Lynn Sherr

Sherr's biography of "AFWIS" (America's First Woman in Space), as she kiddingly called her friend, is endearing and well researched. It especially helped me to realize the broad and deep impact that Ride had in her post-astronaut life, as well as the hurdles that women and young girls still face in the fields of science and engineering.
And yet the story still feels incomplete because Ride was always such a private person in much of her life. Because of this, we would never have gotten a Sally Ride autobiography. So I suppose that Sherr's book is probably the best we can hope for.… (mere)

This wonderful book is all about giraffes. Tall Blondes tells how giraffes astonished the first Europeans who saw them, and recounts many intriguing tales about these beasts that people made up when they were still a mystery. It moves the reader through culture and art, showing how the giraffe has paced along into modern times, still giving us things to wonder at, even as scientists and naturalists explain some of the mysteries of giraffes. Ends by featuring giraffes in zoos, safari parks, and even making an appearance in films. Lots of intriguing stories, myths and facts. The photographs and illustrations are beautiful, the content informative and often amusing as well. I also liked that the dimensions of the book itself mirror the subject- the copy I read was 9.5 x 6.5 inches, a narrow book that held in the hand felt taller than its fellows.… (mere)