Book Descriptions
for Caroline's Comets by Emily Arnold McCully
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Caroline Herschel, Hunter of Comets, grew up knitting stockings and performing the duties of a scullery maid for her own family. It wasn’t until her brother, William, moved to England and invited her to join him that Caroline finally escaped these duties (although not without first making two years’ worth of stockings). William was a musician, but he was also interested in planets and stars and other objects of the night sky. With Caroline’s assistance, he built a telescope—the best one in the world at the time. After discovering the planet Uranus, William was appointed King’s Astronomer. Meanwhile, not only was Caroline quietly assisting William with his observations and records, she was also keeping his house, cleaning equipment, sewing, handling her brother’s accounts, and making astronomical discoveries of her own. Her discovery of “the Lady’s Comet” led to Caroline becoming the first professional (and famous) woman scientist. Short excerpts from Caroline’s autobiography add a dash of her spunky personality to the story and emphasize the astronomer’s intelligence, mettle, and devotion to her brother in this picture book account of her life. (Ages 5-9)
CCBC Choices 2018. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2018. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
With courage and confidence, Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) becomes the first woman professional scientist and one of the greatest astronomers who ever lived.
Born the youngest daughter of a poor family in Hanover, Germany, Caroline was scarred from smallpox, stunted from typhus, and used by her parents as a scullery maid. But when her favorite brother, William, left for England, he took her with him. The siblings shared a passion for stars, and together they built the greatest telescope of their age, working tirelessly on star charts.
Using their telescope, Caroline discovered fourteen nebulae and two galaxies, was the first woman to discover a comet, and became the first woman officially employed as a scientist--by no less than the King of England. The information from the Herschels' star catalogs is still used by space agencies today.
The book includes excerpts from Caroline Herschel's autobiography.
A 2018 NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12.
Born the youngest daughter of a poor family in Hanover, Germany, Caroline was scarred from smallpox, stunted from typhus, and used by her parents as a scullery maid. But when her favorite brother, William, left for England, he took her with him. The siblings shared a passion for stars, and together they built the greatest telescope of their age, working tirelessly on star charts.
Using their telescope, Caroline discovered fourteen nebulae and two galaxies, was the first woman to discover a comet, and became the first woman officially employed as a scientist--by no less than the King of England. The information from the Herschels' star catalogs is still used by space agencies today.
The book includes excerpts from Caroline Herschel's autobiography.
A 2018 NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
