February 11, 2025, marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In this February blog, we highlight the extraordinary contributions of women in the science field. This international holiday, originating from the United Nations, seeks to promote equal access and participation of women in science. Read along with us as we explore biographies of legendary scientists to fictional tales on what makes science great!
Ahmed, Roda
Illustrator: Burrington, Stasia
Mae Among the Stars. 2018. Picture Book.
Mae Among the Stars is the inspirational biographical tale of Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel to space. Jemison’s story serves as inspiration to young readers on the achievement of their dreams and how, as Mae’s mom described, “If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Ahmed brings forth an important message to young readers on aspiring to the impossible, dreaming about their wildest aspirations, and never losing their courage and imagination.
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Beaty, Andrea
Illustrator: Roberts, David
Ada Twist, Scientist. 2016. Picture Book.
Ada Twist, Scientist is a part of a larger picture book series titled The Questionnaires and is inspired by real life scientists Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace. Ada Twist is characterized by her sheer curiosity as she wades her way through failed experiments and scientific missions that go sideways, and she learns the important lesson of how to navigate through problems and obstacles while maintaining her curiosity, love of science, and determination to try again.
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Burleigh, Robert
Illustrator: Colón, Raúl
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp maps the ocean floor. 2016. Picture Book.
This illustrated biography explores the life of Marie Tharp, an American geologist and oceanographic cartographer, who collaborated with Bruce Heezen to produce the first map of the Atlantic Ocean floor. Before Marie Tharp, many other scientists made efforts to measure the depth of the ocean with no luck. Marie’s determination and aspirations despite the obstacles encountered along the way, such as being turned away from a ship due to being a woman and it being considered “bad luck” to have a woman aboard, will be inspirational to any young scientist. Marie never gave up on her dream to give us grander knowledge about our planet.
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Dalton, Angela
Illustrator: Semmer, Lauren
To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek helped advance civil rights. 2023. Picture Book.
To boldly go delves into the legacy of Nichelle Nichols, an American actress known for her portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Nichols’s character was revolutionary during its time due to being one of the first portrayals of a Black female astronaut on screen. Lieutenant Uhura inspired generations of future astronauts like Mae Jemison, who described seeing Nichols on the screen as inspiration for her later becoming an astronaut herself. Additionally, Nichols used her platform from Star Trek and worked with NASA to recruit minorities to join the agency and STEM fields. To Boldly Go is an important reminder for the audience on the power of representation in media and inspiring young readers to push the barriers.
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Deutsch, Stacia
Girls Who Code: The Friendship Code. 2017. Middle Grade.
Girls Who Code is a middle grade fiction series published in partnership with the Girls Who Code organization and is a perfect recommendation for any reader that is a fan of the Babysitter’s Club or computer science. The Friendship Code is the first book in the series that revolves around a character named Lucy, who is beyond excited to join her after-school coding club that will help her on her quest in developing an app. However, her excitement is short-lived when she is assigned to be in a group with girls she does not know. When Lucy begins to receive cryptic coding messages, she needs to figure out how to translate them, and along the way, she recognizes how friendship and coding alike take time to develop.
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Larson, Kirsten W.
Illustrator: Roy, Katherine
The Fire of Stars: The life and brilliance of the woman who discovered what stars are made of. 2023. Picture Book.
The Fire of Stars is a biographical picture book based on the astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne. Payne is famous for discovering the composition of stars, which is hydrogen and helium. The Fire of Stars‘ lyrical prose and vivid text come together beautifully with the graphics from award-winning illustrator Katherine Roy. This biographical story takes you on a journey from the beginning of Cecilia Payne’s life as a curious little girl who utilizes that curiosity to become one of today’s most well-known scientists.
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Márquez, Melissa Cristina
Illustrator: Kurtz, Devin Elle
Mother of Sharks. 2023. Picture Book.
Mother of Sharks highlights the extraordinary life of Melissa Cristina Márquez, a Puerto Rican marine biologist, conservationist, and much more. She studies Great White Sharks and their relatives. Mother of Sharks focuses on Melissa’s personal story of how she went from living in Puerto Rico and falling in love with the ocean to being renowned as the “Mother of Sharks.” This picture book delves into both the autobiographical story of Melissa’s upbringing and childhood in combination with fantastical elements. Mother of Sharks not only wishes to dispel the misconceptions we may have about sharks and other ocean critters, but to lay the foundations for future Latinas in STEM.
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Tanco, Miguel
Count on Me. 2019. Picture Book.
Count on Me is a celebratory picture book honoring math. While everyone in life may have a passion such as music, art, history, or literature, for our heroine in Count on Me, it is math. Our heroine sees it in anything and everything. Whether she observes the world through the concentric circles a stone makes when thrown in a lake, or the geometric shapes on a playground, she sees math in everything. Although everyone in our heroine’s picture book understands that there is math everywhere, our heroine reinforces the ideals of multiple perspectives and that there is more than one way to view the world – math is just one of them.
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Valdez, Patricia
Illustrator: Sala, Felicita
Joan Procter, Dragon Dctor: The woman who loved reptiles. 2018. Picture Book.
This picture book delves into the life of Joan Procter who, when other girls her age were playing with dolls, preferred spending time with reptiles as companions. Procter even brought a crocodile to school once! As the book progresses, it highlights the amazing contributions of Joan, such as designing the Reptile House at the London Zoo. Patricia Valdez’s enthusiastic storytelling accompanied with Felicita Sala’s lively illustrations bring together a memorable story about passion and determination.
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Wallmark, Laurie
Illustrator: Wu, Katy
Grace Hopper: Queen of computer code. 2023. Picture Book.
Grace Hopper was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and pioneer of computer programming. Laurie Wallmark tells the inspiring tale of a revolutionary woman who broke boundaries in her riveting life. Wallmark explores Grace Hoppers’s contributions to the world of computer programming, such as Hopper coining the term “computer bug” and teaching computers how to “speak English.” With an extraordinary number of witty quotes and elaborate illustrations this book brings to life Grace Hopper’s enormous achievements.
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EVS, edited by MG