spread across many states, the members used "round robin" letters. One sibling would write and send their news on to the next, who would read and add on, then send to another member until all had read the news and updates. In modern times it was like having a group text spread over many months. generations of descendants saved these letters, and their contents are superb examples of primary sources. These personal notes and Clara's non-artist life story spread throughout her sprawling family. The illustrator created a bottom-of-the-page visual scroll that lends humanity and emotional heft to the remarkably talented woman being portrayed. Back matter clarifies this and more details, including places Clara's work is displayed, photos from her life, and other resources to learn more.

For adult readers, Susan Vreeland has written a very comprehensive and well-researched work that shares even more about Clara, despite its fiction genre:  CLARA AND MR. TIFFANY (Random House, 2012). You can read an excerpt of that novel on Vreeland's website, HERE.

HELLO, SPRING: Explore Super Plants and Tiny Champions!

 If you happen to live in a part of the country that experiences four seasons, especially here in the northern hemisphere with spring peeking around the corner with more sunshine and enticing bright afternoons, these two nonfiction picture books will be especially welcome on wish lists and library holds. Both invite fresh and awe-inspiring looks at the plants and animals of our world that deserve to be showcased and studied. 

PHAIDON, 2025

Let's begin with SUPER POWERED PLANTS: Meet the Smartest, Strongest, and Sneakiest Plants,  written by Soledad Romero Mariño and illustrated by Sonia Pulido. This is one of several releases by a publisher with a well-earned reputation for offering young readers appealing resources to learn more about the world.  

In this case the plants featured reside in habitats around the world, and are distinctly super-powered in multiple ways. The result is a collection of double-page spreads that are similarly organized but produce some jaw-dropping content through a blend of well-written text and symbols/icons that reveal particular adaptive patterns to support long-term survival. 

Illustrator Pulido has a crisp, colorful style that lends appeal and draws attention to each element of a plant, making the complex content accessible and easily comparable to other plants. 

End papers provide an array of the symbolic circles used throughout to tag the traits (each of which is explained on an opening spread) The graphic design of the overall presentation invites reading about one after the next, but also makes this an effective research source. It encourages readers to use the patterns of resource texts (table of contents, tagged details, scientific analysis insertions in smaller print) and the vivid, accurately depicted aspects of each plant in scientific illustrations worthy of framing.

Interior/endpapers, array of icons. Phaeton, 2025

The "super" elements of each plant, in various combinations, range from specialization of the bark, to longevity, to super-flower traits, to sensitivity/reactivity, and more. The compact and readable text explains how such advantages serve the particular plant species and combine with the other super qualities to make the plants exceptional. It's intriguing and exciting to read about, some examples being familiar to a degree and others being new introductions to various readers. Allowing for surviving (and thriving) across the globe and in wide-ranging biomes (deserts to rain forests to water homes), these highly specialized plant lead readers on a virtual tour of the world and invite them to find and learn more about extra special, super-powered plants!

Nature's Tiny Champions, Phaidon, 2025

NATURE'S TINY CHAMPIONS: The Big Book of Little Creatures Doing Mighty Things is written by Ben Lerwill and illustrated by Nic Jones. This nonfiction celebration and revelation of some of Earth's tiniest creatures is super-sized to allow for shared experiences with the exciting content. Each creature presented is showcased at actual size (with measurements, such as the 0.04 inch waterbear, about as small as the period at the end of sentence), with an expanded and detailed view of the critter beneath that "actual size" image, when needed. The images provide clear understanding of each animal and its interaction with nature, as well as a side-border offering circular illustration insets and brief text to learn even more. 

In selecting the creatures to celebrate, the choices showcase familiar animals like honeybees, but layer in facts that are likely new to the reader. Other choices are creatures that young and old are less likely to have heard of before. All in all, this oversized, well-organized compendium of small creatures with big impacts on the earth provides vibrant and informative visuals with intriguing and beguiling information. They make a delightful pair of titles for gifting, and will enhance any classroom, library, or home collection. 

Phaidon Press, Inc has produced other nonfiction books I've throughly admired and written about HERE and  HERE,  From Bansky to Board Books to Bees, each topic is presented in kid-friendly ways that don't talk-down to children but instead engage their interest and entice further explorations.