Junko's Climb

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."

Marie's Magic Eggs

How Marie Procai Kept the

Ukranian Art of Pysanky Alive

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Calkins Creek

(Astra Books)

2.10.2026

48 pages

Ages 7 -1o

Author: Sandra Neil Wallace

   Illustrator: Evan Turk

Character: Marie Procai

Overview:

" As a new immigrant to America living in Minneapolis, Marie Procai felt homesick and alone—she missed her homeland, Ukraine. She took comfort in the ancient Ukrainian art of making pysanky, intricately decorated eggs for Easter, an art she learned from her grandmother and brought with her to America. Cradling the pysanka in her hands felt like holding a piece of her homeland and giving her Baba a hug.

Making pysanky made Marie feel a little more hopeful when the Russia’s Red Army invaded Ukraine and forbade anyone from speaking Ukrainian or practicing their traditions, pysanky included. It sustained her spirit when her son was off fighting in World War II, and again when she welcomed Ukrainian refugees into her home after the war. A hardworking entrepreneur, Marie founded the Ukrainian Gift Shop in Minneapolis to keep Ukrainian culture alive in America and share it with everyone."

Tantalizing taste:

"To Marie, making pysanky at Easter with Baba was magical. For the legend goes that as long as pysanky are decorated, there will be good in the world.

While pots filled with sunflowers and juicy red beets bubbled on Baba's stove to color the eggs in dazzling dyes, Marie cradled a chicken egg.

She grasped a kistka the way Baba had taught her and, with its warm beeswax flowing like ink, Marie sketched a story, a wish, a prayer, a gift.

Symbols of swirling, golden wheat. Blue flowers for beauty.

Rays of sunshine, streaming bright.

Roosters clucking at the sky."

And something more: The author, Sandra Neil Wallace, shared in the Author's Note: "When Russia's Soviet regime attacked or suppressed Ukrainian culture, Marie made preserving and amplifying the art of pysanky her life's work. And she succeeded.

At a time when most work spaces were closed to women and their entrepreneurship was discouraged, Marie stood out. Marie and her family also became renowned for designing Ukrainian eggs...The art form became a global conversation."

Sandra has a wonderful personal connection to this picture book biography: "Growing up, my Ukrainian grandmother, Baba Neilipovitz, shared many cultural traditions with us that she'd brought with her from Ukraine as a teenager, just like Marie - including making pysanky. I would later discover that the kistka that she'd held was a writing tool from the Ukrainian Gift Shop."

Liftoff!

How the Apollo Moon Missions

Made Alma Thomas's Art Soar

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Millbrook Press

(Lerner Publishing)

(pub. 11.4.2025)

32 pages

Ages 6-10

Author and Illustrator: Nina Crews

Character: Alma Thomas

Overview:

" In 1969, people around the world watched as the Apollo 10 astronauts sent the first-ever live color television broadcasts from space. Abstract painter Alma Thomas was among those watching, and afterward, she began a series of bright, bold pieces inspired by the Moon missions and the marvels of space exploration.

A dual narrative weaves together key moments from the Apollo 10 mission with Alma’s process creating Snoopy Sees a Sunrise.

Tantalizing taste:

"The colors pop and glow. They shimmy, shake, and dance across the canvas. Slowly, steadily, the idea that Alma had in her mind takes shape. She's flying with Snoopy in an ebony-black sky.

Is that planet Earth in the distance?

Eight days after liftoff, the Apollo 10 command module returned to Earth, splashing down safely in the deepest blue sea. Mission accomplished."

And something more: Nina Crews dedicated the book "to the memory of my father-in-law - Dr. Albert C. Antoine, a NASA chemist who developed rocket fuels for spacecraft - ad my mother-in-law - Mrs. June Sallee Antoine, an educator and arts advocate."

The More About the Apollo Missions explains that "Reaching the Moon was an inspiring goal. The space program also created huge opportunities for many Americans because this enormous and complicated task involved hundreds of thousands of people... The space program got started during a time of progress for the Civil Rights Movement... Hiring a diverse group of workers at NASA helped pave the way for integrating other workplaces across the country."

And I so appreciate that our picture book biography, Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas illustrated by Loveis Wise (HarperCollins) is included in the Suggested Further Reading section.