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In the 1700s, women were relegated to home and house duties — but not Mercy Otis! Her father believed in educating girls and boys. Even after marrying James Warren, Mercy wrote about the politics of Massachusetts. Her accomplishments come alive through a straightforward text with inserts of Mercy’s writing and illustrations that evoke the period.

“Lily-Rose May was a sweet little girlie…” who discovered she really was a princess because of her reaction to peas. When she joins royalty, however, Lily-Rose figures out what’s really important. Told in spritely verse and humorous illustration, Lily’s adventure comes alive.

When Clementine Brown gets and a first-aid kit for her birthday, she takes her medical role quite seriously. Nothing is too small for Clementine to handle including helping her little brother. Open illustrations and simple text celebrate recognizable, imaginative play.

Here’s the true story of how Anne Carroll Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library — a bright, welcoming room filled with art, reading nooks, and (most importantly) borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books. The folk art style illustrations capture a sense of history in the making. In the end notes, you can learn more about Moore and other pioneering children’s librarians.

Meet Henrietta Leavitt, a 19th century pioneer for women in science. From careful observations, Leavitt discovered that the brightness of a star determines its distance from Earth and her work helped us better understand the vastness of the universe. Warm colored pencil and watercolor illustrations by Colon create a contemplative mood. Back matter includes quotes about stars, a glossary, information about other female astronomers, and more.

Anyone who’s ever had a cold is sure to appreciate this examination of why one gets it and how the body combats it. Photomicrographs combines with comic illustrations for a lucid and thorough look at the topic. A glossary and index conclude the presentation.

What happens when a bone is broken? The body repairs it! How this happens is presented in clear language accompanied by photomicrographs and humorous illustrations for a clear explanation of the process.

Illustrations evoke the frozen north while the text invites readers to feel more the cold of Alaska. How the weather impacts people and animals is explained in a conversational tone as is the impact of climate change. A comparable exploration, This Place Is Wet (Walker; 0802734006), will be available in May 2013.

Easy activities and commonplace snack foods bring basic principles of chemistry into focus. Combined with snappy full-color photographs, the information is clearly presented and sure to inspire as it informs.