As a writer, I’ve been tempted many times to stop writing. After all, it’s hard. Will anyone ever read this? Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing after all. Then I read stories like the ones I’ve mentioned here. Four of them are about real women who would not give up, even in the face of much adversity. I admire people who have that conviction and strength. It gives me the courage to keep trying-just like they did.
I wrote
Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Kariko and the Race for the Future of Vaccines
I love reading about women who break the mold-who do something everyone says they can’t.
Hedy Lamar was a famous actress, but she said herself, “People seem to think because I have a pretty face...I’m stupid.” She wasn’t! Among her many inventions was a glow-in-the-dark dog collar. Her most famous scientific work came from designing a frequency hopping system, that is still used in many electronics today.
To her adoring public, Hedy Lamarr was a glamorous movie star. But in private, she was something more: a brilliant inventor. Now Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu, who collaborated on Sterling's critically acclaimed picture-book biography Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code, tell the inspiring story of how, during World War Two, Lamarr developed a groundbreaking communications system that still remains essential to the security of today's technology.
'Even readers who don't know Hedy Lamarr, 'the world's most beautiful woman,' will become fans after learning how she balanced her fame as a 1930s movie star with a passion…
This story tells how Mary Anning found amazing fossils and became an expert on the subject, even when many people thought women shouldn’t be scientists.
Mary was never given the credit she deserved, but it didn’t stop her from doing what she loved. While it upsets me that she was often overlooked because she was a woman, I admire her because she didn’t let others’ opinions keep her from the work she enjoyed and did so well.
A beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Mary Anning that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists, perfect for fans of The Girl Who Thought in Pictures
Mary Anning loved scouring the beach near her home in England for shells and fossils. She fearlessly climbed over crumbling cliffs and rocky peaks, searching for new specimens. One day, something caught Mary's eye.
Bones. Dinosaur Bones.
Mary's discoveries rocked the world of science and helped create a brand-new field of study: paleontology. But many people believed women couldn't be scientists, so Mary wasn't given…
The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.
When I was a school librarian, I shared this fiction picture book every year and then we planted lupines. It’s the story of a woman who knew what she wanted to do and she did it. One of her goals was the make the world more beautiful and she did it by scattering seeds everywhere she went.
If you can read this book and not want to make the world more beautiful, I will be very surprised!
Alice made a promise to make the world a more beautiful place, then a seed of an idea is planted and blossoms into a beautiful plan. This beloved classic and celebration of nature—written by a beloved Caldecott winner—is lovelier than ever!
Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady,…
Who doesn’t love a story about a woman brave enough to swim with sharks?
In a time when women weren’t supposed to be scientists, Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks. She devoted her life to learning about them and taught the world that sharks aren’t bad and have a special place in our world.
As the author of the Mermaid Tales series, I have studied about many different ocean creatures and love quizzing kids about them. One of my questions: Are sharks bad is almost always answered with a yes. I tell students the truth, just like Eugenie Clark did.
One of New York Times' Twelve Books for Feminist Boys and Girls! This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover, and inspire. This is the story of Shark Lady. One of the best science picture books for children, Shark Lady is a must for both teachers and parents alike! An Amazon Best Book of the Month Named a Best Children's Book of 2017 by Parents magazine Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn't imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. But…
Who was the man who would become Caesar's lieutenant, Brutus' rival, Cleopatra's lover, and Octavian's enemy?
When his stepfather is executed for his involvement in the Catilinarian conspiracy, Mark Antony and his family are disgraced. His adolescence is marked by scandal and mischief, his love affairs are fleeting, and yet,…
Mary Walker didn’t learn to read when she was a child. She was a slave until she was fifteen years old and continued to work all her life.
At age 116, she did something she had always wanted to do. Something she didn’t give up on. Mary Walker learned to read. As a former first-grade teacher who taught many children to read, as well as loving to read myself, this story brings tears to my eyes. What a determined woman!
Imagine learning to read at the age of 116! Discover the true story of Mary Walker, the nation's oldest student who did just that, in this picture book from a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and a rising star author.
In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. And at 116, she…
Dr. Katalin Kariko channeled her curiosity into her work as a scientist. She faced frequent criticism and was told by other scientists she would never succeed in making an mRNA vaccine. Finally, after many years of hard work and dedication, she did it! When the deadly virus, COVID-19 infected millions of people, Kati’s idea turned out to be exactly what the world needed. Indeed, Kati believes mRNA technology can be used to cure other diseases as well. Never Give Up is the inspiring, true story of a determined scientist who proved that a little bit of curiosity and a lot of hard work can save lives.
When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.
Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.
It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the…
