Book cover images. Graphic credit: Abigail Malate
Women's History Month Graphic Novel and Picture Book Recommendations
Women's History Month Graphic Novel and Picture Book Recommendations
At the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, we see many different types of published resources such as manuscripts, periodicals, textbooks, and rare books. But for Women's History Month, our staff explored two types of materials that are as creative and entertaining as they are educational and informative: graphic novels and children's picture books. Read our staff reviews of these illustrated stories of women in physics below.
Dignifying Science: Stories about Women Scientists written by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Marie Severin, Carla Speed McNeil, Jen Sorensen, Stephanie Gladden, Donna Barr, Roberta Gregory, Linda Medley, Lea Hernandez, and Anne Timmons (1999)
Format: Graphic novel for adults
If the term “vignettes” can apply to a graphic novel, I would say that this novel, aimed at adults, features vignettes of notable women scientists from the last century: Marie Curie, Emmy Noether, Lise Meitner, Rosalind Franklin, Barbara McClintock, Biruté Galdikas, and Hedy Lamarr. These snapshot stories are all written by graphic novelist Jim Ottaviani, a seasoned expert in the field of science history comics (check out his Suspended In Language: Niels Bohr's Life, Discoveries, And The Century He Shaped; T-Minus: The Race to the Moon; Hawking; and more). Each scientist’s vignette is illustrated by a different woman illustrator, which gives the book variety. Though I preferred some stories and illustrators over others, each does a decent job of offering the reader a tantalizing bit of the scientist’s story, which invites further curiosity and investigation. The discussion of Lise Meitner’s scientific research in her story was a bit dense, but the science in Rosalind Franklin’s story was aided by clear illustrations and felt more approachable.
My personal favorite stories were Hedy Lamarr’s (The scandal! The subterfuge! And the clear and evocative illustration style by Carla Speed McNeil!) and Barbara McClintock’s, which, through its dreamier, loose-lined illustrations by Lea Hernandez, gives the reader a feeling for the scientist’s quiet but determined dedication to her somewhat unglamorous subject (corn genetics) that eventually won her a Nobel Prize. All of the stories appear to be well-researched and there are copious notes at the end of the novel. While the stories were a good introduction to the scientists, every story could have been longer and more detailed, and each one truly deserves their own novel. Happily, at least some of them have their own novels, though not my favorite, Barbara McClintock. - Corinne Mona
Radioactive by Lauren Redniss (2011)
Format: Graphic novel for adults
I can confidently and enthusiastically say that I have never read a book quite like this before but now that I have, I am excited to read everything else that author Lauren Redniss has made. A lot has been said about this book already, including by our own Joanna Behrman on this very blog, NPR, and Wired. It is everything these reviews claim it to be: a beautiful, devastating, informative, comedic, and lovely tribute to the complex legacy of Marie and Pierre Curie. Interspersing hand-colored cyanotype prints with lecture text, declassified FBI files, quotes directly from the Curies, and archival photographs, this book combines the timelines of Marie, Pierre, and their children and grandchildren’s lives with more recent histories of Hiroshima, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and modern-day individuals and scientists who were influenced by the Curies’ work on radiation. Here’s a tip if you pick this book up: don’t skip the end pages of the book, “A Note on Cyanotype Printing” and, “A Note on the Type”. Just trust me on this! - Audrey Lengel
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua (2015)
Format: Graphic novel for adults
This brilliant novel is indeed but one form of the story; it originated as a webcomic, and was turned into this New York Times best-selling book, and has now even been made into an opera. According to author-illustrator Sydney Padua, she started writing the comic because she was dissatisfied that Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage’s real-life histories ended with their ideas of making what could essentially be considered a computer - the Difference Engine - unrealized. The novel is a fictional account of an alternate universe in which the pair make their machine and have many adventures with it. Although it is fictional, the novel is laced (lovelaced) with asides and notes full of factual history and explanations of the mathematical concepts. It’s a fascinating hybrid. The full title of this amazing graphic novel can give the reader some idea of its steampunky vibe, which is also conveyed through detailed illustrations: The thrilling adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: with interesting & curious anecdotes of celebrated and distinguished characters fully illustrating a variety of instructive and amusing scenes; as performed within and without the remarkable difference engine. Not to be missed! - CM
Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life written by William Roy and illustrated by Sylvain Dorange (2018)
Format: Graphic novel for adults
If you’re looking for an intriguing and multidimensional life to read about, this is the graphic novel for you! This is one of three books featuring Hedy Lamarr on our list, but her story is so intriguing that it merits many different approaches. This one is written to appeal to adults (and young adults) and is over 100 pages in length. Author-illustrator team William Roy and Sylvain Dorange manage to imbue the book with lots of wonderful details of Hedy Lamarr’s life and surroundings from childhood to death and even some reflections afterwards, while still keeping the story pace moving. If you are not familiar with Hedy Lamarr’s story, I will simply tantalize you with a few words: inventor, actress, beauty, escape from Nazis, composer, Hollywood! The vivid illustrations in full color are a visual treat and really immerse the reader in the story: everything from the color choices to the wallpaper design. Highly recommended. - CM
Caroline’s Catalog by E. J. Barnes (2012)
Format: physical and online comic for adults or young adults (available through Drowned Town Press)
Anyone with an interest in the history of astronomy should know about the Herschels. In this comic, Caroline Herschel’s story is told as told as a story-within-a-story; it opens with Caroline as an old woman talking with her nephew John (also an astronomer) about her recently awarded medal, and ends with him inviting her to go to the Horn of Africa to catalog the southern skies, but the bulk of the story is Caroline reminiscing about her life. I was somewhat familiar with Caroline Herschel, in part due to our blog post about episode 6 of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast, but I learned a lot of fun details, such as the length and depth of her music career, and the slight folly of her brother’s giant telescope, and perhaps that she may have sometimes been at odds with her sister-in-law. Author-illustrator E. J. Barnes gives the historical figures lots of character and expression throughout and I enjoyed the clean, easy-to-follow style. Readers will get a good introduction to the Herschels and be entertained with this quick read. - CM
The Curie Society created by Heather Einhorn and Adam Staffaroni, written by Janet Harvey, and art by Sonia Liao (2021)
Format: Graphic novel for young adults or adults
“Ooh, Awesome!” was the phrase I kept saying to myself while reading this romp of a comic book. Set in a reality similar - although not identical - to our own, this book centers around a trio of college-aged students who are recruited to the mysterious Curie Society. What’s that? You’ve never heard of The Curie Society? It’s just a 100+ year-old secret society founded by Marie Curie that supports women in their pursuits of science, with underground chapters in colleges and universities worldwide. And they occasionally save the world.
Maybe you’re asking, “Isn’t this a women's HISTORY book list?! This comic sounds like sci-fi!” Well, you’re right. But the great thing about this book is that, although it’s fiction, it weaves science history - specifically women in science history - into the setting and plot. The work of figures such as Emmy Noether, Ada Lovelace, and Marie Curie are sprinkled throughout, connecting these womens’ contributions to history to the world-saving work of the modern members of The Curie Society.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that my metadata-loving archivist heart soared when, at one point during the book, EXIF digital photo data plays a key role in solving a mystery. It turns out technical metadata is useful for digital archivists and aspiring secret society code-breaking! - AL
The Woman Who Split The Atom by Marissa Moss (2022)
Format: Illustrated chapter book for young adults
This biography of Lise Meitner, geared towards young adults, immediately caught my eye because I recognized the author/illustrator, whose Amelia's Notebook series encouraged me as a young adult to take up journal writing. Marissa Moss manages to make what could be a dense textual narrative of Meitner's scientific journey into a more approachable YA chapter book with short comics accompanying each new chapter.
If you're truly looking for a graphic novel, this may not be the book for you; out of the roughly 200 pages that make up the text of the book, only about 40 of them are illustrated. As a story that brings to life Lise Meitner, both as a physicist who was often overlooked due to her gender and ethnicity, and as a complex person in her own right, this book does the job. - AL
Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer written by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raúl Colón (2013)
Format: Children’s picture book
Definitely more on the text-heavy end of the scale, this biography of Henrietta Leavitt does a solid job of describing her work as a scientist, but without much specificity or excitement. I wanted more information about actual scientific work or even more details about her life. I ended up feeling like this could just as easily have been fiction rather than nonfiction. The illustrations also looked like New Deal era artwork, which is beautiful, but didn’t convey a lot of emotion for children or adults. Overall, it just felt a little bland. - Allison Rein
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor written by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raúl Colón (2017)
Format: Children’s picture book
I think this biography benefits greatly from being written in first person. Marie Tharp is not a well-known scientist to the general public, but hearing Marie’s story imagined from her own perspective made her story come alive. The colors and style of the illustrations really complemented the story itself and the scientific topic: geophysics and the ocean floor. I do wish more attention had been paid to the fact that Marie wasn’t originally allowed to actually work on the ships collecting the data she used because she was a woman. But I’m glad it was mentioned. Hopefully this book leads more people to knowing about continental drift and Marie Tharp’s amazing work. - AR
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing written by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Lucy Knisley (2017)
Format: Children’s picture book
I’m a little biased towards this book because Lucy Knisley is one of my favorite comic book creators and I think her illustrations work really well for children’s books. They’re simplistic compared to some of the other books on this list, but because she has so much experience in creating her own stories in comic form they really feel like they’re part of the story, not just an add-on. And the story here was new to me; I’d never heard of Margaret Hamilton before, possibly because she’s more of a computer programmer than a physicist, but I like that this book illustrates how interdisciplinary (a word almost no children have heard of, I’m sure) space science and astronomy truly are. - AR
Caroline’s Comets: A True Story by Emily Arnold McCully (2017)
Format: Children’s picture book
An author/illustrator! We love to see it! I’m not sure how well this book reads to actual children, but personally, I loved that actual quotes from Caroline Herschel’s records were interspersed throughout. Including direct quotes makes Caroline’s personality and story, which is perhaps unrelatably selfless to modern readers, more alive and real. Did you know that while her brother William was polishing the mirror for his telescope that Caroline had to put food directly into his mouth like he was a baby bird (unmasticated presumably)!? I sure didn’t. And hearing about it directly from Caroline herself certainly helped convey how much work was involved in all that work. We also learn how Caroline becomes an astronomer in her own right, though I do feel like more emphasis was placed on her life in relation to her famous brother, which is certainly based in reality. - AR
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 written by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk (2018)
Format: Children’s picture book
This is a very cute and enjoyable children’s book. The illustrations were engaging and moved the story forward and complemented the text. They weren’t the most beautiful or sophisticated to my adult eyes, but they seemed very approachable for children. Although it’s a biography of Katherine Johnson, it also told a complete story about how she helped the Apollo 13 mission, something I’m sure many adults aren’t aware of. The book does address the challenge of segregation that Katherine faced during her education, but in such a matter of fact way that I’m not sure it would sink in for a lot of kids. - AR
Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life written by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Katy Wu (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
This biography of Hedy Lamarr starts with her early life, but focuses especially on her work as an inventor. It provides an in-depth history of her frequency hopping system. Hedy anticipated it being used by the US military to help guide submarine torpedoes during World War II, but the US Navy never used it and marked the technology as Secret so no one else could either. It wasn’t until it was declassified 40 years later that people started using her invention to secure our modern wireless communications. It’s a fun book that makes a complicated scientific invention easy for young readers to understand. The book itself is very text heavy, but the illustrations keep the reader engaged and moving forward through the story. - AR
The Girl Who Named Pluto: the Story of Venetia Burney written by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Elizabeth Haidle (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
This isn’t a biography of a famous woman scientist, but actually the much more intimate story of a young child who loves science. I think all of us can relate to being a kid who’s really excited by a topic. Few of us take our obsession with dinosaurs into a career in paleontology. So although I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more science in this book, I liked that its focus was more relatable, especially to kids. The illustrations in this book are very moody and gray, I definitely felt like the weather was very English. The title itself explains most of the plot and there’s not much more to the story than that, but it’s a beautiful book. - AR
What Miss Mitchell Saw written by Hayley Barrett, illustrated by Diana Sudyka (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
The illustrations in this biography of Maria Mitchell are beautiful and magical. They really complement the story itself, a story of wonder and discovery. Though it contains biographical information on Maria Mitchell’s early life, it’s really the story of her discovery of the comet later known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” This is one of those magical books that contains accurate and little known information, a compelling and exciting story (for both children and adults), and stunningly gorgeous and meaningful illustrations. And I’m not just biased because Maria Mitchell was a librarian too (okay maybe a little). I’ll leave you with the powerful last lines of the book “Miss Mitchell saw a comet. The world saw her.” - AR
Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer written by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Louise Pigott and Alex Oxton (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
Always Looking Up is a biography of Nancy Grace Roman, the “Mother of Hubble.” Unlike a lot of other children’s books on our list, this one gets more specific about the roadblocks Nancy Grace Roman faced during her career. Her guidance counselor discouraged her from taking math, her professors told her math and science classes weren’t for women, they told her to quit her career and get married instead. I think those parts of the story are really compelling. As an adult who is familiar with Nancy Grace Roman and her work, in a non-technical way, I really appreciated the focus on someone who’s not famous for a single discovery, but instead worked within a large bureaucracy to advance science for the good of the scientific community. However, I think the lack of a single propulsive story is also a weakness for pure storytelling. Another thing that sets this book apart is the author actually got a chance to meet and speak with Nancy Grace Roman herself. - AR
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon written by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
This would be a great picture book to read with an actual child, which if you’ve ever tried to read aloud to a squirmy toddler, you know doesn’t apply to all the picture books that adults like. What I loved about this book is how emotional the story and the illustrations were. It’s hard to create narrative tension in a nonfiction/biographical picture book, but with the way the story worked with the illustrations really created the question in my mind…could we actually get to the moon? Could Katherine help? We know all that for ourselves but children don’t. I also liked the way the book addressed racism and sexism directly through both the text and the pictures, really showing and telling how it affected Katherine’s life and career. - AR
Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson and illustrated by Rebecca Huang (2019)
Format: Children’s picture book
This book takes you through the early life and then the career of Wu Chien Shiung, who emigrated to the United States from China in 1936. It combines text and layered print-based illustrations, making it a perfect introduction to Chien Shiung and her work. The book does not shy away from addressing important topics such as the discrimination against girls and women in China, political protest and community organizing, and the lack of educational and career opportunities she had in the U.S. because she was a woman and Asian. It tells an honest story of everything she had to persevere through while also explaining her work as a physicist. Helpfully, the author includes a one-page biography (including a list of Chien Shiung’s firsts!) and a glossary of physics terms at the end of the book for readers of all ages to reference. - AL
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