Charles Darwin

Foote Was First!: How One Curious Woman Connected Carbon Dioxide and Climate Change by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Amy June Bates

Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780062957061

Though an Englishman is credited with discovering that carbon dioxide traps heat, it was actually an American woman, Eunice Newton Foote, who did it first in 1856. Eunice grew up on her family farm and asked lots of questions. At age 17, she was sent to a girls school where she was taught science and able to use a laboratory. She grew up, married and had children and stayed curious. Never a professional scientist, she did science at home, learning about various gasses and their capabilities. When she wasn’t allowed to present her findings since she was a woman, a friend presented them on her behalf. She was the first to tie carbon dioxide to global warming, a foundational learning for our times.

Offering just the right amount of information for young readers, this nonfiction picture book focuses on Foote’s curious mind and scientific studies. The illustrations are particularly striking with Foote in her wide hoopskirts engaged in long walks, scientific experiments and discoveries. They demonstrate how rarely we see women of this period engaged in scientific work.

Inspiring and engaging. Appropriate for ages 7-10.

How to Have a Thought: A Walk with Charles Darwin by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9780823458509

Take a walk like Charles Darwin in this nonfiction picture book that reveals both Darwin’s thinking process and also his scientific discoveries. First find a rock or two, then a walking stick and then find a loop to walk. It could be a loop around the block or a loop around the world, like the one Darwin made on his ship. That’s when he discovered the fossil of a giant sloth, the variety of beaks on finches that lived on the Galapagos Islands, and the bones and skin of a rhea, a bird he’s been seeking but had been served for a meal. Then came the thinking. The why of it all. The walking in loops. The stacking of rocks to count the loops. What will you think of when you take your own walk?

The combination of encouragement to get outside, walk and think with the historical and biographical information on Charles Darwin creates an unexpected treat of a book. The book ends with the author explaining that walks that are celebrated tend to be extraordinary, full of vistas and beauty. That is not the sort of walk we are talking about. These are thinking walks, going the same way every time. And just look at the result. The illustrations play with the dichotomy of the book, sharing historical elements with paintings and offering a light-hearted feel.

A real thinker of a book. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

The Humblebee Hunter: Inspired by the Life and Experiments of Charles Darwin and His Children by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Jen Corace

Told from the perspective of Etty, one of Charles Darwin’s daughters, this book is an invitation into the lives of the Darwin family. Etty does not want to stuck inside with her mother and Cook learning to make honey cake. She would much rather be outside with her father helping with his scientific observations. The children grew up asking questions just like their father. They measured worm holes, experimented with seeds and salt water, counted snakes, and captured moths. So when her father appeared at the door and asked her to bring out the flour shaker, Etty happily did so. The question was how many flowers a humblebee would visit in a minute. The flour would make the bees the children would be observing more easily seen. And what is the answer to the question? You will just have to read the book to find out or dust your own humblebee with flour!

I was immediately charmed by the illustrations of this book. They have an old-fashioned feel merged with a modern edge. The colors used are vintage and immediately place the story in the correct era, but the illustrations themselves are crisp and add interest. Hopkinson’s text is equally successful. The pacing is varied which makes for an interesting read. From the slow pace when Etty is inside baking and remembering her father’s stories to the brisk pace and excitement of following a bee from flower to flower.

This book will make every child want to have dust a bee with flour and observe them. It is a book that has you itching to head outdoors and measure your own worm holes or capture moths. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Charlotte’s Library.