Thank you Netgalley for an advanced ebook copy of this title!

I can't say I knew who Emmy Noether was before reading this title, much less the right way to pronounce her name. Given how large her contributions to the mathematical field were, that's saddening although not surprising. This picture book biography is a great presentation of her life for young readers though, as well as breaking down some her theories that she developed & contributed to (including Einstein's Theory of Relativity). I also appreciated how the book made sure to mention that her work was stalled by Nazi Germany, forcing her to flee to the US. Another great women in STEM pick!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Emmy Noether was a brilliant mind and I'm so glad that there is a childrens book about her!

I really appreciate the mentions of antisemitism that led Noether to America. It's an important part of history that gets swept away.

This book is great for kids and engaging.

Unsung female heroine + mathematical genius = a STEM picture book that kids and teachers are sure to love! Author Helaine does not shrink from addressing complex topics like Einstein's theory of relativity or the rise of anti-Semitism in pre-WWII Germany (which sent the Jewish Noether fleeing to America), but she explains them in simple, kid-friendly terms. A very timely and important book with engaging illustrations and text.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

My Thoughts
Again, I’ve learned about someone I’ve never heard of before from a children’s book! Here are my pros and cons for Emmy Noether:

Pros

1. I love that there are authors and publishers out there who provide books like this for children… and adults! I love learning about new people, especially women who were successful in what were considered very unwomanly activities at the time.
2. The illustrations by Kari Rust were well done and sometimes even humorous. They definitely enhanced the book.
3. The information provided focuses a lot on Emmy’s struggle to find a place in a man’s world. I think it is always a good reminder to girls and boys that things weren’t always as they are now, and that women were definitely prevented from not only studying math, but getting any kind of STEM education at all. Yes, there were exceptions to the rule and Emmy was definitely one of them. Woman today owe much to the strong, smart, persevering women like Emmy who showed the world that a woman’s brain is just as capable as a man’s in any field of study.
4. Einstein is typically regarded as a genius and one of the smartest men in history. However, he was struggling with his Theory of Relativity because the theory seemed to indicate that energy was disappearing when applied to real-life situations. Energy can't disappear. Many scientists were brought in to evaluate the problem and no one could figure out why energy seemed to be disappearing. But Emmy figured it out and thereby sealed the deal on E=mc^2 becoming the most famous equation in history! So perhaps Emmy was smarter than Einstein? At least in one area she seemed to be!
5. According to Amazon.com, his book is targeted toward kids ages 6 to 9 years old. There were times throughout the book where I thought the discussion was a little elevated for that age group; however, the author did a great job of breaking down the complex concepts into simpler, more understandable elements.
6. The Author’s Note provides a lot of additional information about Emmy and her accomplishments.

Cons

1. Did you read the synopsis? If yes, you’ve essentially read the book. I really don’t like it when descriptions basically tell you the entire contents of the book.
2. I didn’t feel like there was enough emphasis on what made her a “genius”. I felt like the book actually emphasized her struggles and the lack of credit for her contributions a bit more than on the contributions themselves.
3. I wanted to know much more about her work with Einstein and his theory of relativity. The Author’s Note provides some additional detail, but it would have been nice to see that incorporated more into the text of the actual book and not as (what felt to me like) an afterthought in an author’s note.

Summary
I would have loved this book as a kid. I was very interested in everything “science” at that time and I’m sure this book would have appealed to me. My sister, however, was not into “science” when we were younger, and I am confident she would not have been interested in this at all. I think this book has a limited audience, but I would absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in STEM fields and particularly those interested in pioneering women in STEM fields.

I’m glad I read this even though I noted a few cons. I might have never heard of Emmy Noether if not for this book! For me, the book was successful because not only did I learn something, but the information piqued my interest enough to seek out more details about Emmy's life and accomplishments. There are other nonfiction books out there about her, but I recommend starting with the Wikipedia article if you are interested.

Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book! The title was correct I had never heard of Emmy Noether prior to reading this book, and that is a shame. After finishing this book, I Googled Emmy further to find out even more information about her life. It is truly unfortunate that she lived in a time where women were not allowed to do much. Imagine how many more things she could have accomplished living in today’s time.

I also love that Emmy loved math so much that she went to University (even though she couldn’t earn a degree) and audited all the classes.

Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of is the kind of picture book biography that I read picture book biographies for, even as an adult.

Given that this is a picture book, the biographical details are quite thorough, and it gives us a taste of Noether's childhood, education, her work as a teacher, and her work in furthering physics and mathematics in unprecedented ways, along with her experiences as a Jewish woman in pre-WWII Germany before fleeing to the USA, and her eventual premature death. The note after the story fills out many of these details a little further. The artwork is also delightful; it's easy to follow, pleasing on the eyes, and just a pleasure to view regardless of the age of the viewer.

Even though I enjoyed the core components of this picture book biography, I still think there were a few things that set it above and beyond the average one. The number one thing that did it for me was how well it explained the math and science. Many of the things I have read on Noether have sort of glossed over the science and math in a way that made me feel like the author either didn't understand it or didn't expect their readers to. This was absolutely not the case here. I felt like each aspect of math and science that we looked at was well explained in words, visuals, and examples. I felt like this was a book that would actually help kids understand math and science better, even kids who are not normally interested in those subjects. Beyond that, I felt like this book had a good narrative flow and a great sense of humour.

Overall, this is the exact kind of picture book biography that I am thrilled to have read, and I'm thrilled to recommend to others, adults and children alike. Any kids who are interested in reading about real people, history, math, or science will find themselves completely at home in this book. I know I would have loved it as a child.

Age groups would be roughly 6+ for read-alongs, 8+ for solo kids.

Becker, Helaine. Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of. Kids Can Press, 2020. 9781525300592. 40 pg. $18.99. Grades 3-5.

This picture book tells the life story of a little-known female mathematician. Emmy Noether always excelled in math even as a young girl growing up in Germany at the end of the nineteenth century. She preferred doing puzzles to playing the piano or doing things expected of girls at that time. Emmy wanted to attend a university to study math, but this was not permitted at that time. Her father was a professor there, so she was allowed to sit in on classes. Even though the male students resented her because of her intelligence, they often asked her for help with homework without giving her credit. Eventually she was accepted into the university, but even after earning a degree, she was not permitted to teach men. About this time, Albert Einstein was developing his theories of relativity and Noether helped solve one of the problems in his theory. While working on that problem, she thought about related laws of physics and discovered that the laws of symmetry and conservation are linked. Her work on the principle of symmetry became known as Noether’s Theorem. The author does an excellent job in explaining physics in terms that is easy to understand, aided by the illustrator’s appealing drawings which are hand drawn and digitally colored. For instance, the illustrator demonstrates symmetrical motion by showing Emmy on a swing. This book works well as a read aloud and uses a checklist format to begin and end Noether’s story. Thoughts: This is an excellent picture book biography that shows how one woman overcame obstacles in order to reach her goals... This text will work well to introduce basic physics in science units. Becker’s work would also be a good choice for Women’s History Month. Elementary librarians should consider adding this one to their biography or math sections.

Bravo! Five stars! A fact-filled biography (with a subtle touch of whimsy) to encourage all students, not just budding mathematicians. This endearing story of Emmy Noether is an important read (for grownups too). The well-executed illustrations enhance and bring life to the text. The font style is friendly and pleasing, adding to the overall charm of the book.

Emmy lived in a place and time where women's intelligence and contributions went unappreciated. Author Helaine Becker explained mathematical principles and laws of physics in very basic ways, which were easy to understand. These principles might be the only thing that younger readers may have difficulty with. But the major premise of the book—Emmy Noether's practically heretofore unrecognized contributions that continue to impact us today— are clearly voiced.

Because of the horrors of Nazi persecution, Emmy fled Germany (one of the fortunate ones) and was able to find a teaching position in the United States (albeit, at a "women's" college). Emmy's story should be required reading for all school-age students.

A great and important story about an amazing woman. The writing is really fun and the art is just stunning. However, a lot is missed in translating complex math to a young audience, due to which I don't really understand what it is she did with Einstein. This does a great job of getting her name out there, but I will have to read another book to really get to know her. I am very willing to do so though, this read has definitely piqued my interest in this woman.

This vivid, delightfully illustrated book tells the story of an obscure female mathematician who never received proper credit for her groundbreaking work during her lifetime. Emily Noether was a German Jew, and like Einstein, she had to flee when the Nazis took power. However, this was not the first time that her life story had intersected with his, because she helped solve a thorny interpretive problem with his theory of relativity.

I greatly enjoyed this book's dynamic style, clear, child-friendly mathematical explanations, vibrant illustrations, and celebration of a woman who defied the odds. This is a delightful book, and the historical note explains some of the further complexities of Noether's life and mathematical theories at a more adult level for parents and teachers. The book also concludes with a reference for further reading, sharing titles of other picture book biographies about historic women in STEM fields.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys picture book biographies, stories of inspiring women, and children's books about math and science. Also, because this well-researched book does not oversimplify the science or soften the hard details of Noether's life, this book is a historically reliable choice for libraries and schools. It always frustrates me when I get to the end of the book, read an author's note, and find a list of all the historical elements the author changed, but this was not one of those cases. Since Noether faced years of sexism and terrifying ethnic persecution before her untimely death, some authors might have wanted to lighten those elements for children, but this book provides an honest, direct portrayal of her life situation.

Well written, with great illustrations about a little known woman of science. A great STEM book. Loved the asides in the illustrations which added some humour.

A great introduction to this little known, brilliant women, who helped Einstein with his theory of relativity, among other achievements.

I love that there are authors out there willing to dig into history to find important people. People that made a footprint in this world, but didn't get recognition they deserved.
Helaine Becker, has written informational book about a very smart woman named Emmy Noether. Emmy was a genius in mathematics. She many other things against her for the time she lived in she was plain, Jewish, German girl. She came up many things, but wasn't recognized in her life time
In the back there is also explanations for math concepts,links for physics and math.
Very informative

This book introduces a significant female mathematician, Emmy Noether, "who solved the mystery of why some laws of physics, such as the law of gravity, never change." She also helped explain Einstein's theory of relativity. While the book does show her unique contributions, it pays more attention to why she was never allowed to develop her abilities in the first place. First women in Germany were not allowed to enroll in the university and they were not allowed to teach there, and second, other mathematicians took credit for her work. Then, too as a Jew in Nazi Germany, she fled to America for safety. Clearly the cards were stacked against her. Yet, I think it is her brilliance and her contributions that are the real story, and much of the information about her work is in the author's note. While both aspects of her career--the obstacles she faced and her accomplishments--deserve attention, I would like to see her accomplishments get more attention in the main text.

Emmy Noether (pronounced NER-ter) is not a household name, and that's where the importance of this book is most clearly revealed. Academia was incredibly sexist and prejudicial during her life, and it basically obscured all the great accomplishments of numerous brilliant thinkers such as Emmy. So thank goodness for books like this that attempt to undo some of the harm by bringing the accomplishments of brilliant, yet neglected people to light. This was another great addition to the burgeoning genre of picture book biographies. The text was highly readable and the illustrations, with their whispered side conversations between Emmy's disgruntled male contemporaries, emphasize the very points that the text was attempting to express. This is great book for sharing in a elementary setting, though secondary schools would be well served to share it as well if the setting called for it. Impressive!

Usually when a book says that the person is someone I've never heard of, I say, oh yes, I have. But, Emmy Noether I had not heard of.

This picture book tells the reasons why, several times, that at the time Emmy was working in Mathematics women weren't supposed to be. Women weren't supposed to be able to get a degree, and they certainly weren't supposed to teach men.

She was able to explain the hole in Eistein's theory of relativity, when none of the men could. She also came up with another theory that was used in present day computer science.

But, unfortunately, like many women who could have become famous if not for the men taking credit for their theories, she died too soon.

Excellent book to get youth interested in women who didn't get the credit they deserved, and learn why that was so.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This was a cute little story about a female mathematician that is very well unknown. I liked how the author was able to take higher level concepts and whittle them down to something understandable for anyone without a science or math background. The checklists make this a much more engaging story allowing readers to fell more modern and contemporary even while reading about something in the early-mid 1900s. Great illustrations as well. A quick, light read.

Well I think this book was a success, although I can't pretend to really understand how and why Emmy Noether (rhymes with frankfurter) should be lauded as a mathematical genius. Neither in the core of the book, where we see her biography with just a few words on the page, nor in the appendix, the notes-for-adults, did I get a firm grip on what she'd done with Einstein's first Theory of Relativity and help everyone out, nor what she did that helped modern computer science. Still, I'll take it on advisement that she was vital, and that, when she had to flee Nazi Germany only to die quickly afterwards, that she was a great mind snatched before her peak. The book gives us a very well-judged presentation of her life, slightly hammering home the expectations of her society at that time – although it pretends she was plain and wildly-haired, when the photographic evidence is the complete opposite. She did become a mathematician, despite being allegedly ungainly, Jewish and the wrong gender for the times, and it's these prejudices that will attract an audience for this book these days. What I also really liked was the way Noether was given a certain aura about her – a golden, fluid halo of mathematical brilliance, and how that became a character of itself in the (really impressive) artwork. So yes, I do feel I would fail a revision exam for this book, but it stands as an attractive corrective to historical wrongs, and it has the right amount of mathematical science for the target audience.

This is an absolutely fascinating book! The illustrations are lovely. My children and I loved learning about Emmy Noether. This is one we’ll return to again and again. We highly recommend it!