FOOTE WAS FIRST!

Eunice Newton Foote (1819-1888) was the first to document the effect of greenhouse gases on Earth’s climate.

Eunice’s sense of curiosity—undiminished by the misogyny of her era—anchors this picture-book biography as Bryant takes her subject from a child inquisitive about life on the family farm and beyond to a young adult who eagerly studied botany, chemistry, and geology at boarding school in Troy, New York. Foote’s questioning mind extended to social issues; after marrying and settling down in Seneca Falls, she attended the first women’s rights convention in the U.S. in 1848. She knew women were just as capable as men and pursued her passion for science. Her discovery that increased carbon dioxide in the air resulted in higher temperatures still informs our understanding of global warming. Five years after she published her paper, however, the Irish physicist John Tyndall would claim he was the first to make that discovery; acknowledging that he may have been unaware of Foote’s work, Bryant mildly notes, “Like most men in those days, the professor believed that women were not curious and could not learn science.” Though skimming over some details of Foote’s life and work, Bryant’s straightforward prose pairs well with Bates’ earth-toned, impressionistic watercolor and colored pencil images. Billowing images of smoke and gases escaping volcanoes echo Foote’s flowing skirts; the visuals also clearly demonstrate how Foote’s experiments might have looked.

An admiring salute to a scientist whose contributions remain all too relevant.