- Mar 20
The HIdden Discoveries of Eunice Newton Foote,
the First Climate Scientist
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Henry Holt and Compay
(MacKids)
(pub. 4.16.2026)
40 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Rebecca Donnelly
Illustrator: Mercè López
Character: Eunice Newton Foote
Overview:
" In an era when few women practiced science, Eunice Newton Foote dared to search for answers to a mystery that no one else had solved.
A visionary scientist, suffragist, and mother, Eunice conducted a groundbreaking experiment that uncovered the first clues about global warming. Defying the limitations society placed on her, she boldly pursued her hypothesis, paving the way for our modern understanding of climate change."
Tantalizing taste:
"Eunice's research was noted by Scientific American in an article titled 'Scientific Ladies'...She was the first person to prove that what we now call global warming is caused in part by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. It took more than 150 years for Eunice to receive credit for this work."
And something more: Why Wasn't Eunice's Work Recognized explains: "How can we judge her sphere? Should we say it was too small for her, or that she was ahead of her time? What we know for certain is that in the nineteenth century, only sixteen American women published physics papers in scientific journals. The two articles that came first? Eunice Newton Foote wrote them both."
The Story of James Boggs and
Grace Lee Boggs
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Carolrhoda Books
(Lerner)
pub. 11.4.2025
40 pages
Ages 7 -11
Author: Sun Yung Shin & Melina Mangal
Illustrator: Leslie Barlow
Character: James Boggs
and Grace Lee Boggs
Overview:
" James Boggs was a worker from rural Alabama in the segregated South. Grace Lee Boggs was a philosopher from urban Rhode Island and New York City. Both found their life’s work, and each other, in Detroit.
James and Grace were drawn to civil rights―and the labor, social, and political organizations through which people struggled for better living conditions for all.
What they created together was more than a marriage, it was a partnership. They fought with others for fair housing, jobs, food, labor unions, urban gardens, and more to make the world a better place for all. Their wide-ranging activism spanned the second half of the twentieth century."
Tantalizing taste:
"Many people
talk the talk,
but do they walk the walk?
James and Grace walked the talk.
They believed
in the power of ideas,
talking about them,
and thinking through
everything."
And something more: Notes from Sun Yung Shin explains: "I am privileged to have met Grace Lee Boggs in her Detroit home in 2004... In person, as on the page, her intellectual vigor and force of personality was immediately apparent. It was a singular experience to meet this urban Asian American woman philosopher who had lived through - and made - so much history and much of it within and with the Black community in Detroit."
- Mar 15
The First Woman to Stand
on Top of the World
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Union Square Kids
(pub. 2.10.2026)
48 pages
Ages 5 and up
Author: Elyssa Gavin
Illustrator: HifuMiyo
Character: Junko Tabei
Overview:
" Fourteen climbers from the Ladies Climbing Club in Japan begin their climb up Mount Everest. Junko Tabei, a mountain climbing pioneer—the woman who formed the group —faces many hardships as she leads them: frigid temperatures, gusting winds, an avalanche, injuries, altitude sickness, and a death-defying ice ridge crossing. Yet she perseveres, and when she reaches the summit of Mount Everest, she becomes the first woman—and the 36th person—to do so!
While Junko made history with her trailblazing climb, her path was far from easy. She was small in stature, and often sick as a child. Most climbing clubs of her time were only for men who put up countless obstacles to keep Junko from climbing. But she didn’t let her gender, size, or traditional societal norms stop her. Junko trained hard, formed her own climbing club for women, and became passionate about preserving mountains and wild spaces.
Junko’s story shows that determination triumphs over every obstacle, and her climb goes beyond her historical accomplishment—as of June 2020, she has inspired 630 females to follow in her footsteps
Tantalizing taste:
"On May 16, 1975, just twelve days after the avalanche, Junko and her guide, Ang Tsering, reach the summit of Mount Everest, the top of the world!
Junko is the first woman in history to reach the peak.
She takes a breath and smiles, remembering very obstacle she overcame.
She is strong. She is unstoppable.
And now, she has made her dream a reality."
And something more: The author, Elyssa Gavin, shared in the Author's Note: "Junko went on to be the first woman to climb the tallest peak on all seven continents (often called the Seven Summits), completed in 1992. She also climbed the tallest mountains of over seventy countries and spent many years as an advocate for the preservation and protection of mountains from damage caused by climbers... Even while fighting the cancer that eventually claimed her life, Junko continued to lead expeditions up Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain."
