Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers who Changed the World
This delightful début by author–illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky highlights some well-known but also many unfamiliar names of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM). This book seeks to redress an aspect of history and science in children’s literature (and elsewhere), where women’s roles, discoveries and value have been poorly represented.
It begins with the line ‘nothing says trouble like a woman in trousers’, expanding on how throughout history women have had to break out against societal stereotypes, even if they had the aptitude to be great mathematicians or scientists.
From Hypatia two thousand years ago to the contemporary Maryam Mirzakhani, Ignotofsky celebrates how women have persevered against the odds. Her writing is factual, yet not overly heavy on difficult data, and still inspires, showing how each remarkable pioneer began as a girl. The book is a visual treat, where candy-coloured graphics and stylised representations of each scientist jump off slate-grey pages. Each spread is devoted to one woman, with facts, emblems and nuggets of her history framing the main text. Women who discovered galaxies, cured diseases and risked their lives fill each page, and Ignotofsky offers other names to whet the appetite of keen readers. Women in Science is bright, clever and fascinating, filled with intrepid women that will inspire and encourage young readers.
