Joan Schoettler

A fascinating and inspiring picture book biography about Vivien Thomas, a pioneer of children’s heart surgery and trailblazer for Black people in STEM. Vivien Thomas always loved solving problems and figuring out how things worked. In high school, inspired by his family physician, he decided he would become a doctor. Despite losing his college savings during the 1930 bank panic, Vivien stayed dedicated to making his dream a reality, a trait that would serve him all his life. Vivien secured a lab assistant position at Vanderbilt University and later moved to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he and his mentor developed a groundbreaking procedure to cure blue baby syndrome, which led to them performing the first open-heart surgery on a child. With the power of his passion, perseverance, and dedication to learning (and without any formal college education), Vivien saved thousands of lives.

A touching and compelling book about how some librarians travel the world in impossible ways -- by boat, donkey, elephant, and more -- hoping to change a child''s life, by handing them a book. From Colombia to Kenya and Syria to Thailand, real life librarians bring books to children who don''t have easy access to a library. This creative non-fiction tale shows how librarians in 10 countries travel far and wide to deliver books to hungry readers without local access to libraries. A wonderful way to educate readers on the often overlooked, heroic lives of librarians. All around the world, children wait for books. So... book lovers'' cross seas, trek up narrow trails, down steep, rocky paths, over swift rivers, and through dark forests. They journey by foot, on sturdy animals, and with unique vehicles, delivering books to children.