How Tiny Broadwick Created
The Parachute Rip Cord
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
little bee books
(pub.10.10.2023) 40 pages
Ages 4-8
Author: Candy Dahl
Illustrator: Maithili Joshi
Character: Tiny Broadwick
Overview:
" Tiny Broadwick, a teeny, uneducated mill girl, had big dreams of soaring above the earth, out of poverty, and above expectations. She became the first woman to parachute from an airplane, and her idea for the rip cord paved the way for pilots to safely escape in-flight emergencies.
This thrilling biography shows how Tiny's determination, courage, adventurousness, and joy lifted her up to stand tall as a pioneer in flight."
Tantalizing taste:
"Tiny performed heart-stopping, triple parachute jumps.
She jumped at night with fiery flares.
She risked drowning when she landed in water.
Oftentimes, the wind blew her parachute off target.
Tiny landed in strange and dangerous places:
Trains, windmills, roofs, trees.
She broke her arms, shoulders, ankles, and feet.
But Tiny refused to stop doing what she loved best -
rising up into the sky."
And something more: Candy Dahl in the Author's Note explains: "For decades, the accomplishments of a young woman in an aviation world heavily dominated by men disappeared into obscurity... Her life took a sudden turn when she met Jim and Maxine Hix, a copule who were involved in aviation ... soon Tiny was back in the aviation world where she belonged. In 1953, Tiny received the United States Government Pioneer Aviation Award on the fiftieth anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight."
Mercedes Sosa,
The Voice of Latin America
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Knopf Books for Young Readers
(pub. 9.12.2023) 48 pages
Ages 4-8
Author and Illustrator: Melisa Fernández Nitsche
Character: Mercedes Sosa
Overview:
" The folk rhythm of the bombo drum beats like a heart, with a resonant voice singing the truth of her people. Mercedes Sosa sang about what it means to be human, and her songs of struggle always spoke the truth of the injustice that so many workers and families in Latin America faced.
As a teen, she won a local radio contest, and as her confidence grew, so did her fame. From a folk festival to Carnegie Hall and the Sistine Chapel, Mercedes performed the world over, sharing stories through song. But not everyone loved her singing: a military dictatorship ruled over Argentina, and they saw the power of her voice. Even from exile, Mercedes Sosa was a beacon of freedom for her people, and when she returned to her homeland, she persisted in her work: to be the voice of the voiceless."
Tantalizing taste:
" She had to flee to Europe, carrying only her bombo, three suitcases, and a handbag.
But some things didn't fit in her luggage ...
Mercedes missed her family.
She'd hear Spanish songs on the radio and hum along under her breath.
In exile, she couldn't taste her mother's homemade locro, and the sweet scent of the orange trees was nowhere to be found.
The love for her homeland only grew stronger.
The farther you are from home, the closer it is to your heart, she thought."
And something more: Melisa Fernández Nitsche, in the Author's Note explains that "Mercedes Sosa has been a familiar voice to me since my childhood: at school events, on the radio, and on TV... I spent months researching Mercedes... What captivated me the most was her authenticity and the strength in her voice. Mercedes chose to sing songs about things she found important and wanted to speak up on, doing so in a tough and complicated political context in which singing was a life commitment."
Dr. Katalin Karikó
and the Battle Against Covid-19
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(HarperCollins Publishers)
(pub.10.3.2023) 40 pages
Ages 4-8
Author: Megan Hoyt
Illustrator: Vivien Mildenberger
Character: Katalin Karikó
Overview:
" When she was young, Katalin Karikó decided she would study science—even though she had never even met a scientist! But she was determined to learn as much as she could about the human body, and once she made a decision, she stuck with it. Katalin had to learn English while attending university, but she worked hard until she became a doctor.
After facing many challenges, including lack of research funding and harsh immigration policies, Kati and her family uprooted from Hungary and moved to America, where she became a top researcher. She knew that, with work, she could teach one of the building blocks of life, messenger RNA, to fight off harmful viruses. There was just one problem—no one else believed her.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Kati and her work were thrust into the spotlight. But with her unshakable will, she was ready to face the challenge."
Tantalizing taste:
" Kati's mind never took a break. Messenger RNA danced through her dreams and filled up her days. She loved her research, even though some scientists were skeptical of her ideas. 'This sounds almost like science fiction,' they said. Kati knew it sounded impossible. She had trouble convincing any lab to give her grant money to continue working on these tiny messengers that would tell human cells how to fight viral invaders. But each experiment brought glimmers of hope. She jotted down notes and figures and celebrated every success, no matter how small."
And something more: A letter from Katalin Karikó is included in the back matter of KATI'S TINY MESSENGERS, and it includes the following touching and inspiring thoughts: "I grew up in a small town in Hungary, in a house with no running water. How did I go from that life to impacting so many people with my scientific discoveries? I can answer that question in one word: curiosity!
...We never had expected our discovery to impact billions of people around the world, and not every idea will do that. But I want you to know that no matter what the people around you say, no matter how many people tell you what you are trying to do is impossible, you just keep on pursuing your dream. If you work hard to achieve your goals, you may impact a whole generation. But even if you impact only one person, you will have changed their world."
