(2) K-3 Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. Like many astronomers (think Edwin Hubble, for example), Vera Rubin (1928–2016) showed a youthful passion for this branch of science. But, unlike them, she had a huge barrier that stalled her professional advancement, that of gender bias. Nickel makes Rubin's situation clear through telling episodes (there was no restroom for women at Palomar Observatory, for example) and multiple astronomical similes (Rubin "felt like a faraway star on the edge of their universe"). Despite the many barriers, Rubin persevered and became the astronomer responsible for documenting dark matter--a mass invisible without a spectrometer and only discernible by studying its effect on stars within galaxies. Nickel's descriptions of dark matter--which accounts for about eighty percent, and therefore most, of the universe--and Rubin's process of calculating it are quite straightforward and accessible. Whether representing Rubin's thoughts or a winter snowstorm, striking watercolors repeat concentric circles and curves, suggesting images of swirling galaxies, the very subject that prompts Rubin's work. Sicuro solves the problem of depicting dark matter by gloriously representing it as if seen through a spectrometer, like "glitter caught in an invisible halo." Appended with an author's note, documentation of direct quotes, a timeline of Rubin's life, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. Brown's debut picture-book biography of Abstract Expressionist Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) limns her creative childhood, dutiful art study, and early career in mid-twentieth-century NYC. Once Frankenthaler develops her trademark "soak-stain" technique, the rhythmic text mirrors that kinetic process: "Helen grabbed a bucket of crimson and...POURED...setting her colors FREE." Sicuro's watercolor, ink, and charcoal-pencil illustrations reinforce the ideas of movement and color saturation. An appended art project helps everything seep in. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) PS Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. With a spare rhyming text, this story offers insight into emotions. A young girl wakes at dawn: "You're pink." At school, dramatic play is "Mauve, and purpley too." Storytime is "a quiet ecru." The color-rich illustrations lead readers to "You're all the colors, from hue to hue. So when you feel them, let them through!" The story may inspire artistic and emotional discussion opportunities.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. "Every night, when the dark entered the house...Ella grew afraid." But after Ella's mother takes her outside to experience the sounds and sights of nighttime--the bright moon, the crickets chirping--she's not scared of the dark anymore. The quiet bedtime story is accompanied by soothing mixed-media illustrations in a palette of mostly black, gray, and yellow (Ella's favorite color).

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. A rare conjunction of Saturn and Mars will make both visible at the same time--if they're not obscured by clouds and light pollution. The clouds blow away, and thanks to a citywide blackout, Phoebe and her dad can see "stars in the hundreds." Circular drawings and collages capture the wonder; near-breathless prose recounts the sights. "More About Our Night Sky" appended. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015