Greetings readers and writers
I hope you've had a relaxing break and read lots of wonderful books! I did.
Queen of the Cosmos: Beatrice Hill Tinsley, beautifully illustrated by Alistair Hughes, is about one of New Zealand's most famous scientists. You may remember that I published another children's book about one of our other world-famous scientists - Ernest Rutherford - in February last year. Now, you'll be reading about the female equivalent.
Beatrice's story is a sad but empowering story. Born in the UK when London was being pelted with German bombs in World War II, her family moved to Christchurch when she was five years old. Later they moved to New Plymouth where Beatrice and her sisters grew up in the small seaside town. Beatrice was most likely a gifted student but she also worked hard at her studies. She had an aptitude for music and the sciences and those two subjects would be her joy for most of her short life. Beatrice married young and soon found that it would add to her workload and disadvantage her in ways that restricted her career.
The newly married couple moved to America and while her husband's career took off, she found it difficult getting work in astronomy and cosmology - her area of expertise. Find out how she overcame these difficulties to become known as the Queen of the Cosmos.
Queen of the Cosmos is a story about sacrifice to achieve your lifelong dream and to make a difference in the world. In her case - answering the big questions - finding out how far away galaxies were, and whether the universe was expanding or would one day expire. The story is also about the dangers of melanoma, divorce, separation, and not giving up. Heady subjects, but written in a style that doesn't overwhelm young readers. They can find out more about the difficulties Beatrice faced at the back of the book, as well as a timeline, how she was recognised with awards and naming rights, and a glossary.
I can't wait for people to see it as it's an inspiring story that will hopefully encourage more young people to study the sciences and have a curiosity about the world. Readers will love Alistair Hughes gorgeous illustrations. His watercolour pictures really capture the magnificence of the night sky and the universe. He also captures the emotional moments in the story, and has a real talent in drawing people through their years.
Here's a book trailer you can watch:
Here's a teaching resource you can use:
The first review is out - thanks to Bobs Books Blog. He says:
Simply told by Maria Gill who always gets it right and expertly illustrated by Alister Hughes whose expansive illustrations reflect the massiveness of the cosmology world that Beatrice was working in. A classy piece of work for juniors through to high school students. A life worth knowing about. certainly the Queen of the Cosmos. Read more here.
Thanks also to Adele Broadbent for her review on What Book Next:
This talented team has done it again – bringing an exceptional New Zealander to the fore and sharing their life with young kiwis. This time is it a gifted woman scientist whose work and research on the cosmos has been heralded around the world. It wasn’t an easy road for Beatrice by any means, but Maria Gill & Alistair Hughes have portrayed Hill Tinsley’s short but extraordinary life beautifully in another narrative non-fiction picture book.
Buy from Upstart or BookHub or your local bookstore or a signed copy from me.
Thanks to Beatrice Tinsley's family and her partner/colleague Dr Richard Larson for fact-checking the story. Also thanks to Alistair for his incredible artwork and Upstart for publishing this beautiful book.
ISBN: 978-1-77694-005-9
RRP $25.00 (paperback, 32 pages)
