How to Hear the Universe: Gaby González and the Search for Einstein’s Ripples in Space-Time

Physicist Gabriela “Gaby” González (b. 1965) stars in this polished STEM biography that opens 100 years ago with a skillfully rendered, approachable description of Albert Einstein’s theory that space-time could ripple. The problem: “Without a way to hear ripples in space-time, people considered Einstein’s idea simply a fairy tale.” Fast forward 50 years to Argentina, where young González develops a passion for physics. In lively prose, Valdez describes how González moves to the U.S. and spends “long days and long nights thinking, testing, and measuring,” trying to encounter Einstein’s ripples, until eventually, she and a team—portrayed with varying abilities and skin tones—successfully perceive the collision of two black holes. Palacios’s digital and watercolor art bursts with science tropes, including equations, stars, and white lab coats, supporting the book’s broader, empowering embrace of science as transcending space and time. Ample back matter includes an author’s note alongside further resources. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)