H. Joseph Hopkins

This is the biography of Katherine Olivia Sessions. From a young girl, Kate knew she wanted to study science and learn about trees. She was the first women to graduate with a science degree from the University of California in 1881. From there she moved from Northern California to San Diego. Surprised at how little trees there were in San Diego, Kate quite her job as a teacher to become a gardener. She wrote to other gardeners all over the world to collect seeds that could grow in San Diego. Eventually everyone was buying her trees and planting them in their yards. When the Panama- California Exposition was coming to San Diego, Kate knew that Balboa Park needed to be filled with more trees to provide the visitors with shade and make the park beautiful. She gathered volunteers to plant thousands of trees before the fair. Because of this Kate Sessions is known as the Mother of Balboa Park. This is a great biography picture book for all ages. The story is engaging, and the pictures are vibrant and beautiful.… (mehr)

This book is about Katherine Olivia Sessions, a woman who defied many people's expectations. Katherine lived in a time where women were expected to be mothers and teachers, they weren't supposed to be interested in science. Katherine surprised everyone when she got a degree from Berkley in natural science. She moved to San Diego. She was a principal for a little while, wishing she was working in her field of interest. During that time San Diego didn't have any trees anywhere. Katherine believed that trees could live and grow in the desert like climate of San Diego. She began planting trees at a local park and opened a nursery. Katherine created Balboa Park and changed the landscape of San Diego.
I like that this book talks about a woman defying expectations and being interested in the field of STEM. I think this book could be used in 1st or 2nd grade to talk about what plants need to survive and how certain plants can adapt.… (mehr)