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The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars

Contributors:

Laura Alary (Author)

Yas Imamura (Illustrator)

Contributors: Laura Alary (Author) ; Yas Imamura (Illustrator)

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BISAC categories: Juvenille Fiction -> General ->

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Product Description

"Thoughtful....skillful."
--Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

An incredible picture book biography about how the trailblazing astronomer found her people--and figured out what stars are made of.

Cecilia Payne loved learning to see nature's wonders, even things other people called impossible. While studying at Cambridge, she dreamed of becoming a great astronomer like the ones she read about in the library. But too many people thought women didn't belong among stars or atoms.

So, Cecilia packed her bags for Harvard, where she could surround herself with women who also loved astronomy and physics. These "Harvard Computers" shared their treasures with her--thousands of photographs of starlight. Cecilia found a way to read the patterns in these photos and started asking big questions. Could these photos show her what stars are made of? What if they showed Cecilia something all the great astronomers called impossible?

With stellar gouache and watercolor art and thrilling scientific details, this biography is a loving tribute to the joy of curiosity, the value of community, and the struggle to find confidence in your own voice. Extensive back matter helps readers learn through an author's note, timelines of Cecilia's life and of discoveries that led to hers, a list of Cecilia's honors and awards, and resources for further reading.

ISBN-10: 0802855156
ISBN-13: 9780802855152
Author: Alary, Laura, Imamura, Yas
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780802855152

ISBN-10: 0802855156

Publish Date: January 27, 2026

On Sale Date: January 1, 0001

Language: English

Pages: 56

Dimensions: 8.66 × 9.37 × 0.4 in

Weight: 0.83 lbs

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