What’s Inside a Flower?, Women in Science, and Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky: Review & Giveaway

Today I’m featuring WHAT’S INSIDE A FLOWER?, WOMEN IN SCIENCE, and WOMEN IN SPORTS, all by Rachel Ignotofsky for a blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my review of What’s Inside a Flower and excerpts of the other two books (since my copies haven’t arrived quite yet—I’ll show them off when I get them!). And make sure to scroll down to enter the giveaway.

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What's Inside a Flower? And Other Questions about Science & Nature by Rachel Ignotofsky
Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on February 2, 2021
Genres: Non-Fiction
Pages: 48

From the creator of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science, comes a new nonfiction picture book series ready to grow young scientists by nurturing their curiosity about the natural world--starting with what's inside a flower.

Budding backyard scientists can start exploring their world with this stunning introduction to these flowery show-stoppers--from seeds to roots to blooms. Learning how flowers grow gives kids beautiful building blocks of science and inquiry.

In the launch of a new nonfiction picture book series, Rachel Ignotofsky's distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about flowers.

Or find it at:  Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

This book is utterly gorgeous and also informative! Every page is fully illustrated from edge to edge, creating stunning panoramic backdrops for the educational text. Not only is the overall effect wonderful, but I loved the little details, like the subtle labeling of flowers on many of the pages (my daughter loved her botany class where she had to identify wildflowers, and she would have loved seeing them all labeled here.) The main focus of the book is the illustrations—kids are going to learn about plants from this, but it’s meant to be more of an introduction to plants than a full educational text. I think it does what it aims to do perfectly, though. Any kid could pick this book up and be instantly engaged, and the non-fiction text doesn’t seem overwhelming, so they’ll learn things without really even trying. It will also inspire kids to want to learn even more, which is always a good thing! This book would be a perfect addition to any classroom to pique students’ interest in plants, and I would also have loved owning it at home when my kids were young.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Reviews:

“The lush, geometric illustrations are the superstars of this adventure, drawing in readers from the front endpapers to the rear . . . A beautiful bloom for the nature shelf.” – Kirkus Reviews

“There’s an abundance of detail in this attractive first work in the ‘What’s Inside’ series, but it’s never overwhelming . . . The
pages overflow with life.” – Booklist

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Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky
Published by Ten Speed Press on July 26, 2016
Genres: Non-Fiction
Pages: 128
Source: Blog Tour

Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. The women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Or find it at: Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N Exclusive Edition, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

My review copies of the two “Women In…” books didn’t get here in time for me to do a full review, but I took the opportunity to check out the sample pages on Rachel Ignotofsky’s website, and I’m already convinced I’ll love them. The illustrations are whimsical and the text is engaging and gives the reader a nice introduction to each of the amazing featured women. I can’t wait to read more!

Reviews:

“With the help of eye-catching artwork, Ignotofsky celebrates not just astronauts, but also the engineers, biologists, mathematicians, and physicists who’ve blazed a trail for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields from the ancient to
modern world. The book elevates this information with beautiful and instructive infographics that delve into topics like the number of women currently working in STEM fields.”– Entertainment Weekly (online)

“With short, inspiring stories and the accessibility of a graphic novel. . . the perfect book to share with the science- and tech-minded people (male and female, young and old) in your life. . . .The must-read, girl-power STEM book.”– InStyle.com

“This book of illustrated biographies of scientific pioneers is hands-down gorgeous. . . .Kids will love paging through this, looking at all the detailed drawings, but they’ll likely have to rip it out of the hands of the adults who are marveling at each new page of factoids.”– Sarah Mirk, Bitch Media

“The book is a beautifully curated collection of personal narratives from female scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines, with a dash of whimsy thrown in.” – Upworthy

“I applaud Ignotofsky and her publisher for telling these important stories about women through such a rich, visual medium. The world needs more books like this.”– ScientificAmerican.com’s Symbiartic

“. . .an illustrated homage to some of the most influential and inspiring women in STEM. . . .Ignotofsky captures the heartbreaking
inequalities that only amplify the impressiveness of these women’s feats.”– Maria Popova, BrainPickings.org

“. . .a clever introduction to women scientists through history.”– Science Friday

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Women In Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky
Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky
Published by Ten Speed Press on July 18, 2017
Genres: Non-Fiction
Pages: 128
Source: Blog Tour

Women in Sports highlights notable women's contributions to competitive athletics to inspire readers young and old. Keeping girls interested in sports has never been more important: research suggests that girls who play sports get better grades and have higher self-esteem--but girls are six times more likely to quit playing sports than boys and are unlikely to see female athlete role models in the media. A fascinating collection full of striking, singular art, Women in Sports features 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women athletes from the 1800s to today including trailblazers, Olympians, and record-breakers in more than 40 different sports. The book also contains infographics about relevant topics such as muscle anatomy, a timeline of women's participation in sports, statistics about women in athletics, and influential female teams.

Or find it:  Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

I already commented on both of the “Women In…” books above, but here I’ll just add that I love the cool “Muscle Anatomy” spread that’s added in addition to the features of the women athletes!

Reviews:

“Exhaustive and enlightening—don’t miss it.”– Kirkus Reviews

“This is one of the books we’ve been waiting for—a compendium of great women athletes and the struggles they faced. As Billie Jean King taught us, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’”– Lesley Visser, Hall of Fame sportscaster

“This luminescent book tells the stories of women and girls who have not only excelled in athletics, but also often changed the world by doing so. I was agog at these lively biographies, and dazzled by the accompanying illustrations that seem to cartwheel, swim, pole vault, and double flip off the page. This is a book for girls who want inspiration on the field, in the pool, or down the track. It’s also for girls who aren’t sporty at all, but love stories of courage, perseverance, sass, doggedness, and fun. And don’t forget the boys, who will be riveted by these rollicking tales and who need to see that girl power has been alive and well for many years, and is alive and well today.”– Caroline
Paul, author of The Gutsy Girl

“Rachel Ignotofsky’s delightful book renders the healthy pleasure of sports for girls and women in buoyant color and form—from Bloomer Girls to Skate Bettys, in calf length skirts or disguised as men—reminding us that no matter if you are nine or ninety-eight, the question to ask is, ‘What is my next victory?’”– Mina Samuels, author of Run Like a Girl

“What an inspiring book! These beautifully drawn portraits cover the triumphs and troubles of fifty athletes—some you’ve heard of and many you haven’t. There’s a familiar pattern to these stories: A woman sets her mind on something, someone tells her it can’t be
done, and she goes ahead and does it anyway, setting records along the way. You’ll cheer for these ladies, and for author Rachel Ignotofsky.”– Lisa Taggart, author of Women Who Win

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About Rachel Ignotofsky:

Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times Best Selling author and illustrator, based in beautiful Santa Barbara. She grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of cartoons and pudding and graduated from Tyler School of Art in 2011. Now Rachel works for herself and spends all day and night drawing, writing and learning as much as she can. Rachel is a published author with 10 Speed Press and Random House Kids. She is always thinking up new ideas.

Check out her books:

What’s Inside A Flower?
The Wondrous
Workings of Planet Earth
Women In
Science
Women in Art
Women In
Sports

Her work is inspired by history and science. She believes that illustration is a powerful tool that can make learning exciting.  She has a passion for taking dense information and making it fun and accessible. Rachel hopes to use her work to spread her message about scientific literacy and feminism.

If you like what you see and would like to have it for yourself, please visit her shop.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon

 

3 winners will win a finished copy of WHAT’S INSIDE A FLOWER?, and the board book versions of WOMEN IN SCIENCE, and WOMEN IN SPORTS, US Only.

 

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