Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA

A CBC-NSTA Editors' Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2025 - An inspiring picture book biography about Rosalind Franklin, the groundbreaking chemist who helped discover the structure of DNA, by the award-winning, bestselling author of Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?

★ "[A] compelling introduction to an extraordinary scientist." --Booklist, starred review

Rosalind Franklin was a Jewish scientist with a remarkable talent as a chemist. Although there were few women working in this field in the 1950s, Franklin, using crystallography, captured an image that held the secret to unlocking the structure of DNA: the double helix. Her Photo 51 was used by her male colleagues without her knowledge, and they went on to win the Nobel Prize, while Franklin never found out how instrumental her work was to the discovery of the double helix. This incredible story uncovers the life and work of an extraordinary scientist, rightfully celebrating her landmark contributions to history.

★ "Poignant ... Enlightening .... students with an appreciation for learning about lesser-known historical figures and an interest in science will find inspiration in Franklin's resilience. Remember Rosalind? She's unforgettable." --School Library Journal, starred review

★ "As she weaves science and history, Tanya Lee Stone unravels dual mysteries centering on the double helix: how the 'secret of life...makes you--YOU' and how a 'twist of fate' triggered Rosalind Franklin's posthumous recognition." --Horn Book, starred review

"[An] inspiring picture book biography introducing Rosalind Franklin's groundbreaking life to young readers." --A Mighty Girl

CCBC Choice 2025
Booklist Editors' Choice 2024
School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Elementary 2024
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book
2025 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Booklist
Finalist for the Vermont Book Award
Chicago Public Library Best Books 2024

Author: Tanya Lee Stone
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hach
Published: 02/20/2024
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 11.10h x 9.13w x 0.55d
ISBN: 9780316351249
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.8
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 552661 / Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of Dn


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2023
Booklist 12/01/2023 pg. 118
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2024 pg. 122
School Library Journal 01/12/2024 pg. 1
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2024 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author

Tanya Lee Stone has loved writing about women pushing boundaries in books such as Elizabeth Leads the Way, Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?, The House That Jane Built, Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers?, and Pass Go and Collect $200. Her work has received numerous accolades, including a Robert F. Sibert Medal, an NAACP Image Award, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honors, a Bank Street College Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award. She lives in Burlington, Vermont. Stone has a PhD in creative writing and runs the writing program at Champlain College. She invites you to visit her online at tanyastone.com.

Gretchen Ellen Powers has illustrated The Boxcar Children's 75th anniversary edition as well as Summer's Call (about her beloved Mitten State). History has always held a special place in her heart, so she loved illustrating Rosalind's story and shining a light on a marvelous woman whose contributions have too long been cast in the shadows. She lives with her family in a farmhouse among the tall trees and the music of the lake of southwest Michigan. She invites you to visit her online at gretchenellenpowers.com.