The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls - Softcover

Thimmesh, Catherine

3.87

47 ratings by Goodreads

9780618494897: The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0618494898 ISBN 13: 9780618494897

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 2004

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They study the night sky, watch chimpanzees in the wild, and dig up ancient clay treasures. They search the beach for rare fossils, photograph old rock carvings, explore the hazards of lead poisoning, and wander into dark caves. And in their watching, digging, and wandering they become discoverers. Young and old, they are women and girls who discover seventy-million-year-old sea lizards, the very origins of counting and writing, Stone Age cave art, mysterious matter in the universe, and how a puddle of water can be sanitized when heated by the sun.
Here is a tribute to the findings and revelations of these remarkable women and girls: to their perseverance, their epiphanies, their wondrous curiosity. Brought to life by stunning collage illustrations, these inspiring stories drawn from primary sources consistently probe into still unanswered questions. Here are discoveries that open our eyes not only to what women and girls can accomplish but also to the astonishing world in which we live.

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Review:

Despite their glaring absence from history books, women have been responsible for countless remarkable discoveries, from the X and Y chromosomes to a 3.5 million-year-old hominid skull to the dark matter of the universe. In this compelling, cleverly illustrated tribute to the curious and brilliant women who have changed the world with their findings, readers will meet the NASA program manager who came up with the idea of using a small "microrover" on Mars. They'll also meet the 19th-century Spanish girl who discovered 15,000-year-old cave paintings that cast a new light on Stone Age people. More than a dozen stories reveal the monumental contributions to science and history made by the "fairer sex"; a selected timeline ranging from the 1300s to the present covers even more territory. Although by no means comprehensive, this compilation by Catherine Thimmesh presents a respectful glimpse at the stunning, too-often overlooked accomplishments and revelations of women--and girls--through time. Especially with the stories about 11- and 12-year-old girls, Thimmesh offers inspiration for young readers to rock the world with their own creative discoveries. Illustrator Melissa Sweet uses collage and scraps of notebook to great effect, evoking the painstaking long hours behind each breakthrough. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Catherine Thimmesh is the award-winning author of many books for children, including Girls Think of Everything and Team Moon, winner of the Sibert Medal. Her books have received numerous starred reviews, appeared on best books lists, and won many awards, including the IRA Children's Book Award and Minnesota Book Award. She lives in Minnesota with her family. www.catherinethimmesh.com.

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