Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Historical Heroines Coloring Book: Pioneering Women in Science from the 18th
Illustrator: Kendra Shedenhelm
Coloring Book
For ages 8 to 12
White Wave Press, 2017 ISBN: 978-0997909876
In this day and age girls and women in many countries are given all kinds of opportunities to explore the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Alas, in other countries this is not the case. In some places girls and women have a hard time getting any kind of education, let alone learning about subjects that are often considered the domain of men. It is hard for us to understand how such a situation could exist, but it was not that long ago that women in the west were denied the opportunity to go to college. Often they were told that they were not intelligent enough to study certain subjects.
The thing that we need to keep in mind is that in the 18th and 19th centuries, when opportunities for women were very limited, there were some women who refused to accept the ‘rules’ that society tried to impose on them. Caroline Herschel was just such a person. Though her father wanted to educate all his children, including the girls, Caroline’s mother thought that Caroline should be content with doing housework. Thankfully Caroline had a more enlightened brother, who took her in and taught her music and mathematics. He also shared his love of astronomy with his sister, and Caroline became so knowledgeable about the heavens that she discovered three nebulae and eight comets.
Mary Somerville’s father was willing to let her get an education, of sorts. However, he did not think that mathematics was a suitable subject for her to explore; and so she taught herself. Luckily for Mary, her second husband was supportive of her efforts to explore science, and she became a well-known and highly respected science writer. A few years after her death she was honored when a women’s college at the University of Oxford was named after her.
In this wonderful coloring book young people will meet thirty-one remarkable women who refused to be denied the opportunity to study and to create. Each coloring page is accompanied by a carefully researched biography, which will enlighten and empower readers.
