June Almeida, Virus Detective! The woman who discovered the first human coronavirus by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

 This cheerful picture book biography introduces another long-overlooked female STEM pioneer. June Almeida. Born in Scotland in 1930, June loved learning and exploring and was deeply grieved by the death of her young brother. But although she finished high school with honors in science, college was a financial impossibility for her family and she took a job in a lab at a nearby hospital.

Moving from Scotland to London and then to Canada, after her marriage, June continued her lab work. She began working with the more complex and powerful electron microscopes and her background in photography allowed her to produce new and better pictures of the viruses she was studying. As June continued studying, working, and writing, a young doctor brought her a sample of a strange virus he'd discovered. June matched this with a virus she'd previously isolated, but had been unable to convince other researchers was a new virus. With newer and even better photographs, June finally proved she had discovered a new strain of virus, the coronavirus. June continued learning, working, and exploring photography and science throughout her life.

Back matter includes more information about June Almeida, a timeline, and sources. Slade was able to interview Almeida's daughter as well and includes information on how electron microscopes work and how June Almeida would have made her images.

In addition to being a well-written, relevant book on an overlooked woman in a STEM field, this is a great choice for studying how microscopes work and inspiring readers to experiment with microscopes and photography.

Verdict: Public and school libraries will find a ready audience for this brisk and attractive picture book biography. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781534111325; Published March 2021 by Sleeping Bear Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library