Remarkable Women: Fascinating Facts You Never Knew About Amazing Women!

‘Remarkable Women: Fascinating Facts You Never Knew About Amazing Women!’ is a very engaging read which challenges readers to question things they thought they knew about women in history. After all, everyone knows that women in history stayed home and avoided adventure and that men pioneered all the scientific breakthroughs, but as this fascinating book shows- oh, no they didn’t!

Starting with ‘Legends’, the book looks at the misconceptions around the role of women in different areas including creatives, superstars and trailblazers. By presenting information in an engaging, chatty, light-hearted style, the serious message the book carries is very successfully conveyed. The ‘did you know…’ sections are sure to be quoted by children seeking to challenge the adults around them and share what they have discovered.

The book is a real gift to teachers who could chose to use sections as the basis for an assembly, discussion time or to challenge something in connection with a particular area of the curriculum and the concise sections also lend themselves to guided reading sessions. A useful world map at the end of the book shows where the women highlighted in the book were born whilst a timeline places them chronologically in history by their date of birth (where this is known).

Nature: Fascinating Facts You Never Knew About the Natural World! is also available in this series.

Oh No They Didn’t Remarkable Women:

Fascinating Facts You Never Knew About Amazing Women!

Eric Huang, illustrated by Sam Caldwell

Quarto ISBN; 978-0711292888

Gold Rush

In this extraordinary book, author/ illustrator, Flora Delargy, explores the stories of not only Shaaw Tlaa, the woman who discovered gold in Yukon Territory, but of other brave ladies who ignored the declaration that the gold fields were ‘no place for women’, seeking riches and adventure.

A fascinating introduction to the area and the First Nations people who lived there sets the scene for the events which followed the discovery of gold in the region. This information is presented with great respect for these people and their way of life, clearly showing the negative ways in which colonisation affected them. The reader is then introduced to Shaaw Tlaa, who either adopted or was given the name Kate and who is thought to be the first person to discover gold. However, due to being a woman and of First Nations origin, it was her husband, George’s name in which this was registered, not hers.

Exploring the fascination of gold through history, the book then offers some background as to why the lure of gold prospecting was so great for so many people. The following three sections are then devoted to the experiences of three other women: Martha Black, Belinda Mulrooney and Nellie Cashman. Their stories are sensitively explored, reflecting the hardships, prejudices and limitations they faced as they fought to find their place in what was undeniably a man’s world. The book also reflects on how these women gave back to the community after the devastating consequences of the gold rush- and its sudden ending. Finally, the book returns to pick up the story of Shaaw Tlaa or Kate Carmack, explaining how she was cruelly rejected by her husband and lost custody of her daughter before returning home to discover that her village has been displaced.

The book is both fascinating and inspirational. Always mindful of the need to enrich the curriculum and broaden understanding, ‘Gold Rush’ would make an excellent guided reading text to share with children, to use when considering explorers or as inspiration for an assembly about courage and perseverance. Beautifully illustrated, there is much to notice and enjoy on each page. Not only is there a glossary, but also a list of the sources used, helping children to understand how authors research their subject and possibly generate questions about the need to check the credibility of these.

Gold Rush: The untold story of the First Nations woman who started the Klondike Gold Rush

Flora Delargy

Wide Eyed ISBN: 978-0711263871

Eurek-her! Stories of Inspirational Women in STEM

‘Eurek-her!’ is a truly inspiring book. Featuring the stories and achievements of twenty amazing women, it is an engrossing read which also offers some hands-on experiments to further engage and inspire readers.

The contents page also acts as a time line, setting these women into chronological order. Their country of origin and life dates are also given along with a small drawing of each. At the end of the book, a comprehensive glossary supports understanding of terms used throughout the text and the final page gives a list of periodic elements.

The book contains a fascinating and varied range of women whose achievements, discoveries and inventions are still valued today. For example, Tapputi Belatekallim is often called the ‘world’s first chemist’ as she used distillation to create her perfumes whilst Omowunmi Sadik invented biosensors to help with a variety of issues. A great deal of information is presented in manageable chunks, attractively displayed and supported by illustrations and diagrams.

The final section of the book contains twelve activities, each related to one of the stories in the book, and designed to encourage readers to understand, investigate and experiment for themselves. From designing and making a perfume to building a recycled toy house, there is something to inspire everyone. This is very much a book to be enjoyed by everyone and will make an excellent addition to bookshelves and libraries everywhere!

Eurek-her! Stories of Inspirational Women in STEM

Frances Durkin, illustrated by Nur Ventura

bsmall ISBN: 978-1913918941

Publishing 2nd September 2024