Junko’s Climb: The First Woman to Stand on Top of the World

Gavin applauds the heights reached by Junko Tabei (1939–2016), the first woman to climb Mt. Everest, in an invigorating story that opens with a formative childhood experience: Tabei’s first climb, undertaken when she was 10. Considered “fragile and weak” after multiple bouts of pneumonia, Tabei “never forgot what she learned on that first climb. She was strong enough, and the world was hers to explore and discover.” Fast-forwarding to adulthood, the telling emphasizes themes of strength and teamwork while centering on the nail-biting account of Tabei’s history-making climb, which is punctured by an avalanche. Throughout, descriptions lean into language that’s at once literal and metaphorical—variations of “One step at a time” repeat at key junctures. Text wraps around HifuMiyo’s inky retro artwork as it captures the drama of Tabei’s efforts with carefully sponged layers of color and a zoomed-out perspective that contrasts the protagonist’s human form with her chosen environment’s cold immensity. An author’s note and timeline conclude. Ages 5–up. (Feb.)