- Dec 7, 2023
Dr. Katalin Karikó
and the Battle Against Covid-19
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(HarperCollins Publishers)
(pub.10.3.2023) 40 pages
Ages 4-8
Author: Megan Hoyt
Illustrator: Vivien Mildenberger
Character: Katalin Karikó
Overview:
" When she was young, Katalin Karikó decided she would study science—even though she had never even met a scientist! But she was determined to learn as much as she could about the human body, and once she made a decision, she stuck with it. Katalin had to learn English while attending university, but she worked hard until she became a doctor.
After facing many challenges, including lack of research funding and harsh immigration policies, Kati and her family uprooted from Hungary and moved to America, where she became a top researcher. She knew that, with work, she could teach one of the building blocks of life, messenger RNA, to fight off harmful viruses. There was just one problem—no one else believed her.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Kati and her work were thrust into the spotlight. But with her unshakable will, she was ready to face the challenge."
Tantalizing taste:
" Kati's mind never took a break. Messenger RNA danced through her dreams and filled up her days. She loved her research, even though some scientists were skeptical of her ideas. 'This sounds almost like science fiction,' they said. Kati knew it sounded impossible. She had trouble convincing any lab to give her grant money to continue working on these tiny messengers that would tell human cells how to fight viral invaders. But each experiment brought glimmers of hope. She jotted down notes and figures and celebrated every success, no matter how small."
And something more: A letter from Katalin Karikó is included in the back matter of KATI'S TINY MESSENGERS, and it includes the following touching and inspiring thoughts: "I grew up in a small town in Hungary, in a house with no running water. How did I go from that life to impacting so many people with my scientific discoveries? I can answer that question in one word: curiosity!
...We never had expected our discovery to impact billions of people around the world, and not every idea will do that. But I want you to know that no matter what the people around you say, no matter how many people tell you what you are trying to do is impossible, you just keep on pursuing your dream. If you work hard to achieve your goals, you may impact a whole generation. But even if you impact only one person, you will have changed their world."
- Dec 6, 2023
Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious
Coming-of-Age of Children's Books
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Chronicle Books
(pub. 11.14.2023) 44 pages
Author: Michelle Markel
and illustrator: Barbara McClintock
Character: Randolph Caldecott
Overview:
" Quick! If you don’t move fast, you’ll miss him—there he goes—Randolph Caldecott, future famous illustrator. His sketchbook is full of hurly-burly: wild weather, frisky animals, and people so sprightly they can barely hold onto the pages. But in the 1850s, there were no children’s books like that. Not yet.
Many books are published, but their pictures look stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery. No one has imagined how much fun an illustrated book could be because the future hero of children’s book illustration is still just a lad. Join Michelle Markel and Barbara McClintock for a riotous adventure through the seminal history of children's books—their art, their joy, and the man who changed them for good."
Tantalizing taste:
" SO MANY PEOPLE, SO MANY SIGHTS, SO MUCH TO SKETCH
FOR THE NEWSPAPERS!
Randolph goes to sessions of Parliament, to fashionable weddings,
to boat races on the river, where he gets squashed in the squishingest
crowds he's ever seen.
But at night, alone in his workshop,
he misses his friends.
He misses living in the country.
Sometimes, on his letters, he draws
himself as a sad, frumpled cartoon.
Randolph wants to be the best artist
he can be. He's not as skilled as the famous
illustrators, painters, and sculptors
he meets - people who've studied in fine
academies, in Paris.
Could he ever do the kinds
of things they do?"
And something more: The Back Matter of TOMFOOLERY! abounds with interesting information, such as references to Caldecott's own art in the book, Annotations (timeline), information about Illustrated Victorian Periodicals, Toy Book Illustrators: The Big Three, a list of Picture Books By Caldecott, and a Bibliography. The ANNOTATIONS state: "During a trip to America in 1886, Caldecott's life was cut short by illness. But he will always be remembered. In 1937, when the American Library Association created a medal for the artist of the most distinguished American picture book - their highest honor - they named it after Randolph Caldecott."
- Nov 29, 2023
The Musical Life of Julie Andrews
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
little bee books
(pub.9.5.2023) 40 pages
4-8 years
Author: Julie Hedlund
Illustrator: Ilaria Urbinati
Character: Julie Andrews
Overview:
" Long before she starred in movies like The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and The Princess Diaries, Julie Andrews was a little girl struggling with her parents' divorce and the ravages of World War II.
To comfort her and fill her time during the London Blitz, her stepfather taught her to sing, and Julie found her voice-one of the most extraordinary singing voices of all time."
Tantalizing taste:
"As people cooked on portable stoves, sipped tea,
and huddled together, Ted strummed his guitar and sang.
Sharing music with her sheltering neighbors comforted Julie
and kept her mind off the danger.
Soon Julie's school closed due to the war.
To keep her busy, Ted taught her to sing.
They were all astonished to discover
that from this sprite of a girl sprang a voice
as pure and clear as a cloudless summer sky."
And something more: Julie Hedlund, in the Author's Note explains that "when I learned ... that Julie had lost her singing voice after a throat surgery, I was devastated. At the time, I was beginning my own career and working on finding my way in the world, my own voice. I couldn't imagine the world deprived of Julie's.
Luckily, Julie began using her voice in a new way - writing children's books...
When I told Emma [Walton Hamilton] I wanted to use my voice to tell her mom's story to today's children, she gave me her blessing, as did Julie Andrews herself."
