The Eclipse of 1919

How Einstein's Theory of General Relativity

Changed our World

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Christy Ottaviano Books

(LBYR)

pub. 6.29.2025

40 pages

Ages 5 - 9

Author and illustrator:

Emily Arnold McCully

Character: Albert Einstein

Overview:

From his earliest days as a child, Albert Einstein was fascinated with the relationship between light and gravity. He couldn’t stop thinking about the laws of the universe, and was determined to describe how motion and time, and energy and mass, all worked together.

Einstein imagined gravity as what happens when objects bend the space and time around them. But this theory couldn’t be perceived in the everyday world. To test his hypothesis, Einstein needed to see if the sun’s gravity bent the light from a nearby star. And the only way to do that was to photograph a total solar eclipse. 

This is the story of how scientist Arthur Eddington validated Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, permanently altering the world’s understanding of the universe and beyond. It’s a testament to the relationship between nature, science, and the pursuit of knowledge.."

Tantalizing taste:

"Whenever he had a moment. Albert wrestled with ideas like racing the beam of light. He and his friends argued over them while hiking in the mountains. He liked to conduct thought experiments in a sailboat on the lake.

Gradually, Albert figured out a radical new way to describe the universe, beginning with how motion and time, energy and mass, all work together. He believed they behaved in relation to one another. The key to the universe was relativity."

And something more: Emily Arnold McCully in the Author's Note explains: "The theory of relativity predicted gravitational waves and black holes,. Einstein's ideas led to such life-changing fixtures as televisions and GPS. They also contributed, to his great regret, to the development of the atomic bomb."

Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World

How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover

Changed the Environmental Movement

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Calkins Creek

(Astra Books for Young Readers)

pub. 3.11.2025

40 pages

Ages 7 - 10

Author: Kate Hannigan

   Illustrator: Katie Hickey

Character: Rachel Carson

Overview:

"Rachel Carson wasn’t always the Rachel Carson, renowned environmental activist. From her earliest years, Rachel had a passion for nature—to her, it was a fairyland, and she loved to write about her adventures and the creatures she saw. Encouraged by teachers, Rachel wanted nothing more than to study the ocean and its inhabitants. Though unable to finish her PhD due to financial constraints, Rachel found work in science and success as a nature writer.

In the course of her work, Rachel learned about the harm caused by recently developed pesticides and chemicals that made their way into the environment. Desperate to protect nature for future generations even as her health declined, she penned the famous book Silent Spring—a call to action against the threat of the deadly chemicals. The book is anything but quiet, selling more than 2 million copies and leading directly to changes like the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Clean Water Act of 1972."

Tantalizing taste:

"But walking with Roger amid tiny seedlings

and tall spruce, Rachelle knows nature is as

fragile as a robin's egg. All around her, she…

sees trees cut down and buildings going up,

hears the honking of more drivers on the road,

smells the spray of weed killers and pesticides,

feels the sun's heat where shade used to be,

tastes the worry over what is to come."

And something more: Kate Hannigan in the Author's Note explains: "Carson died just eighteen months after Silent Spring was published. She didn't live to see the impact of her work, which still resonates today, or to hear the good names people called her – like 'mother of the environmental movement.' Her book laid the groundwork for many efforts to protect the earth..."

A Banquet for Cecilia

How Cecilia Chiang Revolutionized

Chinese Food in America

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

pub. 4.29.2025

40 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Julie Leung

   Illustrator: Melissa Iwai

Character: Cecilia Chiang

Overview:

"From an early age, Cecilia Chiang could be found delighting in the sounds and smells from her favorite room in her home—the kitchen. Little did Cecilia know that she would one day have to escape war and travel to a faraway country, destined to change Chinese cuisine in the United States forever.

Experience the dishes Cecilia Chiang enjoyed throughout her life as the seventh daughter in a large family to the owner of the famous Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco."

Tantalizing taste:

"During a time when Chinese food in America was seen as cheap and greasy, Cecilia Chiang served dishes that showcased the best of our homeland. She encouraged her diners to be open to something new and different.

Her first menu at the Mandarin included this introduction: 'Imagine you are a Chinese family…' A simple but revolutionary ask: to put yourself in someone else's shoes – perhaps a seventh daughter who once lived in a palace, peering into the kitchen to see the banquet emerge."

And something more: Julie Leung in the Author's Note explains: "Through Cecilia Chiang and the Mandarin, Americans were introduced to China's diversity of flavors and cooking styles. She presented Chinese cuisine as a fine – dining experience – worthy of western media, reviews and awards – and pioneered a culinary awakening in this country." And as someone who had the good fortune to dine at the Mandarin in San Francisco, I can agree!