In Which Betsy Is Rendered Speechless: Tanya Lee Stone and Gretchen Ellen Powers Remember Rosalind Franklin in Conversation

Imagine that for a full year, at work, you read five picture books a day, Monday through Friday. That’s quite a few picture books. The books range between fiction and informational. And many, truth be told, are forgotten over the course of several months. Of course they are. How could they not be? The human brain is really only capable of remembering so many books in a given span of time.

That’s my current situation. I love reading these picture books. I love discovering them and enjoying them and, yes, even forgetting them. What’s notable is when I remember them. Take the book Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA, for example. I saw it earlier this year and that book was . . . different. Unforgettable even. It contained a story I knew, but it was presented in a fashion rare to picture book biographies. It . . .

You know? I’m not going to be able to do it justice on my own. Today, we talk with the author and the illustrator about what is, quite frankly, one of the most interesting picture book biographies of 2024, bar none, and right from the start Tanya blows my mind. Watch.

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Betsy Bird: Tanya! Lovely to get a chance to talk to you today! So when my daughter was 7 or so, she was part of a STEM-related summer camp that taught the kids the story of Rosalind Franklin. I’m not sure precisely what they taught, but the kids were then encouraged to make their own short films about her story. My daughter’s consisted mainly of Franklin discovering something and then a kid playing James Watson would creep in and steal it (a process they repeated several times). This, combined with the classic Hark, A Vagrant comic on the subject, was in many ways my own introduction to Rosalind Franklin’s story. What was your own path to learning about Rosalind’s life and work?

Tanya Lee Stone: Hi Betsy, thanks so much for having me! The answer to that goes back 30+ years, when I was a grad student. My Dad, who is a professor, had invited Francis Crick to guest lecture at the university and stay at our family home. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to join them for dinner! But what unfolded at the table is the part that stuck with me all this time. Crick began talking about a scientist named Rosalind Franklin, how integral her work was to the discovery he and James Watson became famous for, and how he regretted how she was treated. What I remember most was the look on his face and the tone of remorse in his voice. Of course, I had no idea at the time that my creative work would end up being so focused on helping put women back into our histories, but that memory came flooding back one day when I was looking for inspiration for a new topic. 

BB: . . . .

Wait . . . what?!?

I’m sorry, when you were a grad student you had Francis Crick over to your home and he expressed regret about how Rosalind Franklin was treated?!?

Okay, I’ve been interviewing people about picture book biographies for a long time and this may well be the most crazypants interesting answer to my basic how-did-you-get-the-idea-for-this-book question I’ve ever seen.

All right, time for me to focus. But seriously, Tanya, that is one helluva answer.

To switch gears a little bit, let’s talk to illustrator Gretchen Ellen Powers. Gretchen! Thank you for answering some of my questions! I’m really curious how you came to work on REMEMBERING ROSALIND FRANKLIN. How did you come to work on the manuscript? (And please do not say that James Watson was your stepdad or anything)

Gretchen Ellen Powers: My editor Christy Ottaviano and I were “friends” on Instagram.  Christy told me that she fell in love with my work, especially my period pieces of children in vintage clothing. I love history so I work hard to be accurate in my depictions.  Detailed borders are also something that I love to create. I think we were just kindred spirits in many regards!

BB: Thank you, Gretchen. Tanya, let’s turn back to you. The thing that grabs a reader’s attention about this book, right from the start, is your first sentence. I dare say, it’s the kind of sentence that a lot of editors and publishers would try to eschew. “Dear Reader, This true story doesn’t really have a happy ending.” I read that and my first thought was, “Gutsy!” It stands out. It’s memorable. And best of all it continues on to explain to kids the simple fact that sometimes the world is unfair and people don’t get the credit they deserve in their lifetime (if at all). Where did it come from and how important was it to you to include? 

Tanya: Oh, thanks for that question. I knew that was a risk, but once it occurred to me, I also knew it was definitely how I wanted to set up the story. It’s very much in keeping with how I feel about little-known histories, and this one in particular—I mean, the underlying kicker here is how unjust and tragic the whole thing was, and that’s actually an important part of the framework. That’s probably an atypical approach for a picture book, but there are two reasons that framing felt so right to me. The first is I don’t ever want to sugarcoat reality for young readers and only give them a partial window into a true story. I trust them to be able to handle the fact that life isn’t always fair, and incorporate that discomfort into comprehending the bigger picture. And second—despite the fact Rosalind was robbed and, adding insult to injury, then died from cancer she likely got from the X-ray research that literally helped change what we know about life itself—championing people who pave the way for others, especially when they don’t get the win, is crucial in understanding how so many groundbreaking things in the world happen due to the efforts of many, and not just the ones who cross the finish line first.  

BB: Holy moly. Well put. Gretchen, this brings me to your experience here. You’ve worked on a number of picture book projects but to the best of my knowledge this is the first biography you’ve done. What was different about this particular book? And what kind of research did you do for the art?

Gretchen: Working on a nonfiction biography was a completely different experience for me. Growing up, I was homeschooled. We had elaborate themed studies for history. It was especially fun to make our own coat of arms while studying medieval times! This project was an opportunity to combine my love of art with history.

Christy was so helpful and kind to me throughout the process. She initially sent me a package with notes and reference photos that I referred to throughout the project. We worked back and forth on the sketches and through many passes. I wanted to make the book beautiful but it had to be accurate, and she helped me find that balance. For instance, in the illustration of Watson and Crick as they are passing Rosalind’s work off as their own, my first sketch depicted their shadows as wolves/monsters. Christy quickly noted that we could not take any fictional liberties; the art needed to be accurate through and through. To this point, the text and sketches went through several rounds of fact checking by science experts in the field.

She also passed on Tanya’s invaluable reference and research scrap. I supplemented with my own research to make sure I accurately depicted all details of the time period through clothing, buildings, and of course, the scientific instruments. I learned a lot about x-ray crystallography during the process. I tried my best to make the science in the story accessible to children but also aesthetically pleasing so it might spark the imaginations of our future scientists, writers, dreamers — really anyone who wants to make our world a better place! 

BB: Awesome. And Tonya, the trick to writing your book had to lie in figuring out how to balance out the whole of Rosalind’s life with the incident for which she is now best known (her work being using, without credit, to discover DNA). How did you figure out the best way to write the story? Was there a lot of trial and error in the process or did you have a fairly clear picture of how you wanted it to go from the start?

Tanya: Oh, there’s always so much trial and error! If only a story presented itself clearly from the start! But honestly, that’s also the fun of figuring out why a story is important to me to tell. Sitting with the facts, learning about who she was as a person, and the choices she made in the face of discrimination and obstacles—all of those things informed my choices as to how much/what pieces of her whole life story I could fit in a picture book bio to convey both who she was as a person and the impact she had. And that definitely takes a while–I’m pretty sure I rewrote this book six times over. It did take a really long time to get it right—especially the balance between making sure kids understood the science (we all worked really hard on that!) while staying engaged with the story. I think it was six years from signing to published book, including Christy moving her imprint from one house to another!

BB: Christy definitely was such an integral part of this process for the both of you. Gretchen, I found myself repeatedly interested in the borders of your book. There seemed to be a lot of thought, care, and attention to how you illustrated not simply the action on the page but the designs around that action. How do you decide what to use from one spread to the next in these borders?

Gretchen: Christy admired my border work and said that was one of the things she loved about my initial vision. She had the thought to deliberately pace the borders every other spread.  It was also a way for us to get other historical details about Rosalind’s timeline into the compositions that were not part of the main story line.

I made some borders loosely resemble DNA structures, just as the pieces of that puzzle were beginning to form in Rosalind’s mind. Others are more atmospheric — a blend of floral as well as industrial inspired filigree; the sorts of engravings that might grace grand halls in old colleges. Time is conveyed through a clock that I made which resembles the moon. A tea cup finds its way to a border where I thought Rosalind might have been toiling through the wee hours of the night! Even adding coffee stains by her hard earned photograph of Photo 51 (I used real coffee!). I tried to add innocuous, imperfect details that make up our day to day, but often get overlooked.

BB: I love that you used real coffee as well. Tanya, tell us a little bit about your own research. What kind of sources did you use for this story? Did you have any that were your particular favorites that you turned to time and time again? 

Tanya: Oh, I used so many sources! There generally isn’t enough room in picture book back matter to exhaustively catalog them as I would in long-form nonfiction, so after my initial, immersive research phase, I focus on highlighting the most important ones that I’ll draw on for the text. Of course, getting the science right was critical, so I used books and scholarly articles to grasp the science (I was never more thankful for my grad degree focused on science education) and also the seminal books by James Watson and Francis Crick; respectively, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA and What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery, to steep myself in their views of this history. And the book that gave me an invaluable window to the young Rosalind and her family life was actually written by Rosalind’s sister, Jenifer Glynn—My Sister Rosalind Franklin. 

BB: Gretchen, growing up I was a huge fan of Tasha Tudor, and there are times when your art reminds me a bit of her own work (particularly with those aforementioned borders). Who are some of your own influences when making your art?

Gretchen: Thank you! That is a wonderful compliment as I have always admired her work!  Tasha Tudor has always been a great inspiration to me. Other artists that inspire me are Beatrix Potter, Arthur Rackham, E.H. Shepard, and Richard Scarry. 

BB: Oh! I can see the Rackham, now that you mention it. Tanya, I found Gretchen to be a wholly interesting illustrator to pair with the story, very much setting it apart from other picture book biographies we see on our shelves. Were you aware of Gretchen’s work prior to this book? How do you feel about the end product? 

Tanya: I was not previously aware of Gretchen’s work, as she is fairly new to the scene (isn’t she amazing?!). Christy Ottaviano (our fearless leader) thought it would be a perfect pairing and I absolutely adore what Gretchen did. In addition to her working tirelessly to make sure her science illustrations were accurate, I find the whole feel of the art, and the palette she chose, beautifully evoke the time the story is set in and gives the book an overall vintage, kind of classic look. And in her richly detailed borders, Gretchen was able to pull so many interesting tidbits from our scientific and historical research, it really enhanced the whole project. I find it utterly enchanting. 

BB: Agreed. Finally, what do you you two have coming out next?

Tanya: I am actually working on something very different for me right now–a prose novel. I’m fully enjoying being immersed in figuring that out and making things up for a change! Thank you so much for inviting me, Betsy, and for your fantastic questions!

Gretchen: Working with Christy was one of my most enjoyable work experiences. I call my art “work,” but it feels more like an adventure. I’m excited to say that Christy and I have a holiday project in the works! I have two new picture books forthcoming: Hope Comes to Stay (Harvest House/May 2025). I’m also working with Melissa Ferguson on an unannounced project! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on your blog!

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I’ve gotta say, this is the kind of interview I wish I had every time. Special thanks to Victoria Stapleton and Margaret Hansen for helping me put all this together. Thanks too to Tanya and Gretchen for taking so much time to so carefully answer my questions. As you may have gathered, Remembering Rosalind Franklin: Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA is available for checkout and purchase now, so see for yourself why it’s one of the most memorable picture book bios of 2024.

Filed under: Interviews