Determined Dreamer: The Story of Marie Curie

This straightforward picture book biography showcases the hard work that propelled Marie Curie (1867–1934) to success. Though financial challenges and discrimination present obstacles to Curie’s dreams of becoming a scientist, her path clears once she moves to Paris for university. Interspersing description with quotes from Curie, Hopkinson dives into the experiments and discoveries that lead the scientist to her first Nobel Prize. A concluding segment on the X-ray units that the figure helped organize during WWI further amplifies the book’s focus on Curie’s contributions. Hill’s gouache, watercolor, and digital illustrations echo educational text with a muted palette for scenes that zero in on Curie’s studious qualities—speaking to anyone starting out “as a child who wanted to learn.” An author’s note and timeline conclude. Background characters are portrayed largely with pale skin. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)