Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson

by Sandra Nickel (Author) Helena Perez Garcia (Illustrator)

Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

An inspiring picture book about the meteorologist whose discoveries helped us understand how weather works

When Joanne Simpson (1923-2010) was a girl, she sailed her boat beneath the puffy white clouds of Cape Cod. As a pilot, she flew her plane so high, its wings almost touched them. And when World War II began and Joanne moved to the University of Chicago, a professor asked her to teach Air Force officers about those very clouds and the weather-changing winds. As soon as the war ended, Joanne decided to seriously study the clouds she had grown to love so much. Her professors laughed. They told her to go home. They told her she was no longer needed. They told her, "No woman ever got a doctorate in meteorology. And no woman ever will."

But Joanne was stubborn. She sold her boat. She flew her last flight. She saved her money so that she could study clouds. She worked so hard and discovered so much that--despite what the professors said--she received a doctorate in meteorology. She was the first woman in the world to do so.

Breaking Through the Clouds tells the story of a trailblazing scientist whose discoveries about clouds and how they work changed everything we know about weather today.

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Hardcover
$19.99

Publishers Weekly

Joanne Simpson (1923-2010), the first woman to receive a doctorate in meteorology, is the subject of this profile. Enlivening simply relayed cloud facts ("Just like people, cumulus clouds are born, grow, and die. But unlike people, they exist for no longer than two hours"), Nickel threads the well-paced tale with myriad weather-related metaphors, as Simpson faces first her mother's neglect and abuse, and later derision from men in academia. Perez Garcia's bold strokes of vibrant gouache create dimensional compositions and occasional surreal evocations of Simpson's life: when "the men at the university" laugh at her plans, white clouds swath Simpson's face, as her sanguine dress pops, aptly representing her resolve. An energetic, compassionate examination of a determined researcher who left her mark on the field of atmospheric sciences. Back matter includes an author's note, b&w photographs, and a timeline of Simpson's life. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"An energetic, compassionate examination of a determined researcher who left her mark on the field of atmospheric sciences." —Publishers Weekly
Sandra Nickel
Sandra Nickel is a former New York City lawyer who now lives with her family in Switzerland. She is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts with a master of fine arts in writing for children and young adults. Her books include The Stuff Between the Stars and Big Bear and Little Fish. Helena Perez Garcia is a Spanish illustrator whose work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and books around the world. Her clients include Penguin Random House, the Body Shop, Tate Publishing, and Reader's Digest, among many others. She currently lives and works in Madrid.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781419749568
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date
March 20, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF037080 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Earth Sciences - Weather
Library of Congress categories
Clouds
United States
Meteorologists
Women scientists
Thermodynamics
Simpson, Joanne

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