The Brilliant Calculator by Jan Lower and Susan Reagan - ADVISABLE

The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America by Jan Lower, illustrated by Susan Reagan. PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY Calkins Creek (Astra), 2023. $19. 9781662680069 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Born in 1882, Edith Clarke loved math and engineering and wanted to use it to make modern life better. But those paths were closed to women. She persisted in her own way first teaching, and then attending college, even if she was older than the others, and teaching more and heading back to school herself. In 1921 her Clarke Calculator helped electric engineers complete needful calculations faster and landed her a job as America's first female electrical engineer, improving electrical transmission and telephone lines for all. Clarke never stops teaching, never stops inventing, and never stops learning. 

I love a good biography that tells the story of another woman who forged ahead despite the odds - and brought her name out from obscurity. While a longer read for a picture book biography, it is not unwieldy. Lots of information about Edith is easily available on the Internet. Combine with the many female picture book biographies available for a great unit of study. Edith is white. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS.