In honor of Women’s History Month, we spoke with the creators of new picture books that highlight the enduring influence and impact of women across several fields, including music, science, sports, and more.

Laura Alary

How did you first learn of the work and efforts of astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne?

I was introduced to Cecilia Payne through an episode of Cosmos (the new version hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson). It included short, animated segments, which told stories from the history of science, and one of them was about Cecilia Payne. I was intrigued and also a bit troubled that I had never heard of her before. I found her autobiography in the library and devoured it, then moved on to the biography by Donovan Moore. All the while a picture book was taking shape in my mind.

Can you share a bit about Cecilia’s long-lasting impact, and how her dedication to her work still resonates today?

Although her name is not widely known, Cecilia Payne has had a profound impact, both scientifically and culturally. The novel way she applied quantum theory to the study of stars showed what powerful allies astronomy and physics could be. Her work contributed to the development of a whole new field: astrophysics. Furthermore, her discovery that stars are composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium raised new questions about why those elements are so abundant in our universe. Those questions led to new theories about the beginnings of the cosmos. So astrophysicists and cosmologists today are all indebted to Cecilia Payne. But so is every person—child or adult—who understands that stars are blazing balls of gas! We owe that knowledge to Cecilia.

Socially, Cecilia Payne helped changed perceptions about women in science and what they are capable of. Not only was she the first person to earn a PhD in astronomy from Radcliffe College (which later became part of Harvard), she was also the first woman tenured from within Harvard as a professor, and the first woman at Harvard to chair a department. Throughout her career, she continued to do research and make original contributions to her field, along with all of her teaching, administrative, and family responsibilities. The quality and scope of her work must have inspired her students and made an impression on her colleagues.

Cecilia Payne was living proof that women belong in the world of stars and atoms, or anywhere else their curiosity leads them.

Payne is just one example of the struggles women in STEM faced and are still facing today. What do you hope young readers take from her story?

It is true that Cecilia Payne is only one of many women who have found themselves constrained by gender-based discrimination in STEM fields. The fact that I had never heard of her until I saw that episode of Cosmos illustrates part of the problem. Not only did women like Cecilia have to struggle for opportunities and respect in their chosen fields, but their achievements were often overlooked or not intentionally celebrated.

That omission creates an ongoing effect. When women’s stories are not remembered, it changes our perception not only of the past, but also of who belongs in certain fields here and now, and who has potential to contribute. American astronomer Vera Rubin once said that it was reading a school library book about Maria Mitchell that made her realize that becoming an astronomer was something a woman could do. Stories matter. So the first thing I hope readers take away from The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne is simply the knowledge of who Cecilia was and what she discovered. I want them to know her name and her story. I also hope young readers are inspired by Cecilia’s passion for learning. Finally, I hope readers take away a sense of confidence in the scientific method. Cecilia was a truth-seeker. Her story helps us remember that when it comes to the material world, there is such a thing as truth, and science is the best way we have to discover it.

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars by Laura Alary, illus. by Yas Imamura. Eerdmans, $19.99 ISBN 978-0-8028-5515-2

Kelly McCartney and Rissi Palmer

The impact of Black and brown women is often left out of the conversation about country music. Why is that, and how do you hope that your book remedies that omission?

Kelly McCartney: The impact of Black and brown people is often left out of every conversation. Recently, efforts have been made at various levels of government to erase the bulk of their contributions and experiences from the history of the United States. That’s white supremacy at work. So it’s up to artists, historians, writers, scholars, and others to document these stories for future generations. If we can play even the tiniest part in that effort, then we’ve done our job.

Rissi Palmer: Kelly is right on. Since the idea of genre was constructed to separate the races and double the money, the industry has benefitted from keeping country music “white music,” even when it frames Black art coming from white vessels. I’m personally hoping to shed a light on those who were denied an opportunity to reach their full potential as country artists like their white counterparts because they were both Black/Brown/Indigenous and women.

In creating these profiles, were there any tidbits or facts that surprised you about any of the subjects?

McCartney: A lot of people will likely be surprised at Tina Turner’s inclusion, but she released two fantastic country records in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, we found out about the second one after the book had been completed.

Palmer: I think the thing that always stops me in my tracks when I’m diving into the various stories is how so many of us country artists of color have faced the same hurdles. We’ve been told the same things, just decades a part. It’s made me feel less alone and frustrated all at once.

We have recently seen a new appreciation for Black artists in the country music scene. What do you attribute that to, and how do you hope to see this expand?

McCartney: In 2020, when so many companies and industries in the U.S. were rushing into the DEI space, country music hesitantly followed. Some of us were skeptical that the support would last and we have, to a large degree, been proven right. Other than Beyoncé, country music’s support of Black artists has been limited to Black men, so there’s still miles to go before anyone who cares about these things can sleep.

Palmer: I think the curiosity and appreciation began in 2020 with the global racial reckoning that happened as a result of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s murders and reached its crescendo with [Beyoncé’s Grammy award winning album] “Cowboy Carter.” As for change, in my opinion, it starts with equal opportunity. It’s country radio and playlists that are diverse in gender, race, independent and signed artists, and genre (country rock, alt county, country soul, Red Dirt Country, etc.). It’s boardrooms that include a variety of outlooks, marketing that welcomes and reflects the diverse audience that exists for country music, and festivals that feel safe for all and include more than one or two women or acts of color. In other words, it’s an industry that is intentional and thoughtful. If you can speak to and change people’s hearts through music, you can maybe start to change the world.

Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music, edited by Kelly McCartney and Rissi Palmer, illus. by Rhiannon Giddens. Candlewick Studio, ISBN 978-1-5362-3024-6.

Maria Pepe

The Little League was only open to male players when they came to your hometown for try-outs, but you went anyway. What inspired that decision?

Hoboken was chartered by Little League Baseball in 1951. No girls had ever played in my hometown. And there were no organized sports teams for girls to play in. When I was growing up, I played ball with my friends who were boys in the local parks. Each year, I would see my friends go for try-outs and every spring they would get to play with uniforms and umpires on the Little League field. I wanted that opportunity, too. I had practiced my pitching over the years and finally when I was 11 years old, I realized that I only had two more years to try to join a team before I was too old. I felt confident enough that I could compete. The age requirement was eight to 12. So, in the spring of 1972, when I was 11, I walked with my friends who were going to sign up for a new team in town. I figured I had nothing to lose. The team sponsor saw me and said, "Can you play ball?” and I responded, “I’m a girl but I can play ball.” He offered me a chance to try out for the team.

When you were forced to leave the team, how did that make you feel?

I was very disappointed and it felt very unfair since I had the ability, and the only reason given was that the Little League rulebook (which I had never read) stated that girls were not allowed. I wanted to be judged for my ability and not for my gender. I loved being part of a team and now I was left out of doing something I loved. That was a tough experience as an 11-year-old girl.

Your resilience has had such a lasting impact on women in sports. How do you hope to see more inclusion in baseball and perhaps sports in general?

Organizations like Baseball for All, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Major League Baseball Trailblazer Series, and Little League Baseball are all providing girls and women with opportunities to play. There are many states that have a girls baseball travel team that competes locally and on a national level. This year, 2026, will be the inaugural year for the Women’s Pro Baseball League.

Title IX legislation helped with growing women sports at the college level. Tennis became popular for women and girls; the WNBA was established; Little League softball has grown exponentially; the NFL is promoting flag football; and there’s the National Women’s Soccer League and the Ladies Professional Golf League, to name a few. It is a great time to be a girl growing up with so many options to participate in sports and to dream big and swing for the fences!

The Girl Who Changed Little League: The True Story of Maria Pepe and Her Battle to Play Ball by Maria Pepe and Jean L.S. Patrick, illus. by Sarah Green. Little, Brown, $18.99 ISBN 978-0-316-46423-9

Garen Thomas and Suhasini Raj

How did you learn about Jyoti Kumari and the efforts she made during the pandemic to help her family?

Suhasini Raj: I was covering the pandemic from the New York Times New Delhi office and I was digging into stories from all over. News of Jyoti’s feat—which had started as a trickle via local media—grew into this dinosaur of a story at the national level. We decided we needed to cover this girl who, at such a tender age, was now on the Indian cycling federation’s radar to go to New Delhi and get evaluated with endurance tests!

This picture book features both English and Hindi. Why was it important to utilize both languages?

Garen Thomas: When writing for a Western audience, I think it’s important to retain the essence of the culture you are exploring. There is a fluidity and poetry in the Hindi words selected for the picture book, which elevate the story. Simple words like mata and pita have a rhythm and feel that are practically universal, and in context, English speakers understand almost instantly what they mean (mommy and daddy). I wanted to use the words she uses, to hear and see the world through her lens. By including both English and Hindi, readers feel as though they have stepped inside the world Jyoti inhabits, and they exit the other side understanding it and her a little bit better.

For young people who are often underestimated, what do you hope they can take from Jyoti’s story?

Thomas: You never know what you are capable of until you try. Jyoti put both mind over matter and necessity over physics and accomplished something that many would not have thought possible. She rode across the country with a 250-pound man who couldn’t help pedal on the back of her bike. She refused to internalize someone else’s (society’s) low opinion of her and instead recognized her worth. She made the decision to believe in her own physical and mental fortitude, which is how one achieves greatness. That’s the lesson young people should take in.

Raj: No kid her age should have to be put through such an arduous test of physical and mental endurance. But what they can take away from Jyoti’s life story is the urge and the positivity to keep going—the perseverance that can ultimately see them through.

Bicycle Girl: Jyoti Kumari’s Amazing Journey Across India by Garen Thomas and Suhasini Raj, illus. by Maithili Joshi. Candlewick, $19.99 ISBN 978-1-5362-3360-5