Born Curious: 20 Girls Who Grew Up to Be Awesome Scientists

Few of the women in this captivating compendium are household names: Joan Beauchamp Proctor “pioneered humane design for zoo habitats”; Tu Youyou, a pharmacologist, used traditional Chinese medicine to develop a treatment for malaria; and Ingrid Daubechies’s wavelet theory led to image compression technology. Freeman uses direct quotations and childhood anecdotes (of Daubechies: “The girl likes making doll clothes because she likes solving problems”) to convey character, an approach amplified by Wu’s stylized portraits, which incorporate references to each woman’s work (climate scientist Susan Solomon gazes over snowy mountaintops; a rat peers over neuroscientist May-Britt Moser’s book). Each scientist receives a dedicated chapter that closes with a quote, a “fascinating fact,” and an achievement summary, and Freeman’s afterword offers 13 lessons to be gleaned from their stories, notably: “be curious about science and everything else.” Supplemental materials include a glossary, sources, and index. Ages 7–12. [em](Feb.) [/em]