Kati's Tiny Messengers: Dr. Katalin Karikó and the Battle Against COVID-19

by Megan Hoyt, Vivien Mildenberger (Illustrator)

Overview

From the author of the National Jewish Book Award Finalist Bartali’s Bicycle comes the story of Katalin Karikó, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose research of mRNA led to the world-altering development of the Covid-19 vaccine. Perfect for readers who love science, STEM, and books like Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor or Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race.

When she was young, Katalin Karikó decided she would study science—even though she had never even met a scientist! But she was determined to learn as much as she could about the human body, and once she made a decision, she stuck with it. Katalin had to learn English while attending university, but she worked hard until she became a doctor.

After facing many challenges, including lack of research funding and harsh immigration policies, Kati and her family uprooted from Hungary and moved to America, where she became a top researcher. She knew that, with work, she could teach one of the building blocks of life, messenger RNA, to fight off harmful viruses. There was just one problem—no one else believed her.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Kati and her work were thrust into the spotlight. But with her unshakable will, she was ready to face the challenge.

Includes a note from Dr. Karikó, a time line, and more information about mRNA.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063216624
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/03/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Megan Hoyt first fell in love with reading on a cozy branch of the crab apple tree outside her Texas home. She devoured Beverly Cleary’s books there, and Marguerite Henry’s “horsey books” still remind her of the loud Texas cicadas at dusk. Bartali’s Bicycle is Megan’s debut picture book biography. Her first picture book was Hildegard’s Gift, and her poem, “Thanksgiving by the Lake,” appears in the anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. When she is not writing, Megan tutors child actors on set for Disney, Warner Bros., Showtime, and Cinemax, among others. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where most days she is surrounded by three fluffy pups and piles upon piles of picture books. Visit Megan online at www.meganhoyt.net.

Vivien Mildenberger is an award-winning illustrator of many books for children including All in a Drop and The Voice that Won the Vote. She lives in a spooky old farmhouse just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. There she works on her illustrations, pottery, and other general magic-making. Visit her online at vivien.mildenberger.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2023

Hoyt stresses perseverance in this moving biography of scientist Katalin Karikó (b. 1955), whose against-the-grain mRNA research resulted in a game-changing coronavirus vaccine. Beginning with the Hungarian protagonist’s early days living in a one-room house without running water, detailed text emphasizes Karikó’s arc to professional success, including learning English for university, moving to America, and navigating a seemingly never-ending lack of support—both financial and intellectual—for her work. Washed in dusty grays and hazy blues with warm highlights, Mildenberger’s smudgy mixed-media illustrations have a somber vibe, while squiggly cell illustrations spotlight the science behind Karikó’s discoveries. The story takes a momentous turn with the arrival of Covid-19: “with more than thirty-five years of experience, mounds of research, and thousands of lab experiments behind her, Kati was ready,” and the rest is recent history. Back matter includes a note from Karikó and more about the science behind the vaccine. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Teachers will want to use this story as model of perseverance and dedication for their lessons; elementary readers will like learning that overcoming obstacles still matters. An excellent addition to collections." — School Library Journal (starred review)

“The author presents clear pictures of her subject’s character as well as achievements. An inspiring profile of a scientist making history.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Concisely telling Karikó’s life story, Hoyt emphasizes that dedication, collaboration, and hard work were crucial to her success. An informative picture-book biography.”  — Booklist

"Hoyt stresses perseverance in this moving biography of scientist Katalin Karikó…detailed text emphasizes Karikó’s arc to professional success." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2023

Gr 2–4—What can one determined person do? A lot, it turns out! This narrative biography of Nobel Prize–winning Dr. Katalin Karikó tells of her life and study of RNA, as well as the application of the mRNA to the COVID vaccine. Karikó demonstrates her persistence to learn and understand the science of mRNA throughout her entire life, from her early days in Hungary in a one-room house without electricity or indoor plumbing, to her university days where she had to learn English in order to take the classes she wanted, to her exodus from Hungary to the U.S. Using this depth of knowledge, Karikó was able to connect her learning to create a vaccine for COVID-19. The folkloric artwork gives a feeling of humanity to the book, allowing readers to connect on a more personal level to the narrative. Teachers will want to use this story as model of perseverance and dedication for their lessons; elementary readers will like learning that overcoming obstacles still matters. An author's note, time line, and sources are included. VERDICT This narrative biography about one of the creators of the COVID-19 vaccine will be an excellent addition to collections needing modern biographies.—Debbie Tanner

School Library Journal

2023-07-13
The story of a Hungarian-born researcher whose childhood fascination with science led to a central role in the development of one of the first effective vaccines against the Covid-19 virus.

In a personal message at the end, Katalin Karikó herself urges young people, girls especially, who dream of becoming scientists to go for it! Her story, as Hoyt tells it, reflects that determined attitude—tracing a career that included emigrating from Hungary to the United States (with forbidden but needed cash secretly stuffed into her daughter’s teddy bear) and sticking to studies of cellular biology through years of funding difficulties and failed experiments. If her prose does sometimes take a giddy turn (“But Kati’s mind never took a break. Messenger RNA danced through her dreams and filled up her days”), the author presents clear pictures of her subject’s character as well as achievements, culminating in a suspenseful account of the vaccine’s human trials in 2020. Along with fuller explanations of DNA, messenger RNA, and how mRNA vaccines work, the backmatter includes nods to colleagues and photos…including one of that teddy bear. The light-skinned cast in Mildenberger’s bright, transparently hued illustrations gives way to a more diverse one in later scenes of isolated families and masked medical workers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An inspiring profile of a scientist making history. (timeline, source list) (Picture-book biography. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews