Rosalind Looked Closer

August 1, 2022

Gr 2-4-Rosalind Franklin was born in the 1920s, a time when women scientists were considered to be an anomaly. Despite the obstacles, she followed her dream and eventually earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from Cambridge. She is remembered for her contributions to the understanding of the polio virus and especially for her groundbreaking work on X-ray photography of DNA molecules. Her work was not recognized by the male scientists who later went on to win a Nobel prize based in part on her work. Biographies of women scientists are sorely needed, and this one appears to be well researched. However, the text is uneven. The scientific information is presented in occasionally difficult vocabulary that is not defined (e.g., "molecule"). Events in world history are downplayed; Franklin was Jewish, but only one page mentions World War II, a time when "many people were hurt and even killed." Considering that several male scientists are named in this book, the fact that Franklin's full name is not mentioned once in either the title or the text seems an omission. Taken together, these make the book an unexceptional treatment of a fascinating person. Includes an author's note, selected bibliography, glossary of terms, and a time line. All subjects are white. VERDICT Though this book falls short in several important respects, libraries with larger collections might consider it.-Sue Morgan

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July 1, 2022
Rosalind Franklin was frequently told that girls could not be scientists. But, as this picture-book biography illustrates, she loved to learn and always knew that science was her calling. At boarding school, where she was the only Jewish child, she studied Hebrew and other languages while the other students attended church. She attended a London school where girls could learn science and math and later studied chemistry at Cambridge University. World War II loomed; on one page, Rosalind expresses relief that she lives in England--here, the book offers a brief, facile description of the Holocaust. Rosalind helped develop a safe gas mask for British soldiers during World War II. But examining and photographing the molecular structure of DNA led to her most important discovery, perfectly capturing the now-famous double helix. James Watson and Francis Crick, the male scientists who discovered DNA, used her remarkable photo to present their findings but never credited her. But she never stopped working and later photographed RNA in polio and other viruses. Though sometimes heavily reliant on difficult scientific vocabulary, Gerin is meticulous and admiring in presenting Rosalind's accomplishments, placing them in the context of world events across several decades and stressing her subject's intensity and patience despite many frustrations. At several stages readers are reminded that Rosalind "always took a closer look." Fedele's mostly earth-toned illustrations are carefully constructed to capture the times and settings and present Rosalind as strong and serious. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A new generation is introduced to a fascinating woman of science whose story deserves to be more widely known. (author's note, glossary, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography/history. 9-14)

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