Tu Youyou's Discovery

June 1, 2021
Grades K-3 The She Made History series (6 new titles) celebrates the lives of women around the world and the notable contributions they have made. Tu YouYou's Discovery tells the story of the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize, utilizing a conventional narrative format. Each title is engaging and features appealing illustrations, while providing ample context and additional resources (glossaries, bibliographies, time lines, etc.). Each book takes a positive, upbeat tone and encourages readers to learn more about these people. Furthermore, the publisher has taken care to match the books' racially and ethnically diverse subjects to female authors and illustrators from similar cultures. This attractive series shines spotlights on inspiring, deserving role models.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2021
A picture-book biography about the persistent Chinese researcher whose medical discovery has saved millions of lives. In 1969 Tu Youyou, a researcher at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, was chosen to be a part of a research group to find a cure for chloroquine-resistant malaria. Spread by mosquitoes, this life-threatening disease was making people sick around the world. Using her subject's given name, Daemicke describes how Youyou's dedication to both traditional and modern medicines sprang from a life-changing battle with tuberculosis as a teen. In her search for a malaria cure, her observations and openness to traditional remedies led her to the plant qinghao (sweet wormwood). Many experiments failed, but her 191st experiment was finally successful! Youyou led her team to create the medicine artemisinin, also called qinghaosu in Chinese. Her contribution to the project was obscured for decades, but in 2015 she became the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize. This inspiring picture-book biography provides a much-needed counterpoint to harmful Sinophobic rhetoric around the origins of Covid-19. Brief text focuses completely on the linear story of Youyou's dedicated search for a malaria cure, with a mention that during her research, male researchers weren't happy with her lack of results or her leadership. Round shapes and bright colors create inviting illustrations with cartoonish characters. Nearly all characters are depicted as Chinese. A compelling introduction to a passionate and tenacious Chinese researcher. (bibliography, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2021

Gr 2-5-Scientist and researcher Tu Youyou, the first Chinese woman ever to win a Nobel Prize, is profiled in this fascinating book about the discovery of a traditional Chinese remedy to cure a deadly disease. Youyou's lifelong desire to study science and help people, strengthened by her own long recovery from tuberculosis as a child, led her to study medicine at Peking (now Beijing) University. Later assigned to lead a research team with the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Youyou and her team were tasked with finding a cure for malaria. The scientists are shown experimenting with various plants and failing over and over-190 times in all-until Youyou chanced on the solution after reading about an ancient Chinese remedy. An interesting historical note explains that even though the cure was first discovered in 1971, it was not approved for use for 14 more years. All characters in the charming illustrations (except those at the Nobel Prize ceremony) are depicted as Asian. Back matter includes a time line of Youyou's life, an author's note, and a selected bibliography. Of particular interest is a description of the scientific method and how each of the steps was carried out by Youyou and her team. VERDICT A much-needed biography of a woman scientist and great addition to any library's STEM collection.-Sue Morgan, Hillsborough Cty. Sch. Dist., Hillsborough, CA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2021
When scientist Tu Youyou had tuberculosis as a child, she was given western antibiotics in the hospital and traditional herbs at home. Grounded by that experience, Youyou tapped traditional Chinese medicine when she was called to lead a research group to cure malaria. Her 1971 discovery, a malaria-killing extract of qinghao (sweet wormwood), eventually became the standard treatment worldwide and earned her a Nobel Prize in 2015. The straightforward text is closely focused on Youyou's discovery and celebrates her persistence, problem-solving ability, and teamwork. Gentle cartoon illustrations with rounded figures and stylized faces show the earnest research team in their laboratory. A timeline, bibliography, author's note, and a step-by-step explanation of the scientific method conclude the book.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)