Aimed at a juvenile audience, the work taught children the alphabet, using words that would help them develop both a political consciousness and an understanding of human rights.

[3] He was a druggist and watchmaker in Philadelphia and the couple were members of the Green Street Friends Meeting, for which Priscilla served as a minister.

[10] According to Barbara and Richard Mearns, naturalists who wrote John Kirk Townsend: Collector of Audubon's Western Birds and Mammals, she had tumors in her uterus, which caused recurring problems.

[10] Additionally, influenced by members such as Lucretia Mott, who attended the Green Street Friends Meeting, the Townsend daughters became anti-slavery activists.

[10] Although it was published anonymously, Lewis wrote to Phebe Hanaford that Townsend was the author and had inspired her to undertake similar studies about nature.

[14] The book presented common insects, such as ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, crickets, fireflies, fleas, katydids, locusts, mosquitos, silkworms, spiders, termites, and wasps with descriptions of their appearance and behavior.

Written in twenty chapters, the material gave details about the social organization of ants, the life cycles of butterflies, and the use of other insects as food, among other descriptions.

[10][15] It is also clear from the texts that in addition to observation, she read materials prepared by other entomologists, and conducted experiments with various insects, as Townsend noted how she studied their eating habits and sounds they produced.

In the book, each letter of the alphabet was demonstrated by a word related to slavery, so for example "A" stood for "abolitionist", whereas "B" represented "brothers", indicating that slaves were part of humankind.

[20] Near the end of her life, Townsend was writing with a "younger sister" a children's book giving a rhymed account of England's history.