Breaking Through the Clouds

The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub 3.8.22) 48 pages

Author: Sandra Nickel

Illustrator: Helena Perez Garcia

Character: Joanne Simpson

Overview:

"When Joanne Simpson (1923-2010) was a girl, she sailed her boat beneath the puffy white clouds of Cape Cod. As a pilot, she flew her plane so high, its wings almost touched them. And when World War II began and Joanne moved to the University of Chicago, a professor asked her to teach Air Force officers about those very clouds and the weather-changing winds.

As soon as the war ended, Joanne decided to seriously study the clouds she had grown to love so much. Her professors laughed. They told her to go home. They told her she was no longer needed. They told her, 'No woman ever got a doctorate in meteorology. And no woman ever will.'

But Joanne was stubborn. She sold her boat. She flew her last flight. She saved her money so that she could study clouds. She worked so hard and discovered so much that—despite what the professors said—she received a doctorate in meteorology. She was the first woman in the world to do so."

Tantalizing taste:

" By the time Joanne was five, she had discovered her mother didn't much care where she was. That summer on Cape Cod, she slipped a small boat into the inlet behind her cottage, tipped her face to the sky, and watched the clouds above her. There were whiffs and ribbons and mountains of clouds. Some were brilliant; some were frightening. Joanne loved them all.

By the time Joanne was ten, she had learned her mother's words could be icier than the coldest winds.

You are too stubborn. You are too smart.

You have to be lovable to be loved, Joanne."

And something more: Sandra Nickel kindly shared with me her experience of first school visit with her new book: "I just had my first school visit for Breaking Through the Clouds and you could have heard a pin drop. The kids were absolutely enthralled by Joanne's scientific journey and the subject of clouds. I think they were fascinated by Joanne, because I told her story as she did. I went through boxes and boxes of her scientific notes and private papers at Harvard University. I discovered that Joanne's mother was neglectful and emotionally abusive, and I begin Joanne's story that way, showing how clouds became her escape and later her life's passion. As I told the kids about this, I saw them becoming more and more invested in Joanne's journey and also more interested in clouds. It was as if the saving nature of clouds in Joanne's life made clouds more valued and interesting to them. It was beautiful to see."

Thank you to Sandra for sharing your experience with the students. I'm certain those children and all others who read the book will see and appreciate clouds in a new way, and be saddened yet also inspired by the story of Joanne Simpson. And, of course, as another author of picture book biographies, I'm very impressed that Sandra carefully researched this book by going through boxes and boxes of Joanne's scientific notes and private papers at Harvard. Primary sources are the best for telling a person's story!

Fearless World Traveler

Adventures of Marianne North, Botanical Artists

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Holiday House (pub.5.11.2021) 48 pages

Author: Laurie Lawlor

Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander

Character: Marianne North

Overview:

"In 1882, Marianne North showed the gray city of London paintings of jaw-dropping greenery like they'd never seen before.

As a self-taught artist and scientist, Marianne North subverted Victorian gender roles and advanced the field of botanical illustration. Her technique of painting specimens in their natural environment was groundbreaking. The legendary Charles Darwin was among her many supporters.

Laurie Lawlor deftly chronicles North's life, from her restrictive childhood to her wild world travels to the opening of the Marianne North Gallery at Kew Gardens to her death in 1890. The North gallery at Kew Gardens remains open to the public today."

Tantalizing taste:

" Marianne slept anywhere - hammock, mat, or straw pallet. Often she shared her shelter with pesky rats, lizards, stinging ants, giant spiders, and poisonous snakes. More than once marauding crows tried to steal her glittering tubes of paint. Never a picky eater, she consumed anything - from squid to mangoes, from crabs to guavas."

And something more: Marianne North's Legacy, at the back of the book, shares an anecdote about the times and prejudices Marianne faced, but also her spunk: "An early visitor, who wandered in by accident while Marianne was still getting ready for the opening, was said to have been nearly knocked breathless by the display. [He asked] 'It isn't true what they say about all these being painted by one woman, is it?' When Marianne replied that yes, she had indeed done them all, the man was flabbergasted. 'You!' he declared 'Then it is lucky for you that you did not live two hundred years ago, or you would have been burned for a witch.' Marianne took this as a back-handed compliment."

Ablaze with Color

The Story of Painter Alma Thomas

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

HarperCollins Publishers

(pub.2.22.2022) 40 pages

Author: Jeanne Walker Harvey

Illustrator: Loveis Wise

Character: Frieda Caplan

Overview:

"Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas.

Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the 20th century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art.

As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. And her parents filled their home with color and creativity despite the racial injustices they faced. After the family moved to Washington DC, Alma shared her passion for art by teaching children. When she was almost seventy years old, she focused on her own artwork, inspired by nature and space travel.

In this celebration of art and the power of imagination, Jeanne Walker Harvey and Loveis Wise tell the incredible true story of Alma Thomas, the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York City and to have her work chosen for the White House collection. With her bold and vibrant abstract paintings, Alma set the world ablaze with color."

Tantalizing taste:

"Inspired by what she saw,

Alma began painting in a new style.

Circles and stripes.

Dashes and dabs.

Ablaze with color.

Soft colors, bright colors.

She created colors and patterns

she remembered

from her childhood days in the South

and from what she saw now

at her favorite park nearby.

She painted how she felt on the inside

when she experienced nature outside.

The wind.

The sunshine.

The flowers.

How nature made her heart sing and dance,

even when life could be hard and unjust."

And something more: I'm so very excited to be sharing our book, ABLAZE WITH COLOR - A Story of the Painter Alma Thomas, just two days before the release date. As I wrote in the Author's Note: "I greatly admire Alma's dedication to both of her careers, as an arts educator for children and as an artist... Whenever I see Alma's artwork, my spirits are lifted. I'm deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to write about her inspiring life and paintings, ablaze with joyous color."

Loveis Wise's illustrations in our book are truly stunning -- ablaze with joyous color! And, as I always explain to children when I share my books, the creation of every book is a collaborative process, and I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for my amazing agent, Deborah Warren of East West Literary Agency, who found a home for this book, and editor extraordinaire Megan Ilnitzki of HarperCollins, and the HarperCollins team: Chelsea C. Donaldson, art director, Caitlin Stamper, designer, and Shona McCarthy, copy editor, and everyone else at Harper who shared their time and creativity to make this book a reality.

And, as a long-time guide at San Francisco Museum of Art for school groups, I greatly admire Alma's passion for teaching art to children. I want to share that on my website, I've posted some wonderful art and thinking activities for children which can be downloaded: https://www.jeanneharvey.com/projects .