Eurek-Her!

This inspiring book profiles twenty groundbreaking women whose work in STEM had a real impact on our understanding of science. First up is Tapputi Belatekallim, who lived in Mesopotamia in 1200 BCE and was famous amongst her contemporaries as a perfume maker. She is often called the world’s first known chemist because of her use of distillation.  Continuing, chronologically, readers are introduced to more women pioneers in the fields of engineering, biology, geology, seismology, astrology, medicine and more. Some they may already have heard of, Mary Anning, Rosalind Franklin for example, others will probably be new to them, but they’ll all be familiar by the end of the book. Each scientist has a double page spread, with information about the women and their lives as well as panels that explain scientific processes succinctly and clearly. It concludes with Nzambi Matee, the young Kenyan woman whose work on recycling plastic won her a United Nations award. Perhaps most inspiring of all however are the final pages, which provide youngsters with 12 step-by-step science activities to do themselves.  There are lots of good books highlighting the achievements of female scientists, but this is particularly well written, well-presented and laid out, the DIY experiments an excellent addition.