The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brillance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made of
By Kirsten W. Larson, Illustrated by Katherine Roy
A poetic picture book celebrating the life and scientific discoveries of the groundbreaking astronomer Cecilia Payne!
Astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne was the first person to discover what burns at the heart of stars. But she didn’t start out as the groundbreaking scientist she would eventually become. She started out as a girl full of curiosity, hoping one day to unlock the mysteries of the universe. 5-8 years
Maria’s Comet
by Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Deborah Lanino
Maria longs to be an astronomer. She imagines all the strange worlds she can travel to by looking through her papa’s telescope. One night Maria gets her chance. For the first time, she sees the night sky stretching endlessly above her. Her dream of exploring constellations seems close enough to touch. This story is inspired by the life of Maria Mitchell, America’s first woman astronomer.
On A Beam Of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
by Jennifer Berne
Travel along with Einstein on a journey full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific discovery. This is a moving story of the powerful difference imagination can make in any life.
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures
By Julia Finley Mosca, Illustrated by Daniel Rieley
When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe. Inside, you’ll find a complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of events, and even a note from Temple herself.
The Librarian Who Measured The Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
This is a colorfully illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist Eratosthenes. He compiled the first geography book. And accurately measured the globe’s circumference.
Who Was Marie Curie?
By Megan Stine, Illustrated by Ted Hammond
Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together they discovered two elements and won a Nobel Prize in 1903. Later Marie won another Nobel award for chemistry in 1911. She died in Savoy, France, on July 4, 1934, a victim of many years of exposure to toxic radiation.
Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries
by Don Brown
Before the word “dinosaur” was ever coined, a young girl discovered a remarkable skeleton on the rocky beach at Lyme Regis in England. This discovery became her passion. She became one of the first commercial fossil collectors. Born in 1799, Mary Anning spent a lifetime teaching herself about fossils. She combed the rugged shore near her home and found a treasure trove of fossils. These long-extinct creatures excited early paleontologists.
Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos
by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Young Carl Sagan went to the 1939 World’s Fair. His life was changed forever. From that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe. He sought to understand it better. Star Stuff follows Carl from his days star gazing from his Brooklyn apartment. Through his love of science fiction novels. To his work as an renowned scientist. Carl worked on the Voyager missions exploring the farthest reaches of space.
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
by Claire Nivola
Sylvia Earle first lost her heart to the ocean as a young girl. She discovered the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico. As an adult, she dives even deeper. She designs submersibles, swims with whales, and takes deep-water walks. Sylvia has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls “the blue heart of the planet.”
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
By Rachel Ignotofsky
Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. This collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved the Mystery That Baffled All of France
by Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
American inventor Benjamin Franklin is upstaged by a compelling and enigmatic figure: Dr. Mesmer. In elaborately staged shows, Mesmer, wears a fancy coat of purple silk. He carries an iron wand. And he convinces the people of Paris that he controls a magic force. It can cure illness and thoughts. But Ben Franklin is not convinced. Will his practical scientific approach get to the bottom of the mysterious Mesmer’s tricks?
Barnum’s Bones: How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World
by Tracy Fern, Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Barnum Brown’s parents named him after the circus icon P.T. Barnum. They hoped he would do something extraordinary. And he did! He worked as a paleontologist for the American Museum of Natural History. He discovered the first documented skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. And most of the dinosaurs on display there today.
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this Books For Kids: Scientists, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Bessie Coleman, born to Texas sharecroppers in 1892, wanted more out of life than picking cotton. She wanted to “amount to something.” One of thirteen children, Bessie left Texas for Chicago in 1915, to live with her brothers Walter and John.
Bessie attended a beauty school and became a manicurist. She worked at the White Sox Barber Shop during World War I. Bessie listened to the daring stories told by pilots returning from Europe. Her brother, John, who had served in WWI teased her that French women were superior because they could fly planes. Bessie decided she would fly too. But no U.S. aviation schools would accept her. She was an African American woman.
Bessie Coleman
Bessie enjoyed reading the African American newspaper the Chicago Defender. The publisher, Robert S. Abbott, learned about Bessie’s dream to fly. He suggested that she learn French and apply for training at a French flight school. Bessie quickly learned the language and was accepted by a leading aviation school in France.
Bessie Coleman
Learning to fly the Nieuport Type 82 biplane required skill and daring. Although Bessie witnessed the death of a fellow student, she continued to fly determined to succeed. She trained for seven months. On June 15, 1921, Bessie received her pilot’s license. She was the first African American woman to do so. And the first African American to receive an International pilot’s license.
Returning home, Bessie was unable to find employment as an aviator. She traveled again to Europe for advanced training and to learn aerial stunt flying. Bessie was considered by experienced European pilots to be an exceptional flyer.
Returning again to the U.S., Bessie had a new dream. She would open a flight school to train African American women. Bessie needed money to finance this. With her skill and training, she became a barnstormer. In the early days of flying, pilots toured the country performing stunts at exhibitions to earn a living. They were called barnstormers.
Bessie Coleman In Her Uniform
Bessie first appeared at an air show in Garden City, Long Island. She dressed in a military style uniform. She performed loops and spirals over the crowd. The show billed Bessie as “the world’s greatest woman flier.”
Bessie appeared in more air shows. In 1923, she was able to purchase a Curtiss JM4 military surplus biplane known as a Jenny. Bessie flew in her Jenny before a Los Angeles crowd in June that year. Her plane stalled and crashed. Bessie survived the accident, but was left with a broken leg and three broken ribs.
On June 19, 1925, Bessie returned to the air in Texas to celebrate Juneteenth. Texas slaves were effectively freed from slavery by U.S. troops on June 19, 1865. Beginning that day, Bessie refused to perform in the south if African Americans were banned from attendance.
To help raise funds for her flight school, Bessie spoke to audiences about flying. She encouraged African Americans to consider flying too.
Bessie never realized her dream of opening a flight school. She purchased another Jenny biplane in 1926. Many people including her family considered it to be in poor condition. On April 30, 1926, Bessie flew as a passenger in the plane scouting a landing site for a parachute jump. The pilot, William Wills, lost control. Bessie and Wills like many early aviators lost their lives flying.
Bessie Coleman, called “Brave Bess” inspired women to live their dreams as she had lived hers. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
In 234 words, Patricia MacLachlan tells the story of how young Henri Matisse became the master painter of color and light and movement.
Growing up in gray northern France, near the border with Belgium, Henri’s mother Anna Heloise brightened his world withcolor. She painted porcelain plates with scenes of nature. The plates hung on the walls of their house along with vivid red rugs that also covered a dirt floor. And Henri watched the colors of his pigeon’s feathers shimmer — “iridescence” his mother told him.
In The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse, Patricia MacLachlan draws a child in by using the second person point of view and asking “ if you” questions, until the child knows, that if you had grown up in Henri Matisse’s world, then you would become a painter, too.
The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse
Back Cover Illustrated by Hadley Hooper
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse attended law school, passed the bar exam, and with his father’s help found a position as a law clerk — although he did not enjoy practicing law. But everything changed when Henri became ill with appendicitis. While recovering, his mother gave him paints and supplies. It was then that Henri knew he would spend the rest of his life as an artist.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Jacques Cousteau, a man of many talents, was a scientist, inventor, naturalist, explorer, writer, and filmmaker. He had a profound sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. An expert on sea life, he championed its preservation.
When Jacques was a child in France, he loved movies. He saved his allowance and bought a movie camera. With it, he filmed his own movies. They starred his friends, family, and even himself. Later, Jacques served in the French Navy. With his camera along, he traveled the world filming everything he saw.
In 1936, a friend gave Jacques a pair of swimgoggles. Jacques swam underwater with them. For the first time he saw brilliantly colored fish and fascinating underwater plants and animals. But he could only stay underwater for a brief time. He wanted the ability to breathe and explore freely.
Jacques worked with an engineer and in 1943, he invented Scuba — Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Now he could breathe underwater like a fish. With his camera protected by a waterproof case he filmed the underwater world.
Jacques converted a former Navy mine-sweeper into an ocean going laboratory. He named his ship Calypso. Jacques traveled the world exploring and filming underwater. He captured sea life in over 115 films and in 50 books. He shared his adventures with people everywhere.
First in flight — a sheep, a rooster, and a duck flew as the first passengers in a hot air balloon. Traveling a bit more than two miles, the balloon drifted along for eight minutes and reached a height of 1,500 feet. The three intrepid fliers were later found unharmed, but it is unknown if they asked for a second trip.
The creators of the hot air balloon, French brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier were amateur inventors who advanced human flight. After several experiments showing that hot air would lift envelopes of taffeta, a silky material, the brothers constructed a balloon that they believed would fly when air underneath was heated by burning straw and wool.
Before a crowd in the town of Annonay, on June 4, 1783, their balloon flew to a height of 3,000 feet and landed a mile and a half away. With the success of the flight, came a request from French King Louis XVI for a demonstration at his home, Versailles.
But a storm damaged the balloon, and the king insisted that the brothers make a new one — fast! Construction took four days and sleepless nights to complete.
Joseph and Etienne chose passengers for the flight — a sheep, similar to humans in physiology; a rooster, a flightless bird; and a duck as their control animal. Now they could test the effect of altitude on the sheep and rooster. The duck, of course, had no problem with altitude.
On September 19, 1783, a sunny day in the Versailles gardens, King Louis, his wife Marie Antoinette, the American Ambassador, Benjamin Franklin, and a crowd of enthusiastic Parisians watched the animals float away in the balloon making history.
Now, Joseph and Etienne were ready to try a manned flight. On November 21, 1783, two daring men sailed off in the brothers’ balloon traveling twenty minutes over five miles. But it was a sheep, a rooster, and a duck, with the help of the Montgolfier Brothers, who first led the way to human flight.
The Montgolfier Brothers Balloon
(KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA) London Science Museum
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A Book for Kids:
Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride
Remembering the Christmas Truce of 1914, Albert Moran of the 2nd Queen’s Regiment wrote: “It was a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere; and…there were those lights — I don’t know what they were. And then they sang Silent Night, Stille Nacht. I shall never forget it. It was one of the highlights of my life.”
From: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce by Stanley Weintraub.
The lights shining on the parapets — the tops of the German trenches — were candles. Up and down the lines of the Western Front, stretching from the shores of Belgium through France, soldiers sang Christmas carols and exchanged Christmas greetings across No Man’s Land. This was the Christmas truce of 1914, four months after the start of World War I.
German and Allied Soldiers Together
The truce began with the Germans. They lit candles on the parapets and on their Christmas trees. They sang Silent Night. Their Christmas spirit inspired the Allies. The British, French, and Belgian soldiers responded first by shooting flares into the sky and then singing Christmas carols.
Christmas Day Football
Signs went up. The British wrote “Merry Christmas.” The Germans wrote “Happy Christmas.” Men left the trenches and crossed No Man’s Land to greet each other. They exchanged gifts of chocolate, cakes, and tobacco and played games of football together. For a brief time, the joy of Christmas brought peace again to the men in the trenches on the Western Front.
If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Paris, France, was full of surprises for Julia Child. She quickly learned that Parisian apartments were not only cold, but came equipped with their own mice. The answer to the mice problem was clear to Julia’s maid. One day, Jeanne appeared with a basket that held the soon-to-be mouse catcher, a mud and cream colored cat. Julia named her Minette and then Mini for short.
At first, Minette was content to stay in the basket. But when she smelled Julia’s soup, curiosity took over. Minette jumped onto the shelf above the stove. She watched Julia work to recreate the mushroom soup she enjoyed at a restaurant. From Julia’s very first meal in France, she was determined to learn to cook the French food she loved. Julia’s soup didn’t turn out to be an exact copy, but Minette seemed happy with it and ate a saucer full.
Another Paris surprise for Julia was how much she adored her French cat. “I had never been much of an animal person,” she said. “She was my first cat ever, and I thought she was marvelous.”
Julia invented Minette’s favorite game, batting at a Brussel sprout tied a string. And Julia enjoyed watching Minette’s tail switching around when she ducked her head under the radiator. Occasionally, Minette showed her appreciation for Julia’s affection and good food by dropping at mouse at Julia’s feet.
Minette found her way into Julia’s heart at the perfect time. In their kitchen, Julia practiced cooking the French food she later became famous for. And lucky Minette tasted it first.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
