Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of the book!
I love the way this book starts -- did you know that you took your very first test when you were just a few minutes old? All around the world, babies are given an APGAR test as soon as they are born to make sure they don't need medical intervention. My babies were given this test - and one went to NICU because they did not quite pass the healthy points. But I had no idea until I read this book that the test was invented by an amazing female anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar! She was a trailblazer her entire life. She wore the clothes she wanted to wear and studied the subjects she wanted to study. She became a doctor when very few women were allowed to enroll in medical school. Besides overcoming the obstacle of being a woman, she also had to raise enough money to put herself through school. Initially she wanted to be a surgeon, but she was afraid she would not make enough money (because no one would hire her since she was a woman...) so she became an anesthesiologist instead. Back in the mid 190os, pregnant moms delivering their babies were given anesthesia. But a lot of the babies were born with difficulty breathing. Many died. Virginia noticed this and decided that babies should be tested in five different areas as soon as they were born to see if they needed extra medical attention. Her test - later named APGAR after her - is used around the world and has saved the lives of many, many babies.
Virginia's story is very inspiring. She refused to let the hurdles that society put in her way stop her from doing the things she wanted to do. Be sure to read the author's note at the end along with her timeline and photographs of the amazing Virginia Apgar!

I have added this excellent book to my TrueStory Bookshop and recommend it in three categories:
Picture-Book Biographies ~ Women’s History
Picture-Book Biographies ~ Scientists
Picture-Book Biographies ~ Makers

https://bookshop.org/shop/KarlinGray

Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down-I love a good picture book biography. This is the first I’ve read about this spunky, determined, brilliant pioneer who invented the APGAR score for newborns. I loved reading about how she broke barriers to develop this system that we still use today.

Humorous, playful, informative illustrations and a well-written text make this book an appealing read about Dr Virginia Apgar, the inventor of a test that quickly. measures the health. of newborns. The book begins by showing how Virginia was able to overcome three hurdles--being a girl at a time when girls had limited opportunities beyond being homemakers, lacking the money she needed to attend college and move ahead in her professional training, and timing or social conditions at the time. Virginia overcame these hurdles with spunk and skill. She was able to attend medical school, but not pursue a career as a surgeon. Instead, Virginia became an anesthesiologist. The test she developed to measure the health of newborns is still used today.

This picture book biography was an enjoyable read about a woman whose ambitions were realized. She not only worked hard but showed a positive attitude towards life. Highly recommended.

My teenage daughter wants to be a nurse in a neonatal ICU upon graduation from college. I gave her this title to read. She was beyond thrilled. She said she learned from the text. She was not previously familiar with the Apgar test. She liked the way that the book was written. Additionally, she found the illustrations to be sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to preview and share this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a fun book with really cute illustrations! This book will be appealing to kids and adults. I even learned some things from reading this book.

This book was really cute. I enjoyed the pictures immensely, and liked how a focus was put on the hurdles she had to overcome, not just as a doctor, but also a woman. I do worry the medical terms may be a bit hard for children, but it could be a great way to encourage parents to read to their kids.