Cover Image: Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Vegara's Rosalind Franklin delves into the life of this female scientist so instrumental to DNA studies. As a young girl, her intelligence made itself known quickly. She went on to study chemistry, biology, and physics, and eventually ended up working with Maurice Wilkins, studying DNA. It was from a picture of hers that the first double-helix DNA model was created. Unfortunately, Franklin wasn't acknowledged at the time.

The end of the book contains a more detailed look at life, using language suited for much older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great! I read this with my cubs. We love this series! Highly recommended!

Was this review helpful?

This is another wonderful and inspiring addition to this series. I did not know much about Rosalind prior to reading this and it really inspired to learn more. It's perfect to see some lesser known figures being featured in this series and bringing their inspirational story to a new audience.

Was this review helpful?

4☆ Another Wonderful Book in this Fascinating Series!

I adore these Collection of books, not only are they easy for children to understand and learn about, but they are also fun and beautifully illustrated.

I had never heard of Rosalind Franklin and her story was utterly fascinating and empowering. Not only was she a fantastic Scientist, she was kind and had a big heart wanting to help others. She helped out during the war times and then dedicated her time and research into X-Rays and DNA, which is amazing considering at some point everyone will experience an X-ray.
The very sad thing is that Rosalind never got the recognition for her hard work that she so deserved.

That's why it's so important to teach children all about these Empowering and Influential people, to show children that you can be whoever you want to be and most importantly never give up on your dreams!

Was this review helpful?

I love these books, they make a great gift for young children and adults.
Always colourful and informative without over loading with information.

Was this review helpful?

Rosalind Franklin is a lovely addition to the Little People, Big Dreams collection.
It's a true tale of a little girl who grew up into a woman who made one of the greatest human biology discoveries of all time - the discovery of understanding the molecular structures of DNA. Only to have a man take ownership of her discovery. It wasn't until after her death that she was credited for the work.


It's easy to see why the Little People, Big Dreams books are bestsellers, the illustrations by Naomi Wilkinson are a perfect fit for the book - they are bright and appeal to younger audiences.
Vegara's text is easy to understand and it's full of positivity. This is an excellent book to use in the classroom, especially in PSHE lessons.
The timeline at the rear of the ook is a nice addition as it shows the reader Franklin's journey.

Was this review helpful?

When my 8 year old daughter saw that new titles were being released by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara she was so excited to get the opportunity to review them. She has read all of the previous titles in our local bookshop and very much enjoys them. The author does a great job of providing facts about famous people past and present in a way that is interesting to children, informative and expands their knowledge of the world.

I would recommend these books for children aged 7-12 and would definitely give them 5 stars!!

Was this review helpful?

I've got to be honest, I'm in my 40's and I had no idea what an important role Rosalind Franklin had played in history. What I particularly liked was how this book explained things like what DNA is and why what Rosalind Franklin was doing was important but also shows how she put science above all else. How completely selfless she was and how she constantly thought ,misogyny with the minimum of fuss

Was this review helpful?

Rosalind Franklin by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara is another release in the Little People, Big Dreams series, which I have reviewed frequently on here. I just love these little books. They are always packed with facts about the person who they are writing about and full of colourful illustrations throughout.

This book is about Rosalind was born in London to a Jewish family who valued education and public service, and as she grew up her huge intellectual abilities were drawn into the study of science.

Having studied physics and chemistry at Cambridge University, Rosalind moved to Paris to perfect her life’s work in X-ray crystallography. She then moved back to King’s College London, where she would work on finding the structure of DNA with Maurice Wilkins.

It was Rosalind’s “photo 51” that was used by Wilkins to create the first ever double helix DNA model with Francis Crick, although he did not credit for her work due to a falling out between the two, and her work went unacknowledged until after her death.

I found this little book full of easy to read, with great Illustrations throughout this small book.
It's one you should definitely buy for your little readers so they can learn about her....... She was a genius!

I am so glad these books are being published and I highly recommend all of these books

Many thanks to Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Born into a Jewish family, Rosalind Franklin grew up in England. A model student who was curious and eager to learn, the high achiever developed a passion for science and loved putting things under the microscope. However, working in the field of chemistry was rare for a woman at the time. Thankfully, Rosalind wasn’t deterred by such a thing and she would go on to make one of the greatest ever scientific discoveries…

I’m so pleased that the story of Rosalind Franklin has been added to the Little People, Big Dreams series. She is, without question, one of the most important scientists of all time and whose ground-breaking work on DNA was revolutionary. The delightful biography charts her passion for science from an early age to her academic studies through to one of the biggest ever break-throughs in science.

There is so much to admire about Rosalind’s story, from working at a time when female scientists were looked down upon by their male counterparts to her self-less drive and determination to help humankind in whatever way she could. Rosalind always wanted to help others, whether that be through her science work or in countless other ways. At university she gave her scholarship to another student who needed it more and would later volunteer to help people find shelter during the air raids of World War 2. Whether in the science lab or somewhere else, Rosalind’s kindness always shone through.

Sadly she lead a rather short life but the incredibly hard-working and intelligent woman was a trailblazer and a pioneer in the scientific world who made a huge difference in her fields of study. Driven not by fame or success, she was motivated by her desire to better understand the scientific questions that she had and to ultimately help humankind. What a fantastic lesson to give to young readers where the value of motivation from within outweighed the motivation to win a prize. Rosalind would however be the victim of a tragic oversight when fellow scientists claimed her work on DNA as their own and won the Nobel Prize.

Rosalind Franklin is a fantastic female role model for so many reasons. Girls can see a wonderful lady who achieved in a male dominated field and it is a great biography to share with young boys to help them understand that girls can do things just as well as they can, or if they are anything like Rosalind, then probably much better. The story is told in short and simple sentence and is delightfully illustrated with bright and bold artwork. At the back of the the book there is a short overview of her life which includes key facts and dates and a historical timeline featuring photographs.

Recommended for 5+.

With thanks to Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the advanced reader copy that was received through NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Another superb addition to the Little People Big Dreams series. Again, it is wonderful to be able to read to my daughters about strong, intelligent women who make a difference. Rosalind Franklin was one of the greatest Chemists of all time, working to photograph the structures of DNA. Her part in the discovery was overlooked for many years with all the glory and Nobel Prize being awarded to male colleagues. Yet, she continued to work tirelessly for the good of mankind. What a wonderful selfless lessnin kindness, humanity, and passion. My 8 year old could read along with the short passages and loved the accompanying pictures. #RosalindFranklin #LittlePeopleBigDreams #Netgalley #MariaIsabelSanchezVegara

Was this review helpful?

This is a short biography of scientist Rosalind Franklin who played a huge role in improving our understanding of DNA and viruses.

These biographies are age appropriate; inspiring and interesting, but not overwhelming. They have bright, beautiful illustrations, striking covers, and look great on a shelf together. I love the diversity of the people featured in this series. Artists, athletes, authors, activists, explorers, entertainers, musicians and scientists.

Thank you NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adore the Little People, Big Dreams series and this book, focusing on Rosalind Franklin, did not disappoint. Filled with glorious illustrations, these texts are a fabulous springboard for classroom discussion. I love how they cover such a broad range of famous faces, from scientists to musicians.

The story of Rosalind Franklin was one I was unfamiliar with and so I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this inspirational woman and her incredible contribution to science. The story also provides an interesting insight into how women were perceived at the time by describing the lack of credit given to her by male scientists. The use of block colour in the illustrations makes them engaging and suits the tone of the story perfectly.

I will be using this book as part of my Person of the Week work in a Year 5 classroom and think it would be a welcome addition to any school bookshelf. I would also recommend it is used when exploring famous scientists. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I cannot recommend this series enough. In many years as an educationalist and reading advocate this is by far the best non-fiction series for children I have come across. It is always a joy to read them. The illustrations are colourful and bold and the narrative is well written and very easily accessible, I would love every school to have this series on their bookshelf. This particular book about the amazing and fascinating career of Rosalind Franklin is perfect for introducing young girls to science and raising aspirations. Perfect.

Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and the publishers for a wonderful read.

Was this review helpful?

I always enjoy the Little People, Big Dreams books. This time, I was interested to find out about Rosalind Franklin, who was a scientist who helped discover the double helix in DNA. The book is easy to read and it has nice illustrations which show Rosalind's life from a child to an adult. It was not until she died that her magnificent work was acknowledged, but it is good to know that her work has helped people around the world.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is another brilliant addition to this series – even as an adult I look out for the next book in the series being released!

I love the images in this series and this is a delightful introduction to Rosalind Franklin – she was a pioneer and such a fascinating lady – intelligent and not afraid to push boundaries in her field to find out more.

This series is an excellent introduction to some of the well-known, and less well-known characters that have had a great impact in our lives through a variety of subjects such as literature, the rights of minorities, political influence, women's rights and science. I love the variety of people chosen and how positive the books are and this one shows too how other were more than willing to take her discoveries as their own, sadly something that did happen in the past but thankfully not such much now. She needs to be praised for her discoveries.

It is 5 stars from me for this one – a delightful read and one I will be very highly recommending!

Was this review helpful?

By now, everyone knows I am a huge fan of this series, and seeing a name I didn't know... it tickled my curiosity.

It's perfect for little science enthusiasts, who like to read about scientists, especially if they are girls. It's important to show how unfairly women scientists were treated, and how women contributed to the humanity, without ever getting recognition for it. It's sad to hear, but it isn't the first time I heard and read about it. I'm glad this little book, puts a big spotlight on it.

As always, this is a must-have in the collection.

Was this review helpful?