A Woman Who Raced for the Stars: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut

 Everyone knows this hard truth: Becoming a NASA astronaut is a daunting challenge. 

BEAMING BOOKS, 2024

That has been true from the earliest days of space travel, and continues to be true today. JOURNEY TO THE STARS: Kalpana Chawla, Astronaut, co-written by Laurie Wallmark and Raakhee Mirchandani and illustrated by Maitreyi Ghosh, shares an impressive true story of a young girl who eventually reached that goal. 

What ARE the requirements? Check NASA's page, HERE. Better yet, read this terrific new biographic account of a remarkable young girl who grew up in love with the sky! The requirements are all in there, and she met/exceeded them but still faced setbacks. You may be one of those people who is afraid of heights of any kind, or one who loves flying, or even one who mountain climbs or otherwise enjoys extreme height sports. Kalpana Chawla knew, even as a young girl in India, that a view from on high was thrilling. She craved it. From her family home rooftop she would watch for passing pilots to wave and imagine herself up there, flying with them. 

That's just the opener for this chronologic profile of the first woman from India who followed her dreams and became a NASA astronaut, meeting every one of those requirements, and more. Author Laurie Wallmark is widely admired for her picture books that celebrate Women in STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math). I've reviewed several of her titles and posted interviews with Laurie HERE, HERE, and HERE, among others. 

In many cases, cultures, and eras, girls/women are actively discouraged from (if not outright denied) pursuit of their interest in STEM areas or access to  attend the institutions that help lead to successful careers. In the case of Kalpana, her parents provided both encouragement and opportunities at early ages. The steps and stages through which she proceeded toward her goal are described as straightforward and inspiring, revealing not only hard work and persistence, but also her  determination and joyful engagement in these studies. She also developed whole-person, whole life activities that assured the fitness, endurance, and broad knowledge that contributed to her eventual selection as a NASA astronaut.

Chawla's two space assignments were on shuttle flights, but she also fulfilled many other successful assignments. Despite various delays in training, she acquired those skills and worked in NASA's control center while preparing her for inflight experimentation and her role as controller for the robotic arm. Throughout it all, she fully embraced her identity as an American citizen but also her Indian cultural heritage, including foods, music, sports, and her own personal history. Co-author Mirchandani provides a  note on the back pages to share the importance of Chawla as a role model in her own life and in sharing those successes with her own daughter. Chawla is not the most widely known NASA astronaut, in part because her life was cut tragically short. I was impressed that this fact was not centered or used to launch her story, or even included in the main text. This woman's life and career is inspiring, based on her lived values and accomplishments, not just because she was one of several astronauts whose lives were lost in a NASA accident. Don't miss her honors listed on back pages, and the timeline will make clear how many impressive and courageous accomplishments she packed into her short life.

Illustrations are vibrant and exciting, with Chawla's fascination and enthusiasm for so many interests and pursuits shining through at every age and situation pictured. The quality of the pages/paper enhances the brilliant, saturated colors that offer contrast between the many deep indigo sky backgrounds and the colorful figures, expressions, and clothing, or even the background white-space on some pages. The spine and endpaper "astronaut orange" choice is ideal. I'm counting on each of you to share this with girls, especially, but with any child who has big dreams and might not be getting the validation and encouragement to help support them into their futures, where setbacks too often become stop signs. Chawla's life models the truth that delays or rejections can be seen as opportunities to forge stronger paths forward. And don't wait for (or limit this to) WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH.

Another Notable Nonfiction Picture Book: Meet Maria Mitchell, Astronomer!

CRESTON BOOKS, 2023

 In this post heading I chose to feature the subtitle of a new biographic picture book because Maria Mitchell deserves to have her name more widely known. HER EYES ON THE STARS: Maria Mitchell, Astronomer is written by the impressive and award-winning author, Laurie Wallmark, with powerful illustrations by Liz Wong. Wallmark has written both nonfiction and fiction titles, some of which I've reviewed here, here, and here. She is widely recognized for her focus on WOMEN IN STEM. 

In this important work, Wallmark again writes a story that engages readers with well-researched content, beginning with a scene of young Maria spending moonless nights on the rooftop of her home with her father, exploring the starry skies through his telescope. Tracking and making sense of those skies and patterns, safely viewing eclipses, watching the repeated patterns of the waxing and waning moon combined with nightly star-studies fill her with knowledge and questions.

I especially loved the description of an event revealing how knowledgeable she was though very young. She calibrated a whaler-captain's maritime chronometer-- an essential navigation tool --because his urgent request was made while her father was away. Maria's lifelong understanding of mathematics and astronomical instruments allowed her to provide the necessary answers, despite the captain's doubts of her ability at only thirteen years old. This was also despite Maria's birth into the early years of the nineteenth century, when girls and women were often considered uneducable, or at least not worthy of work beyond domestic shores. She lived a life that included a scientific father who believed his daughter had a brain, and in circumstances that allowed her to use that privilege and blessing to continue to examine the night skies with the attention and consistency of a dedicated scientist. 

This was an accomplishment of note, but the event that marked her for history was her identification of an as-yet unknown comet on October 1, 1847. She knew that her discovery should be reported officially, immediately, because others might also have noted the comet's appearance and location. When the esteemed official bodies of scientists made their final rulings, Maria was found to be the first woman ever to have identified a previously unknown comet. That marked her as a success, of sorts, within the astronomical community, but it was barely a halfway point in her long life and career as a scientist and studier of the night skies.

The back matter is (as always with Wallmark's nonfiction books) a rich and readable resource for those who finish the account of Maria's life in the main text with a sense of awe. There are plenty of additional facts and resources (timeline, bibliography, author note) and each is provided in ways useful to young readers and to the adults who might share the book with them. In this case that is especially suited to the life story of a girl whose parent became her mentor and guide, supporter and admirer, as she piloted the night skies where no woman had gone before. At least not with such success. 

The illustrations merit attention not only for their evocative and appealing tones and color choices, but for the extensive information they offer without intruding on the story itself. From double page spreads to insets and spot illustrations the images clarify science details, expand on aspects of the surrounding history and culture of Maria's lifetime, while conveying a quiet reserve and deliberation that seem to be good descriptors of her approach to life. 

Don't miss this title. And don't miss any opportunity to spend time in the dark outdoors on a moonliess night to see what it was that inspired Maria Mitchell to such greatness!

THE QUEEN OF CHESS, and the POWER of Passion

 For many years in my teaching career, I was my school's designated CHESS QUEEN. Not because of any skill or aptitude. I know enough about chess to know how truly unskilled I am. But I also knew enough about chess to introduce new-to-chess eight- and nine-year-olds to the basics during their weekly "activity choice" gatherings after lunch. My qualifications include that I was the only volunteer for this topic. Thus, I was CHESS QUEEN in a very small kingdom. For eight Fridays in a row, my classroom became a hive of players ranging from those who knew more than I did about the fine points of chess to those who thought chess was checkers with fancy pieces. It was exciting to see how those who knew nothing gained ground week by week, and those who knew a great deal still grew- sometimes to find that they had mis-learned some elements of the game. All exited that quarter loving chess and finding interested partners. Each subsequent quarter a new group arrived, so that by the end of the year, every child had learned the basics of chess.

little bee books, 2023

THE QUEEN OF CHESS: How Judit Pogår Changed the Game is an artful and inspiring account of the woman who deserves that title on the world stage. The art by Stevie Lewis gives Judit the royal treatment from her earliest ages through each stage of life and on every page of competition or daily life. The illustrator captures the intensity and masterful mind behind this queen, one whose power of anaylsis, study, memory, psychology, and courage match the undeniable strength of the queen-piece on a chess board. Lewis also uses scene and image details to inform and explore the era of the late 2000's, as well as life in a seemingly typical Budapest apartment with a loving family. 

Author Laurie Wallmark has gained well-deserved acclaim for her thorough research and recounting of many noted women in math and science, some well-know and some lesser-known, including  SOPHIE KOWALEVSKI, THE QUEEN OF MATHEMATICS (reviewed here), CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER, (reviewed here), and GRACE HOPPER, QUEEN OF COMPUTER CODES (here) among other wonderful picture books, with more to come.

Wallmark's efficient and informative text captures the clarity of focus and high expectations Judit felt, powered by her own curiosity and competitive nature but also revealing the warmth of her chess-mastering siblings and parents. Just when I was wondering if perhaps her singular concentration on chess success might have been isolating, Wallmark and Lewis reveal her wide-ranging interests and playful approaches to the game she loved and mastered.

It is no spoiler to note that Judit achieved her goals, becoming national champion, and also the youngest chess grandmaster at that time, defeating long-reigning Bobby Fischer. Wallmark's back matter is a worthy read, providing a dated timeline/lifeline for Judit (still alive) and also a simple introduction to the basics of a chess board and how it relates to mathematical thinking. She makes the case in very few words that chess players and mathematicians share many thinking attributes and analytical skills, not to mention high level and social/emotional skills. 

As a chess queen of the lowliest sort, I add my praise to THE CHESS QUEEN and urge you to read it.  I strongly recommend that every child be offered a chance to learn chess. Some may find the magical fascination with it that marked Judit's life and success, but most will find it fun and satisfying to have unlock the secrets behind those squares and fancy characters. Once learned, the game and the thinking practices stay with you through life.

The queen has spoken!

RIVKA'S PRESENTS: Laurie Wallmark's Gift To All

 If you read this blog you'll know that I've sung the praises of author Laurie Wallmark's nonfiction picture books, particularly her masterful research and presentation of Women in STEM from the past. If you missed those reviews, I hope you'll take a look HERE, HERE, and HERE (giveaway ended). You can also read an interview with her HERE. If you do, you'll note that in addition to her proficiency with research and writing about WOMEN IN STEM, she has a flair for writing fiction picture books, too. 

Random House Studio, 2023

In RIVKA'S PRESENTS, Wallmark's talent turns to a fictional family living in an  immigrant tenement neighborhood in New York City in 1918, the year of the first flu pandemic following the First World War. The opening spread reveals Rivka shouting out her window to the iceman below, sharing her excitement that this would be her first day of school. Her eagerness to read and write and learn about the world is recognizable and infectious, but one page-turn readers find that her mother was listening, then gently reminds Rivka that she is needed in the family and can't go to school. Papa is still very ill, Mama needs to go to work to support the family, and Rivka will need to stay home to care for little sister Miriam. 

In her sorrow, Rivka races outdoors and realizes that the nearby shopkeeper works with letters, the tailor works with numbers, and an older neighbor woman, studying for her citizenship test, was learning about this new country in which they lived.

In each case clever Rivka bargains for her learning by assisting at shop or home chores while tending to little Miriam. I especially appreciated that little sister was learning along the way, not just about numbers but about the value of other generations, hard work, and community support. The gentle and straightforward text enfolds hints of the passing of seasons, also revealing that Papa is gradually recovering. 

As a traditional school year would be winding down in late spring, Rivka, too, has completed nearly a year of individual learning. One day she is met with a delightful and satisfying surprise-- her neighbors bearing small gifts. Their presence, and presents, celebrating the accomplishments of this bright, determined, and responsible young girl. There's a satisfyingly joyful conclusion without a tiny bit of saccharine in it. Rivka's gift to readers is her examples of curiosity, eagerness to learn, work-around mentality, and devotion to her family without sacrificing personal goals. Her strength is a blessing.

Images by illustrator Adelina Lirius are layered with color, detail, and meaning. The tones evoke a prior century, incorporating historic elements like fire escapes, clotheslines, horse-drawn carts, and clothing styles that inform and endear. They seem strongly authentic rather than "quaint". There are indicators of  the economic status and Jewish identity of Rivka's family without referencing those directly. The endpapers suggest the studies Rivka pursues, the seasons passing, and the art styles of this earlier era. While text also reinforces the cultural values of Rivka's Jewish family and neighbors, the universal themes of family love and loyalty, learning, hard work, and struggles regarding health and economic hardship will resonate across cultures and centuries. The color palette edges away from sharp lines or bright contrast to a softened, aged tone throughout foreground images and backgrounds. The individuals pictured provide identifiable emotional reactions without resorting to caricature or exaggeration. The overall impact is a highly readable story for audiences of many ages, and a very admirable but realistic lead character, Rivka.

Wallmark is a leader in writing accessible and important back matter for her nonfiction titles. Here she follows the main text with an author's note that enhances information about this era and location in American history as well as traditional Jewish culture regarding the value of learning. I highly recommend it for any time of the year, but especially at the beginning or end of a school year. It is certainly a delight at any time of year.

INTERVIEW: Laurie Wallmark's DINO PAJAMA PARTY, A Bedtime Book

Running Press Kids: October, 2021

It's pretty obvious from the cover of this featured picture book that it falls far afield from my NONFICTION focus for November. That's because these lively dino dancers were delayed in availability due to... wait for it... that shipping and supply chain bottleneck!

But they are here now, available for immediate order just in time for holiday giving. They'll be a much happier boogie bunch in the hands of little readers than simply being stacked in boxes in a warehouse, especially after their long delay. 

This book is also indirectly linked to nonfiction month because the author, Laurie Wallmark, has been best known for her acclaimed and awarded picture book titles featuring "(Dead) Women of STEM".

I'm genuinely excited that author Laurie Wallmark found the time to respond to my questions for this interview about her recent release, DINO PAJAMA PARTY, A Bedtime Book. 

I wrote a detailed review before this latest picture book release, HERE, and you can read other opinions from KIRKUS review, HERE, and Publishers' Weekly, HERE. There's a unanimous verdict that the fun and appeal of these paleolithic party animals have a long life ahead in the realm of bedtime (and DANCE) books!

(Check out the interactive, downloadable options about this book on Wallmark's website, HERE.)  

This is Wallmark's first published FICTION picture book, her first for this target ages (3-8), and her first with text written in RHYME. A trifecta of reasons to celebrate and dance along with the dinos.

In fact, Wallmark has long drawn praise, attention, and awards for her writing about WOMEN IN STEM, as I noted in reviews and interviews in the past, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. (I know, right?) I'm clearly a fan, of Wallmark's choice of biographic subjects, her evidence of deep and productive research, the variation and structures of her narratives, and the incredible appeal of the back matter she provides. 

I also appreciate her subtle and wry humor, as in her blog title (ALL NEWS, NO SCHMOOZE), and her tendency to add to her "brand" during introductions with the tag, DEAD Women in Stem. When I learned that she would have a new offering that is so distinctly different in audience, writing, and intent, I was both intrigued and pleased to have a look. More than that, I wanted to know more about how this came to be. Here's our conversation!

Laurie Wallmark

SB: Welcome, Laurie, and thanks for joining my readers to learn more of the back story about DINO PAJAMA PARTY: A Bedtime Story. It is such a departure from the prior books you’ve published, and yet… 

Were you a dinosaur fan/fanatic as a kid? 

LW: Not really. My passion was science fiction, but except for a few time travel stories, there were no dinosaurs showing up in outer space or in the future.

 

SB:  After teaching for many years, to kids of many ages, I rarely met kids who couldn't recite a litany of dinosaur names as readily as they could handle the  Pledge of Allegiance. Dinosaurs never enthralled me, either. The good news is, that early childhood fascination feels evergreen, so you have generations of readers in this book's future!

Back to a writing question: Would you give us a bit of a timeline about where and how this clever and creative idea and eventual story first came to you, in relation to your other deeply researched writing projects?

SB: The idea for Dino Pajama Party came to me while I was on a plane. Originally the characters were babies not dinos, but except for that, the first lines haven’t changed. “Dinos rock, and dinos roll. Dinos stomp, and dinos stroll.” I wrote out the entire first draft before we landed. This is quite different than my other books. In all my other picture books, even fiction, I outline before I write. 

SB: Here's a follow-up question, for my own interest as a writer, and for all those who have a clever inspiration and decide on the spur of the moment to "write a picture book". DINO PAJAMA PARTY; A Bedtime Story is in crisp, precise, but lively metric rhymed couplets, using very few words in contrast to the narrative styles in your other books. It suits this target age and story perfectly but is not easy to pull off with such success. Was this your first/only stab at writing in verse? (??? Impossible!) 

LW: As a child, the only creative writing I did was a bit of poetry and a few songs.

Since my idea for this book started in rhyme, I continued in that vein. I have written other rhyming picture books, but none have sold so far. I love writing in rhyme. I’m also working on a novel in verse. 

 

SB: Now, about your delightful story and characters:

 

Your Dino story was filled with surprises. Pajama parties generally begin late in the day, but your Dino buddies seem to have stumbled out of bed early, so eager to take on the day that they head outside in their jammies and bedcaps. As they gather and boogie to rock-n-roll rhythms, eventually exhausting themselves in joyful dance, the sunset and nightfall send them home, exhausted. Tucked into rows of beds in a dormitory-styled space felt extra cozy to me. “Pajama parties” have many parents cringing about potential late-night mayhem, but this ends with a very distinctly sleepy vibe. 

Did you incorporate notes to suggest that these would be communal Dinos rather than neighborhood friends? That a home-wrecking, floor-sprawling sleepover at one of their homes was not your intent? Or did the illustrator add that interpretation? In other words, how did this story-resolve develop?

I didn’t have any illustrator notes for this book. Michael Robertson did such a wonderful job of making the dinosaurs come together as a community. The ending text is “Snug in bed, they dance no more. Fast asleep, the dinos snore.” You can just hear the loud snoring coming from the sleeping dinosaurs in Michael’s last picture.

 

SB: Speaking of the illustrations, Michael Robinson’s characters evoke so much individuality, with expressions and body postures revealing that each has a story of their own. I found myself wanting to name each one, and I suspect kids will feel the same way! Had you envisioned any of this while writing?

LW: Even though I write picture books, I’m not a visual thinker. It’s always a pleasant surprise to me when I see the illustrations. Michael’s bold colors truly make this book special. I especially love the dinosaur on the front cover who is wearing bunny slippers.

 

SB: Can we look forward to more picture books intended for these younger audiences? 

What can you tell us about your other projects in the works, at early stages, or in the pipeline for publication?

LW: I already have several more books scheduled through 2024. Three of them are #WomenInSTEM books. I also have another fiction picture book. Rivka’s Presents, coming out in 2023. This is an historical fiction book about a girl in 1918 who wants to go to school but can’t because she has to mind her baby sister, so she trades chores for lessons with her neighbors.

SB: I hope you'll keep me on speed-dial or auto-alert as these become available to read and review. I'm aware that the pipeline is lengthy and that these will require your time and attention at various points in the process, but it's fun to imagine what else might be tickling your curiosity and imagination as new stories emerge and move, eventually, to the rest of us. The upcoming titles and potential future ones should have readers here joining me in your fan club and also subscribing to follow you on your blog and on social media. 

Since I'm arriving a tad late to this pajama party-interview series, I'm excited to share this link to Maria Marshall's earlier interview with Laurie on her blog, THE PICTURE BOOK BUZZ, HERE. Their conversation is not one you'll want to miss. While you're there, you might want to subscribe to Maria's blog- it's a consistent winner!

Readers, here are the details you'll want to know about how to keep up with Laurie's releases:

Laurie Wallmark   www.lauriewallmark.com 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Website:              https://www.lauriewallmark.com/  

Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/lauriewallmarkauthor/  

Twitter:                @lauriewallmark  

Instagram            https://www.instagram.com/lauriewallmark/  

Linked In              https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-wallmark-4a815711/  

BIO

Award-winning author Laurie Wallmark writes picture book biographies of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as well as fiction. Her books have earned multiple starred trade reviews, been chosen as Junior Library Guild Selections, and received awards such as Outstanding Science Trade Book, Best STEM Book, Cook Prize Honor Book, Crystal Kite Award, Mathical Honor Book, and Parents’ Choice Gold Medal. Her titles include ADA BYRON LOVELACE AND THE THINKING MACHINE, GRACE HOPPER: QUEEN OF COMPUTER CODE, HEDY LAMARR’S DOUBLE LIFE, NUMBERS IN MOTION, CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER, and her debut fiction picture book, DINO PAJAMA PARTY. Laurie has an MFA in Writing from VCFA and is a former software engineer and computer science professor.

Dino Pajama Party (Running Press Kids, October 2021)

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter (Abrams Kids, 2021)

Numbers in Motion (Creston Books, 2020)

Hedy Lamarr's Double Life (Sterling Kids, 2019)

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Sterling Kids, 2017)

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books, 2015)

DINO PAJAMA PARTY; A Bedtime Book

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, (WELCOME!) my blog title says it all: Picture Books Are Powerful! I love all kinds of picture books, for too many reasons to list here. (Curious? Check past posts HERE , HERE, and HERE for some examples of ways picture books speak to me, and to readers of any age!)

I particularly appreciate and celebrate picture books that reveal untold/forgotten/hidden stories, especially ones that are deeply researched, artfully told, and appealingly documented/extended in back mattter. Books like these by author Laurie Wallmark. I recommend that you bookmark Wallmark's site and follow her writing progress closely. She has several more WOMEN IN STEM titles coming, she teaches writing workshops, and ... wait for it... she has a brand new picture book coming out for little ones: DINO PAJAMA PARTY: A BEDTIME BOOK!

Running Press Kids, 2021

Yes, you read that correctly. The target audience for this new book is a younger demographic, and it stars paleolithic party animals who are childlike to the bone. Decked out in sleep caps, bunny slippers, jammies, and footed sleepers, teddy bears in hand, these lighthearted and limber lizards are irresistible. 

If you've ever known a kiddo who wants to stay in jammies all day long, you'll recognize this crew as they gather in bright sunlight for a full day of music, dance, and partying, until, as sunset approaches, their tails and wings are dragging!

 

Page by page, Wallmark's crisply rhymed couplets  invite audiences to chime in, since read-it-again requests are guaranteed. Word choice is both familiar and expansive as the dinos "rock" and "roll", "stomp" and "stroll". The social gathering and musical components are especially appealing, with huge potential for little ones to imitate and participate in the dancing, plinking, strumming, and drumming of the "PJ's" band. The fact that this pajama party is an all day affair is a delightful twist and clever wordplay on the assumed "slumber party" you can be forgiven for imagining. It may be particularly helpful for bedtime kids who insist that they aren't yet sleepy. Once they are washed, flossed, and jammied-up, let them join the fun for several reading/performances until they, too, are dragging their tails under their covers! 

Running Press Kids, Interior, Michael Robertson/Laurie Wallmark, 2021

Illustrator Michael Robertson fully embraced the spirited dino community, setting them in a cartoonish contemporary community, developing each with distinctive clothing and characteristics that will have little ones finding favorites, savoring details, and even naming specific dinos. I was particularly delighted by the bedtime twist that revealed they all returned to sleep in a dino-dorm instead of sprawling across a family room floor somewhere. Singly and in pairs, they are all tucked into a matched set of beds, snugly sleeping under their own comfy covers. Soon, not surprisingly, they are all snoring.

With Wallmark's track record and ongoing successes in extended-text, nonfiction picture book writing, I was intrigued about how and when and why this delightful story and style entered her writing life. She graciously agreed to answer some interview questions, which will be shared here in a post later in October. For now, you can preorder the book (release  date 10/19/2021), HERE, HERE, or HERE.  i suggest you do that. The global supply chain glitches seem to have had an impact on paper supplies and  bulk shipping, so a preorder is the best way to assure that your intended readers will not be disappointed. 

Once it reaches your hands and their eyes/ears, there will be no disappointment!

Happy Book Birthday to CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two Wars

Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
March 2, 2021

If you read my recent interview with author Laurie Wallmark, you've been as anxious as I have to read her latest nonfiction title. And today's the day we wish a happy book birthday to CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of  Two World Wars. (Illustrated by 

It was a joy to read this recent addition to Laurie Wallmark's series of picture book biographies about WOMEN IN STEM. I read a pdf file and was ready to rave about it. As a picture book fanatic, I found that holding the physical book in my hands impressed me even further. The illustrations and art design are perfectly arranged to enhance the author's complex text. Pages include embedded quotations to reveal Friedman's thoughts, reactions, and insights. We learn that it was her early love of English literature, particularly the works of Shakespeare, that fostered Friedman's appreciation of structures, patterns, and internal relationships, skills that later served her well as a code-breaker. Puzzles and mysteries engaged her attention, while creating and deciphering codes provided theist possible entertainment. 

She and her like-minded husband were soon recognized as master cryptographers (code-breakers) when such skills were needed most- during the First World War. Each page turn reveals further steps in Friedman's lifelong journey through the secret mazes of spies, codes, and secret efforts for enemies to overthrow the United states.

Interior image: CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER
Wallmark/Baker
Harry N. Abrams, inc. March 2, 2021

Once again, Wallmark manages to devote most of this biography to her subject's adult life, but incorporates enough childhood spotlights to establish Friedman's character, intelligence, and risk-taking nature. She describes the exuberance she felt when taking risks, which explains a great deal about how she could move so effortlessly and successfully between her pastoral family life and her rapid responses to calls from criminal prosecutors, Coastguard officers, and government officials plain need of her help to establish the OSS (later, the CIA) as the Second World War presented massive threats to her/our country. And yet she relished her time at home to garden, host "coded" dinner parties, read, write, and teach.
Back matter expanded my appreciation of Friedman with an accessible timeline of her life, a code-breaking challenge page, sources and bibliogaphy, and a fast-forward description of digital cryptography. 
Elizebeth Friedman is a standout in the world of cryptanalysis and spy hunting. You didn't know her name? Neither did I. It astonishes me that no one has made a movie of her life-- yet-- and I am crossing my fingers that this book could lead someone with the necessary skills and connections to pursue that project. It would be an edge of the chair, breath-holding video success.

Interview with Laurie Wallmark: Woman in STEM (who is NOT DEAD!)

I've shared picture books by Laurie Wallmark in recent weeks (HERE and HERE) and among my thousands of Goodreads reviews. When you read as many books as I do, there truly are stand outs among them. Wallmark's titles about WOMEN in STEM are such books, and are included on my MATH recommendations page. Now it is my great honor to host Laurie for an interview about the March 2 release of her latest title, CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars, illustrated by Brooke Smart.

 

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. March 2, 2021

Without further ado, let's get started. 

(My questions are marked SB, and  Laurie's responses are LW.)

SB: Laurie, thank you so much for spending time with the blog readers here, and for sharing the excitement of this upcoming release with us. I’m eager to hear more about your work on Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars, but I’d like to begin with a “chicken-or-egg” question related to your WOMEN IN STEM titles.

The first picture book, Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, was published in 2015. I enjoyed reading several interviews about that book and I know other readers will, too.

(Readers, I suspect you'll want to read Laurie's interview here to find out more about Laurie's  latest book, but I urge you to check out her earlier blog interviews. She provides quick links to them on her website, but I suggest you begin HERE and HERE.)

Laurie, your comments in those interviews make it clear that your personal interest in math and computers began in childhood, and that you enjoy writing about strong women in STEM. This series feels as if it might have been a lifelong dream for you, but did you intend to write a series of picture book biographies about historic women in STEM, or was it a consequence of Ada’s success? 

 

LW: I truly never thought of writing a book series. As an unpublished author, my main focus was on getting someone to buy any of my manuscripts—fiction or nonfiction, picture book or middle grade. I knew it was important to try different categories and genres of writing to see what was best for me. What if it turned out that picture book biographies weren’t my strong suit? But I couldn’t help myself. Even before Ada sold, I had already started on Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code. As a computer scientist, I so wanted to share the stories of these two important people in the field and maybe inspire a child in becoming a software engineer.

 

SB: I can fully understand that goal of having your work published, particularly considering the amount of time and effort that you invested in researching and writing the nonfiction titles.

The depth and breadth of your research is impressive to me as a writer and educator, but even more so as a reader. Your thorough knowledge forms a seamless scaffold for your narratives so that the subjects of the biographies come to life on the page as fully formed humans, living and achieving within the societies of their times. The research details never bog down the page-turning quality of your storytelling. I complete your books feeling as if I knew these women. How familiar were you with any of them before you begin your research?

LW: At this point, I’m so familiar with both Ada and Grace, it’s hard to remember this wasn’t always the case. Because of my interest in math and computers, I certainly knew their names and the basics of their achievements. But that was it. I knew nothing about their lives—the part that draws children into a book. Having the opportunity to dig deep into their stories—their failures and successes, challenges and victories—was a gift. 

 

SB: Let's move on to some CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER questions!

I find the inclusion of quotations by your subjects in each of these titles to be powerful and revealing. That is particularly true in CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER. Your bibliography includes some recent books about Elizebeth Friedman, but you also accessed primary sources. Elizebeth Friedman lived during the twentieth century, which should have made material like this easier to find. But she was a SPY, for goodness sakes, and worked for/founded the secret agency that eventually became the CIA! Please share some aspect of your research that felt as if YOU had broken a code or found your way into Elizabeth’s life despite frustrating obstacles.

 

LW: Luckily for me, Elizebeth’s papers are archived at the Marshall Foundation in Lexington VA. Their online collection contains correspondence, personal materials, newspaper clippings, photographs and more. Even more luckily for me, research librarians are wonderful resources, so when I couldn’t find the information I needed, librarian Melissa Davis was able to help me. Browsing through Elizebeth’s archive was invaluable in helping bring her story to life.         

SB: Yay, librarians!

 

LW: A resource that wasn’t available to me while I was researching is a book for teens coming out in October, by Amy Butler Greenfield, The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Friedman and Her Hidden Life. It will be interesting to see how another kidlit author, albeit one writing for an older audience, handles different aspects of Elizebeth’s life.

Interior images: Code Breaker, Spy Hunter. (Capturing a Nazi spy ring!)
Wallmark/Smart
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. March 2, 2021

SB: I'll look forward to reading it, too. (Blog readers, I've linked the author and title above if you care to check out this resource later.)

 Back to your picture book which is, in my opinion, highly accessible for curious young readers, but equally intriguing for middle grade and teen readers, as well as for adults. In part that's due to the illustrations of Brooke Smart, and to the art designer for effective page layout, including that continuous reel of coded messaging. The visual excitement and suspense surrounding  your compelling text supports the emotional content, high stakes, and pace of the developments in the field of cryptography. Curious readers will examine every inch of coded tape weaving throughout the book. In a story spanning two wars and using extensive technical terminology, as well as both Elizebeth’s family and professional lives, were you concerned that this complexity could confuse young readers? Would you share your reactions to and involvement with the visual side of Elizabeth’s story?

 

LW: I’ve had the benefit of being paired with the most amazing illustrators and art directors (not to mention editors) for my books. I was involved in the illustration and layout process from the beginning, starting with the rough sketches. I gave feedback—some that was taken, some that wasn’t—but all my suggestions were seriously considered. I had the privilege of seeing Brooke’s illustrations come to life step-by-step.

 

My biggest contribution to the illustrations, other than supplying the quotations, was figuring out the codes that are in the artwork. I gave Brooke streams of seemingly random letters, and she had the hard task of hand-illustrating them. I’m sure it was a lot of hard work. Once she was done, the codes came back to me to check. My biggest fear is that a ten-year-old reader will find a mistake I made.

 

SB: I doubt there are errors,  but I have NO doubt that countless kids will be busily solving that code and will let you know if you've slipped up at any point. By the way, I am thoroughly impressed with the various ways in which Friedman's quotations appear on the page. Perfect!

Moving on...

I devour the extras that authors choose to include in back matter, but even more so when it comes to your work in these pages. You consistently organize and write this supplemental material with clarity and flare that demand my attention and make me want to tug someone’s elbow and share the information. Rather than a basic glossary, your CODES AND CIPHERS page presents readers with integrated understanding of challenging vocabulary, as if in a conversation with the author. The CRACK THE CODE challenge page will be a hit, and your lightly-illustrated timeline reads like a bite-sized synopsis. CRYPTOGRAPHY TODAY advances the history of code-breaking directly into our handheld and other digital devices. The quotation citations and bibliography are essential, and remind readers that documentation for nonfiction works separate fact from imagination.

 

Please tell us something about your approach to back matter, in terms of what and how you choose to include material, and how you decide what has to hit the cutting room floor.

 

SB: I adore back matter. When you research a picture book biography, there’s so much information that you can’t include in the main text. Sometimes it’s because it would interrupt the flow of the story. Other times, the concept is complicated and needs a more extensive explanation. And of course, there’s that limited word count in picture books. Very often what ends up in the back matter I had originally included in text. 

 

In Code Breaker, Spy Hunter, one piece of back matter came as a suggestion from the publisher. In Elizebeth’s time, most code breaking was still done by hand or by dedicated machines like Enigma. The publisher thought educators would want students to know more about cryptography today. I agreed. Now, I had to research and understand how computers code and decode messages, so I could explain it to kids. Luckily for me, I love doing research, especially when it involves math and computers.

 

One of my books, Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics, has a piece of back matter that’s unrelated to STEM. It’s about why Sophie’s name is written so many different ways (Sofie, Sofya, Sophia, Sophie—along with variations of her surname). I talk about how her name was transliterated from the original Cyrillic alphabet and the common way Russians assigned surnames. The nerd in me found this fascinating, so I thought kids might, too.

 

SB: Wow, I am so anxious for readers to get their hands on this book and begin to explore the many aspects of Elizebeth Friedman's life on the page. You've been more than generous with your responses, but I'll push my luck...

I must ask who is next to come under your intense biographic investigation, if you are able to share that.

LW: My next picture book biography about a woman in STEM, astronomer Maria Mitchell, comes out in Fall 2022. She was the first American to discover a comet, one of the first paid astronomers in the United States, and the first female astronomy professor. In addition, she worked to convince others of the need for women in the sciences.  

 

I also have a picture book coming out in 2021—Dino Pajama Party (Running Press Kids). So now, in addition to writing about dead women, apparently I also write about dead reptiles. I’ve had people ask if the book is nonfiction, because they know my other books. Um, no. I'm pretty sure dinosaurs didn’t wear pajamas.

SB: Congratulations! That will be an exciting and fun experience for you, and the first of many fiction titles, I hope. Variety is always an energizer for writers. 

Readers, Laurie was kind enough to extend her responses to include a question for our recent giveaway winner, Susan Wroble:

 SW: I think of series as coming out of the same publisher, but this series seems to have three publishers. Did the publishers think that your books would compete with ones you had previously written for them, or what is the story behind the different publishers?

 

LW: Although all of my books up until now have been about (dead) women in STEM, they’re really not a series. I wrote each one as a stand-alone book. 

 

As to why they’re not with the same publishers, that’s an easy question to answer. Just because an editor accepted one book, that doesn’t mean she’ll accept the next one. She might not like it, the publishing house might have a similar book coming out, or it just doesn’t fit with their list. My Numbers In Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen Of Mathematics was rejected by one publisher for a funny reason. They had a book about another mathematician named Sophie (Germain) on the way. 

 

I was lucky enough that after Sterling Kids started the series “People Who Shaped Our World” (originally called “Women Who Shaped Our World”) with Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code, the editor also accepted Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life.

SB: Thanks, Susan, for that great question. 

I wondered about it, too.

Laurie Wallmark
Woman in STEM who is NOT dead!

SB: On behalf of readers here, and from me personally, THANK YOU, Laurie, for taking time from an obviously busy writing and working life to share so much of your book-background with us. Congratulations on this March release, on your Dino PJ party (that should be a fun launch!) and on your continued success in whatever you pursue. I for one will stay tuned for anything and everything you write.

Readers, you can follow Laurie at her: 

Blog: All News, no Schmooze

on Twitter: @LaurieWallmark

on Facebook: Laurie Wallmark Author

and view a video on her website in which she speaks about why she writes, HERE.

 

 

Update: Winner of NUMBERS IN MOTION

It's always the RIGHT time to celebrate SMART, STRONG women, including the giveaway winner of NUMBERS IN MOTION: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics by Laurie Wallmark. 

Thank you to those who read my post about Laurie's WOMEN IN STEM series. Especially thank you to those who responded here or on other media to engage with the giveaway. Thanks, most of all, to Laurie for doing the intense and dedicated work to share the lives of these amazing women with the world in ways that bring them to life on the page, and beyond.

Creston Books

And the giveaway of a signed copy of NUMBERS IN MOTION is... Susan Wroble! 

Susan, reach out through the contact tab, or DM on Twitter @PBWorkshop (or a general tweet for me to reach you) so the scan go out int the mail, soon!

Congratulations!

Laurie Wallmark's WOMEN IN STEM: A Giveaway! (Giveaway has ended.)

Hold on to your hats, readers. This post features WOMEN IN STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics), a series of picture book biographies that will blow you away. I've linked each of my brief comments below to more thorough reviews on my Goodreads account about individual titles. Author Laurie Wallmark has introduced readers to each of her "subjects" as fully formed individual girls/women whose lives and accomplishments pop off the page. Each book also provides back matter that is head and shoulders above routine documentation to appeal and inform in its own right. 

ADA LOVELACE AND THE THINKING MACHINE (Laurie Wallmark, April Chu. Creston Books, 2015

From my review:

There is so much to enjoy in this biography that spans, literally, cradle to grave and centuries beyond. Modern young readers will be inspired by her brilliant insights and accomplishments despite the limits of technology during her lifetime. Even though hers was a privileged and elegant life, Ada overcame struggles that will resonate with many (an absent father, several years of disability due to measles). 

HEDY LAMARR'S DOUBLE LIFE: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor (Laurie Wallmark, Katy Wu. Sterling CHildren's Books 2019)

From my review:

Characteristically deep research marks Hedy's life story, developed in appealing narrative with brief revelations about her childhood curiosity in Vienna, patented inventions, and on to her fame as a Hollywood star. She and friend George Antheil invested countless hours of secret effort in developing specialized equipment that allowed naval signals to evade detection during World War II. Their contributions to saving lives and winning the war remained top secret for many years and are still used today. 

Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Laurie Wallmark, Katy Wu, Sterling Children's Books. 2017)

From my review:

I was eager to read more about Hopper, and this deeply researched account is filled with "grace" and humor. I vividly recall watching an evening news tribute to Grace Hopper on the occasion of her SECOND retirement from the US Navy at the age of eighty. That news profile recounted her transformational role in computer coding, in war service, and in top secret programming to save lives and defend our nation. During that short news segment this tiny, wiry woman looked as if she could still take on anything that a war or computer or even a "bug" could send her way.

After reading this biography I feel as if I had an opportunity to meet Grace, and I'm eager to introduce her to kids everywhere, especially to girls..

In case you missed it, take a look at my earlier review of Laurie's most recent release in this series, NUMBERS IN MOTION: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics.  

I celebrate women in math, science, engineering, and technology, including Laurie Wallmark. As a writer and reader, I appreciate the challenges she must have encountered and then surpassed in creating each of these books. Each is a portal to the past while bringing forward these accomplished and inspiring women to gain present day admiration.

I honor all women who recognize their capacity as agents of growth, knowledge, and change in a world, in the past and present. From Ada to Sophie to Hedy to Grace, women have demonstrated their ability to learn and lead and leverage their too-limited status to arrive at the top of their fields. Although limitations for girls and women have "eased" over time, the playing field is by no means level. It's ironic, and unjust, that digital media has too often become a tool for actively generating bias and resistance to girls and women in STEM fields.

To mark this celebration, I'm giving  away a signed copy of NUMBERS IN MOTION to encourage everyone to share these books with ALL kids, helping both genders of the next generation to seek and welcome others into careers in STEM. Deadline is midnight Sunday, January 24, Central time.

One chance to win will be added for each of the following, as many as you choose:

• Comment below on one (or more) of the titles reviewed here. 
• Comment below about how you shared this post on social media (Twitter, FB, Instagram) 
• Comment on your own attitude about math, good or bad. I promise not to scold!
• Ask Laurie a question. I hope to interview her about her upcoming March release, and may be able to include your question!)
• Clicked through to explore Laurie's website (click on WOMEN IN STEM in the top line) and comment on something you learned there.

Good luck!