The Curious Life of Cecelia Payne from Eerdmans' Young Readers Publications [Review]

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars (Incredible Lives for Young Readers) by Laura Alary and Illustrated by Yas Imamura - reading age 7-12

Eerdmans' Young Readers Publications
ISBN: 9780802855152
Hardcover $18.99 USD

My thoughts:  A bright child. A girl. Raised in a single parent - mother - home. Exposure to and association with smart, strong, gifted, educated women. Opportunity. These are elements that made it possible for Cecilia Payne to achieve greatness during a time when women were not included in academic, scientific, professional circles. (Information from book's back page notes.)

In The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars we see how as a young girl she was curious about the world in which she lived. Curious about nature and her environment. She questioned, studied, explored. Her desire for knowledge was insatiable. She attended college in England but went on to America and Harvard University where she studied and eventually became a professor.

In this picture book biography, readers will be introduced to what a life of curiosity directed at scientific matters can lead the young mind to achieve. Parents can be encouraged to provide opportunities for their child to pursue their interest in the world around them by exploring their ideas and visions.

About the book: An incredible picture book biography about how the trailblazing astronomer found her people — and figured out what stars are made of. 

Cecilia Payne loved learning to see nature's wonders, even things other people called impossible. While studying at Cambridge, she dreamed of becoming a great astronomer like the ones she read about in the library. But too many people thought women didn't belong among stars or atoms. 

So, Cecilia packed her bags for Harvard, where she could surround herself with women who also loved astronomy and physics. These "Harvard Computers" shared their treasures with her—thousands of photographs of starlight. Cecilia found a way to read the patterns in these photos and started asking big questions.  Could these photos show her what stars are made of? What if they showed Cecilia something all the great astronomers called impossible?

With stellar gouache and watercolor art and thrilling scientific details, this biography is a loving tribute to the joy of curiosity, the value of community, and the struggle to find confidence in your own voice. Extensive back matter helps readers learn through an author's note, timelines of Cecilia's life and of discoveries that led to hers, a list of Cecilia's honors and awards, and resources for further reading.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Eerdmans Young Readers Publications, to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.