Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-teh Invented the Mask that Ended an Epidemic by Dr. Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gormley

Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-teh invented the Mask That Ended an Epidemic

Dr. Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gromley; Illustrated by Lisa Wee

MIT Kids Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press. 2023

This informational picture book biography takes place more than a hundred years before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the story of Dr. Wu Lien-teh who is known for his expertise in germs and promoting masks to prevent the spread of diseases. 

Born March 10, 1879, in Penang, Malaya, Lien-teh wanted to grow up and become a doctor. At age seventeen, in 1896, he wins a scholarship that allows him to study at Cambridge University in England. After graduating in 1903, Lien-teh returned to his hometown of Penang, Malaya. Hoping to secure a job, he was met with discrimmination. “When he applied for a job, the authorities turned him away, saying it was open only to British citizens of European descent.” Still, that didn’t stop him. Lien-teh continued to study and later, moved to China to help lead a new medical college. 

In 1910, when a terrible disease swept into the Northeast area of China, the Chinese authorities requested Dr Lien-teh traveled to the city of Harbin to help. When Dr. Lien-teh discovered the disease was spread by bacterial germs when people coughed, “he had to think of a way to stop these germs — and fast.”

Using layers of gauze and cotton, Dr. Lien-teh created a thick mask that covered the entire face. Yes. There were those who refused to wear the mask, but those who did not, even doctors, became sick. With the support of the community, wearing a mask proved successful. As was the quarantining the city. No traveling in or out. Deaths dwindled and soon, by March of 1911, the plague was over. Dr. Lien-teh’s mask had stopped the disease from spreading in fewer than four months.

Because of his work in establishing hospitals and colleges throughout China that embraced medical advances, “…Lien-teh would be nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1935, the first person of Chinese descent to earn that honor.” 

Wee’s digitally created illustrations are colorful and complement the text.

An uplifting story that, hopefully, will spread the word that the decision to wear a mask is a positive decision, one that shows ones support for your community. 

The book is written by Wu Lien-teh’s great-granddaughter, Dr. Shan Woo Liu, and her daughter, Kaili Liu Gormley. 

Included is a timeline, a note from Dr. Shan Woo Liu, and a selected bibliography. 

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir by Lynn Curlee

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir

Lynn Curlee

Charlesbridge Teen. An Imprint of Charlesbridge Publishing. 2023

Award-winning author and illustrator, Lynn Curlee, (2002 Robert. F. Sibert Honor Book for Brooklyn Bridge), steps away from his usual topics that center on great historic structures and architectural icons to pen a very personal memoir reflecting on his experience of being a gay man during the AIDS epidemic. 

To place the memoir in some context that young people will understand, The Other Pandemic draws some comparisons to COVID-19 - how vast numbers of people were infected from a virus that spread like wildfire. Unlike COVID-19, people lived in "sheer terror" of contracted AIDS. Until after 1995, "a diagnosis of AIDS was an automatic death sentence." 

"Imagine that it is 1960, and you are twelve years old. Imagine life with social media. There is no Instagram or TikTok. Imagine life without smartphones or texting. Imagine what it's like growing up with one phone for you entire family, and it sits on a side table in your living room, with no privacy for personal calls. How about no computers at all? There is no gaming or any other fun or useful things you can do on a laptop or tablet. Televison has only three channels, most people still have black and white TV sets, and there are no remotes. You can listen to recorded music only on tinny-sounding radios or by playing vinyl discs on a turntable. There is no "online." If you want to find information about something, you consult an encyclopedia or go to the library. 

Woven into the text is how Curlee's life was shaped by the AIDS epidemic amist the rise of the LGBTQ+ movement. He also shares how he came to work as an artist, author, and illustrator of books for young people. 

Back matter starts with a moving tribute consisting of brief bio's of friends, and Lyn's partner, John Martin, who all died of AIDS (John Martin died at age 46).  Also included is an epilogue, a brief explanation on the origins of AIDS, an author's note, references of music mentioned in the text, source notes, a selected bibliography, and index. 

A powerful, moving, important book.

Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines. Debbie Dadey; Illustrated by Julianna Oakley

Never Give Up: Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race for the Future of Vaccines.

Debbie Dadey; Illustrated by Julianna Oakley

Millbrook Press. An Imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 2023

Debbie Dadey, well-known for her series, The Bailey School Kids, hits the mark in her first picture book biography. An engaging and exciting read, readers will learn about Dr. Kati Karikó, whose research into using mRNAs for a vaccine, led her to create the vaccine that saved millions of lives from COVID-19.

Born in Hungary in 1955, Katie was a curious student who was never daunted by what she did not know. Learning inspired her and science was her passion. After earning her PhD, kathie became curious about mRNA, or messenger ribonucleric acid. “mRNA provides the instructions to make proteins - such as germ attacking antibodies - to keep us healthy.” 

Not supported by her peers, Kati still persists until 2005, along with Dr. Drew Weissman, the two publish a study that opened the door for mRNA to be used in vaccines. When COVID-19 started spreading all over the world in 2020, it was her and Weissman’s work with mRNA that got the job of making the vaccine quicker. 

Oakley’s illustrations, created with pencil, Procreate, and Photoshop, lend themselves to the picture book biography format. Colorful, the pictures reflect what is being discussed in the text. Quotes from Dr. Karikó and her colleagues are placed in a darker font throughout the book.

Includes a timeline, a short description on steps to making a vaccine, a helpful explanation of stages all vaccines in the United States must go through before they are given to the public, an author’s note, glossary, source notes and titles for further studying.

A nice addition to the growing picture biographies of a determined woman who persists despite the lack of support from peers.

How To Be A Difficult Bitch by Halley Bondy and more

How To Be A Difficult Bitch: Claim Your Power, Ditch the Haters, and Feel Good Doing It.                                              

by Halley Bondy. Mary C. Fernandez. Sharon Lynn Pruitt-Young. Zara Hanawalt; Illustrated by T. L. Luke.                                                                                                                                                  Zest Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 2022

When I first saw the cover of this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, after reading it, I sure wish I had this book when I was in school or even once I became an adult. It is a self-help book about empowerment. The word ‘Bitch’ can have a negative connotation, but in this book, it is all about figuring out “who you are and be that person unapologetically.” 

Think Greta Thunberg, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Oprah, Jessica U. Meir, Taylor Swift, Amanda Gorman, Julie Rikelman, Alicia Garza, and many others. 

The book encourages readers to speak their mind with respect to others. Speaking your mind and asking for what you need can be done without being rude or disrespectful to others. 

How To Be A Difficult Bitch is divided into ten chapters that shares wisdom on different topics.

Each topic includes a hypothetical scenario that explores the complexity of each situation. From internet safety, body image to choosing extracurricular passions, the author’s encourage ‘Empowerment: “The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights. There is nothing more fundamental to being a Difficult Bitch than this”.

The Difficult Bitch Commandments include, “Stand Up for Yourselves,” “Embrace Diversity,” “Be Imperfect,” “Break Boundaries for a Better World,” “Stand Up for Others,” “Learn from Mistakes,” and “Own Up.” 

Engaging text and thoughtful advice makes this book a must have for all teen collections. 

It includes an introduction, brief interviews with the authors, further reading, and index.

Click here to find more information about this book. 

Call Me Miss Hamilton by Carole Boston Weatherford

Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case of Equality and Respect
by Carole Weatherford Boston; Illustrations by Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Millbrook Press, an imprint of Lerner Group, Inc. 2022.

In her latest picture book biography, award-winning author, Carole Boston Weatherford writes of Miss Mary Hamilton, a civil rights activist during the 1960’s. Her sparse text is compelling and together, with Jeffery Boston Weatherford’s scratchboard illustrations, makes this a powerful book.

Everyone deserves respect. To be addressed as Miss, Mrs, or Mr. 

Mary Hamilton was taught respect by her parents, by the nuns in her catholic school, and college. Yet, even in states that outlawed segregation, where African Americans were barred from many places, whites addressed African Americans “out of their names.” Grown men were called “boy;” grown women called “girl” or “auntie.” 

Mary believed that by addressing someone by proper titles showed courtesy and respect.  

In 1960’s Mary joined the Freedom Riders. She was jailed many times. In Alabama, she was held in contempt of court for five days for refusing to answer when a white prosecutor called her Mary instead of Miss Hamilton. In 1964, Mary took her case to the United States Supreme Court and won. “The highest court in the land ruled in Mary’s favor, deciding everyone in court deserved respect.”

Call Me Miss Hamilton includes an author’s note, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.

Click here to read an interview with Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford. 

A must have for all libraries, school and public. 

Another contender for ALSC/ALA awards. 

Itch!: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About What Makes You Scratch

Itch!: Everything You Didn't Want to Know About What Makes You Scratch 
by Anita Sanchez
illustrated by Gilbert Ford
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018
Grades 3-6

Anita Sanchez explores the question: Why do people itch? in her latest nonfiction picture book. The idea for the book came to Sanchez while she was reading her grandfather's journal. He was a soldier in World War I, and surprisingly he wrote about being itchy and dealing with lice.

Itch! is organized into nine chapters and explores topic such as fleas, plants, mosquitos and bedbugs. Each chapter begins with a narrative related to the topic before switching to an expository style. Sanchez devotes the first chapter to describing the layers of the skin, the purpose of skin and how nerves function before shifting the focus of the book to the organisms (plants, insects, arachnids) that make our skin itch.

Sidebars are creatively displayed on bits of notebook paper tacked onto corkboard. Ford's cartoon-style illustrations add a comic element to topics that might make some readers cringe. A lengthy bibliography, list of websites, glossary, and author's note are included in the back matter. Itch! is a fact-filled, high-interest, nonfiction book that creatively blends history and science to teach readers about a sometimes irritating topic.

Plant, Cook, Eat! by Joe Archer and Caroline Craig

Plant, Cook, Eat! : A Children’s Cookbook

By Joe Archer and Caroline Craig

Charlesbridge. 2018

ISBN: 9781580898171

All ages

To write this review, I borrowed this book from my local public library.

Growing your own food can be a rewarding family experience. Children love to watch the magic as the little seeds sprout and grow into a tasty tomato, spinach, or peas. The authors of Plant, Cook, Eat! have put together a very inspiring book about the joys of growing and cooking vegetables. The book is illustrated with color photos that offer inspiration and a visual of what is being explained in the text.

The first part gives double-page tips on all things you need to know to get started. From what plants need to grow, getting tools and equipment, making compost, to deciding whether to have a garden plot or pots on the porch. Part two offers more specific information on each vegetable covered in the book - kale, carrots, peas, onions, lettuce, pole beans, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, peppers, swiss chard, and zucchini, followed by a yummy recipe. 

Grow peas? Make pea gnocchi. Potatoes? How about potato pancakes? The cooking directions are clear and easy to follow.  Photos show the finished dish. 

Back matter includes further information on vegetable varieties, glossary, and index.

A visual treat, this is a great book to add to your collections, and share with students or families these last few weeks of winter.

About the authors: Joe Archer is the horticulturalist at Kew Gardens in the UK and Caroline Craig is cook and food writer at The Guardian.

Louise 

FROM THE BACKLIST: BREAKTHROUGH! BY Jim Murphy

Breakthrough!: How Three People Saved “Blue Babies” and Changed Medicine Forever

by Jim Murphy

Clarion Books. 2015

ISBN: 9780547821832

Grades 8-12

I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher.

On a cold day in November 1944, eighteen-month-old Eileen Saxon was brought into an operating room at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She could barely breathe, and her lips and fingertips had turned a dusky blue, the result of a heart condition known as blue baby syndrome. An unlikely trio prepared to operate. Chief Surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock. Dr. Helen Taussig, a world famous pediatric physican and standing on a stool was Vivien Thomas, Dr. Blalock’s research assistant. Thomas was the only person who had ever carried out the procedure successfully, on a research animal, yet most people at the hospital thought he was a janitor.

So why wasn’t he the one doing the operation? 

Born in 1910, Vivien Thomas dreamed of becoming a doctor. At age sixteen, he went to work and saved his money with the intent of attending college and go on to medical school. But before he could set foot inside a classroom, the stock market collapsed and sent the United States into the Great Depression. Thomas watched helplessly as the bank that held his tuition money closed its doors for good and his savings disappeared — along with his hopes of going to college.

Needing work, Thomas became Dr. Alfred Blalock’s research assistant, a job he would hold for over thirty years. It would be Thomas, whose perseverance had him working long hours in the lab to find the solution to many important medical conditions under Blalock’s supervision. Yet, even though he was an equal creator of the blue baby operation, Vivien Thomas was not mentioned in any lectures or articles written by Blalock or Taussig. Was he upset about that? Murphy offers some suggestions as to why Thomas was overlooked (Was it because he was African American?), but in the end this book is mostly about a remarkable, humble man who believed the work he did was what was most important.

Jim Murphy, a master at crafting compelling narrative nonfiction gives readers a peek into factors that prevented Thomas from receiving the recognition he deserved for his role in this medical breakthrough that would pave the way for heart surgery for years to come. 

He incorporates quotes from primary sources, and peppers well-captioned black & white photos that enhance the text throughout. Back matter includes source notes, bibliography, and index.

Breakthrough! is an important addition to library collections. An absorbing read.  

Reproductive Rights: Who Decides? Blog Tour

Reproductive Rights: Who Decides?

by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein

Twenty-First Century Books, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4677-4187-3

Grades 9-12

In 2013 Louise reviewed For the Good of Mankind by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein. Today I am pleased to review Vicki's latest nonfiction book for teens, Reproductive Rights: Who Decides? 

If you have viewed any of the recent Republican or Democratic debates, you have seen the topic of reproductive rights passionately discussed by candidates. However, many teens (and adults) may not be aware of the long and controversial history of reproductive rights in our country and around the world. Vicki Oransky Wittenstein sheds light on this important topic as she weaves together a history of religious views, social opinions, medical advances, courts cases and government laws related to reproductive rights.

The book is organized chronologically beginning with the use of contraceptives in Ancient Egypt and Persia. Following chapters describe how religious beliefs (Roman Catholic and Puritan) and societal views of women influenced women's health and reproduction. Women in the U.S. in the 1800s didn't have the right to vote, and they also were limited in their choices when it came to reproduction.  Women who wished to use birth control for family planning were limited due to the lack of information on the topic, resistance from doctors, and restrictions placed on birth control by churches. Anti-obsentity laws were passed in the late 1800s making literature published about birth control practices illegal and punishable by jail. One chapter of the book describes the work of activist Margaret Sanger at the turn of the century and is followed by a chapter on how the birth control pill changed women's lives once it was approved by the FDA in 1957.

It is evident that Wittenstein spend a great deal of time researching the history of birth control and reproductive issues. The information is presented in a clear and concise manner without the author inserting her personal opinion. The book effectively explores several societal and medical issues such as wealthy vs. poor women and their access to birth control and healthcare. Black and white photographs and sidebars help readers comprehend the complex topic. A lengthy bibliography, source notes, a timeline and lists of print and digital resources are located in the back of the book.

Reproductive Rights: Who Decides? is highly recommended for high school libraries and for teen collections in public libraries. The book will be an informative read for teens interested in women's health, individual rights, medical history and laws, and it could be studied in history or health classes or used by students when writing argumentative essays or debating the topic of reproductive rights and the rights of individuals.

The reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher.

Before becoming an author, VICKI ORANKSY WITTENSTEIN prosecuted criminal cases as an assistant district attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney's office. She earned an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Vicki has written a number of science articles and books for the juvenile market, including Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths, which won the 2011 Science Communication Award from the American Institute of Physics. Her book For the Good of Mankind? The Shameful History of Human Medical Experimentation was a Junior Literary Guild selection. Vicki and her husband live in Brooklyn, New York. Visit her website at vickiwittenstein.com.

Be sure to visit the other blogs on the blog tour.

Mon, Feb 15	Proseandkahn	http://proseandkahn.blogspot.com/
Tues, Feb 16	The Book Monsters	http://thebookmonsters.com/
Wed, Feb 17	Library Fanatic	http://www.thelibraryfanatic.com/
Thurs, Feb 18	Kid Lit Frenzy	http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Fri, Feb 19	The Nonfiction Detectives	http://www.nonfictiondetectives.com/
Sat, Feb 20	Ms. Yingling Reads	http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Mon, Feb 22	The Launch Pad	http://info.vcfa.edu/vcfa-launch-pad
Tues, Feb 23	Through the Tollbooth	http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/
Wed, Feb 24	Unleashing Readers	http://www.unleashingreaders.com/
Thurs, Feb 25	The Pirate Tree	http://www.thepiratetree.com/
Fri, Feb 26	Teach Mentor Texts	http://www.teachmentortexts.com/#axzz3yHmVeUfE