FEVER

This illustrated nonfiction children’s book tells of how Chinese scientist Tu Youyou helped to create a cure for a deadly disease.

In 1969, Tu was part of a team searching for a treatment for malaria, which is caused by mosquito bites that transfer Plasmodiumparasites that cause severe chills and fevers. More than 500,000 people per year were dying from the disease worldwide. Tu’s research led her to a book of traditional Chinese medicine by Ge Hong that recommended soaking “a handful of sweet wormwood” in about two liters of water before “squeez[ing] out the juice” for patients to drink and reduce their fevers. Tu tested various types of plants and extracted compounds from them, but none proved to be completely effective. After more research, she reread Ge Hong’s book and realized she’d been using the wrong extraction technique. After modifying her own method, she discovered that extractions from one plant, Artemisia annua, completely killed the malaria parasite in mice and monkeys. After successful treatment of multiple human patients, Tu was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in physiology for her contributions. Pattison’s book presents a remarkably concise and well-researched children’s book on a complex scientific topic. Willis’ full-color, painterly illustrations of Tu and her settings pair perfectly with the text and provide fun, occasionally abstract images. The occasional incorporation of non-English words and their pronunciations, such as nüèjí(malaria), is informative. Pattison admirably maintains accuracy and specificity while relating only key details and major events of the treatment’s research and development process.

A well-crafted book that tells an engaging story of scientific research, hope, and determination.