Author: Cheryl Bardoe Illustrator: Barbara McClintock Little Brown Books For Young Readers June 2018
Synopsis (From Publisher):
The true story of eighteenth-century mathematician Sophie Germain, who solved the unsolvable to achieve her dream.
When her parents took away her candles to keep their young daughter from studying math…nothing stopped Sophie. When a professor discovered that the homework sent to him under a male pen name came from a woman…nothing stopped Sophie. And when she tackled a math problem that male scholars said would be impossible to solve…still, nothing stopped Sophie.
For six years Sophie Germain used her love of math and her undeniable determination to test equations that would predict patterns of vibrations. She eventually became the first woman to win a grand prize from France’s prestigious Academy of Sciences for her formula, which laid the groundwork for much of modern architecture (and can be seen in the book’s illustrations).
Award-winning author Cheryl Bardoe’s inspiring and poetic text is brought to life by acclaimed artist Barbara McClintock’s intricate pen-and-ink, watercolor, and collage illustrations in this true story about a woman who let nothing stop her
CWR Review:
This incredible story tells of the life of Sophie Germain, a young woman aspiring to be a Mathematician in France during the eighteenth centuryโฆa time where the words โwomanโ and โMathematicianโ together were oxymorons to society. Growing up during the French Revolution, Sophieโs love for math busied her while a civil war was fought right outside her doors. The author whimsically depicts Sophieโs parentโs concern for her love for math, and their attempts to stop her growing desire for numbers. They removed her pen and ink, her candles, her warm fire just to keep her from getting out of bed at night to study math. But as you can imagine based on the title โฆ โnothing stopped Sophie! The story goes on to tell of her relentless pursuit to become better at her craft and to receive recognition for her contributions to the field. For example, since women could not attend university, Sophie used a pen name LeBlanc to send in homework. The Professor was shocked to find that the mysterious bright young man that sent in homework was actually a woman! Years later, in her early thirties, when the Royan Academy of Sciences was looking for someone to solve and seemingly unsolvable math problem about vibrations, Sophie spent four years perfecting her equation. Her equation was wrong the first time, but after two more years of hard work and experiments and she succeeded. The book ends with the Academy finally recognizing her for what she rightfully wasโฆa true Mathematician.
I was mesmerized by this bit of history; it was unknown to me before reading. This is an inspiring story, especially for young women seeking to enter traditionally male-dominated fields for vocation. The vocabulary is robust, and I enjoyed reading about Sophieโs determination and passion. She was never patronized, and she worked hard. It wasnโt for money or popularity or some higher selfish ambition, but simply because she loved her subject- the same reason why Eric Liddell ran, why Willie Johnson played guitar, why Thomas Kinkade paints, why the Gettyโs sing.
Barbara McClintock used watercolor and collage to make these beautiful illustrations, you will stare at the pages after you read them, your children will stare too, and study her extraordinary artwork. Barabara McClintock earned my fanfare when I read her Emma and Julia Love Ballet book. She refers to herself as a self-taught artist, and after observing her illustrations in this story, I would say, self-taught, is a very good thing. Bravo Mrs. McClintock, Bravo!
Inspiring, touching, Resonating, you wonโt be disappointed, get yours here or here.
Themes- French revolution, French history, Mathematics and famous Mathemeticians, female empowerment, diligence and determination
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