One of the best things about children's books — for caregivers, teachers, librarians, and reviewers — is being introduced to pioneering women and men throughout history, people we might not encounter unless they are in our fields of expertise. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, whose discoveries about the composition of the universe were essential to modern astrophysics, will be such a person for many, and she's well worth knowing: not only for her seminal discoveries but also for her self-reliance, patience, and resilience.
This book for seven-to-twelve-year-old readers focuses on Cecilia's determination to "always trust what she knew was right, no matter who said it was impossible," starting with her identification at age eight of a bee orchid — which was not supposed to grow in England — right in her own family's English garden. From this humble root, she turned her sense of wonder and curiosity into a lifelong passion to explore the mysteries of the universe, including what stars were made of.
For much of her childhood, no one understood her. In one of Yas Imamura's illustrations, we see Cecilia drawing pictures of plants she has collected while other students stand outside her door, watching her and whispering to each other. She seems strange to them ... "But Cecilia knew what she wanted."
This knowing would be tested when, as an adult, her careful research using black lines on photographic plates of starlight to learn the sun's composition was questioned and dismissed by other astronomers. As the book explains, "It took those other astronomers a few years to catch up."
An abundance of resources round out this book. The Author's Note covers themes of curiosity, standing out versus fitting in, and knowing and trusting yourself (see excerpt). Two timelines — one of Cecilia's life and one about astronomy — put her discoveries in context. A list of honors and awards given to her, plus further readings and a selected bibliography, make this book a model of presenting scholarly material to young people in an inviting format.
You may already be familiar with illustrator Yas Imammura's distinctive work from Love in the Library and many other picture books. Author Laura Alary, who has written more than a dozen books for children, hopes that Cecilia's story inspires children to follow their curiosity and find confidence in their own unique voices.
In spite of the pun, we can't help but give this book five stars.
