Really fun kids-level illustrated biography. A fun way to talk about a woman in medicine and the history of APGAR scores for newborns. It was fun to read as a premedical student in college, through is probably best for younger kids interested in medicine or science.

Engaging, illustrated biography of Virginia Apgar, M.D. the second female anesthesiologist in the U.S. she pioneered research into how to assure that more newborns would survive the first major transitions from life in the womb to breathing air and having blood circulation independent from attachment to mother's circulation through the placenta and umbilical cord. She championed the use of the score to know how much support and medical intervention is needed. HER SCORE has been accepted as STANDARD PRACTICE AROUND THE WORLD wherever newborns are cared for by educated physicians, nurses, and midwives. The story of her life, work, social reform, and advocacy for children has made her quiet heroism inspiration for all succeeding generations of girls who need to hear and know that they can accomplish great things with their passions, intelligence, and dedication to making this world a better place. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book for middle grade readers. Delightful quick read for older readers also.

I am a 3rd grade teacher and am a sucker for informational texts about strong women. Virginia Wouldn't Slow Down! definitely fits the bill!

I believe that young readers can come away with many messages after reading it. For example, not only do they learn about the importance of why the Apgar test was created, but it shows Dr. Apgar as a leader, innovator, and determined woman. It paints her in a very positive light as a woman in a medical field, which at the time, was dominated by men.

I learned so much about Dr. Virginia Apgar by reading this book and am excited to share it with my students. Many thanks for the opportunity to read this delightful book!

Have you ever wondered who came up with the Apgar score which is used to rate the health of newborns? I have seen it on my babies’ records many times, but I never stopped to wonder about it. That is, until I came across the very interesting picture book biography, Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down.
Virginia Apgar was born in the early 1900s, at a time when girls were supposed to keep house and do quiet things. She refused to fit herself into that mold. She hated cooking and cleaning and playing music, and instead wanted to do active things. She managed to get into medical school, became a doctor, and then decided she wanted to become a surgeon. Soon, though, she changed her plan and instead became one of the first anaesthesiologists in the United States.  
As an anaesthesiologist, Ginny began noticing how often babies were born with problems, but the doctors and nurses focused so much on caring for mother that the baby was neglected. She used her skills to come up with a method of quickly evaluating the health of a newborn to determine whether it needed immediate care, or could wait a few minutes. The same five criteria she used to assess the health of a person she was anaesthetising, worked to determine if a baby needed extra help quickly. Soon, her method was used around the world.
I found this book absolutely fascinating.  I had no idea that, as recently as the 1950s, there was still no quick easy way to evaluate the needs of a newborn. I’m not sure how much my children understood of Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down, when I read it to them yesterday,  but I know they were all quite interested in the pictures and the design of this book. The pictures are somewhat comical, and the text is in bits and pieces throughout the pictures. My three-year-old, who loves babies, has spent quite a lot of time looking at the pictures and studying the babies in different places throughout the illustrations.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

Dr Virginia Apgar was a remarkable woman. As savvy I am about medical history and being already aware of her most famous contribution to medical science in her creation of the Apgar Score, I still learned quite a bit about Dr Apgar as a person.

The Apgar Score is used by medical personnel to assess the status of a newborn to distinguish healthy babies from those in distress. This score is still an important fixture in medicine.

While this book is aimed at a younger audience, adults will find this to be well-written and the illustrations are delightful. I honestly wasn’t familiar with what Dr Apgar had to go through regarding obtaining her medical degree and the obstacles she encountered as a credentialed medical professional.

This book would appeal to anyone interested in medical history, especially young people. I would also add that this book would be of interest to anyone who loves cats, as Virginia apparently had several of them, and the illustrations of them are adorable.

As a parent, I still know my children's Apgar scores by heart. I loved learning about how those scores came to be as well as how Ginny was such a trailblazing young doctor.

Virginia Apgar was a courageous woman who created the APGAR test for newborn babies in her work as one of the first female anesthesiologists in the United States. This picture book tells her story in a beautifully illustrated and informative way. She didn't let anything stop her from completing her goals, including being a female in a male-dominated field. She continued to learn, invent, and care for her patients. She intended to become a surgeon but ended up going into the new field of anesthesiology at a time when this drastically changed how mothers experienced labor and delivery. Because she was so close to the newborns born to the mothers she provided pain care for, she saw firsthand the need for a quick test/screen that would potentially save newborns' lives. Her name became the acronym for screening over time and is now so well-known in the medical profession that most babies in the United States are screened using this test. This book provides a great summary of her life, a timeline, and an author's note that further includes the history of Virginia's life.

I loved learning about Dr. Apgar and felt inspired by her tenacity. She truly has saved many lives because of her drive and determination to make a difference in her field. I am lucky to have had my own son tested with the Apgar test following his birth and because of it, the nurses knew quickly what to do to help him to breathe well on his own. I am so grateful that her quick screener is still saving lives like my son's today! I believe more children, especially young girls, need to read about Dr. Apgar and become inspired to live full lives and pursue any career despite any societal or cultural challenges that might deter them from becoming what they want to be. We never know what these children will invent and how their lives could touch us all.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I have never heard of Virginia Apgar until this afternoon, and now everyone on my I've spoken to today know about her and her contributions to science and medicine.

It's an awesome story to show any child that no matter how stacked the odds seem to be against you, with hard work, you can achieve your goals.

I love picture book biographies, and Virginia Wouldn't Slow Down is another great title for our collection! Even if you've never heard of Virginia Apgar, you've likely heard of the APGAR test given to newborns. This short, sweet story introduces Dr. Apgar using incredibly fun, diverse, inclusive illustrations -- the extra information at the back gives just a taste for young readers (and adults!) who want to learn more.

I loved this biography! A strong female, educated, overcoming all kinds of obstacles to become a renowned leader in a STEM career is about as good as it gets! So inspirational. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me access to this fantastic book!

So well written. Painted a beautiful picture of Dr. Apgar. Fun and wonderful art. Highly recommend this book.

Any parent has probably heard of the apgar test, which measures the health of a baby seconds after they are born. This book explains how this came about in a brilliant and attention-grabbing way! With very cute illustrations and the fact it appealed to me, an adult, it will definitely appeal to kids too. I look forward to adding this to my library system's shelves.

Having never heard of an APGAR score, I was immediately intrigued by this book. This book is a great picture book biography of Virginia Apgar. She faced countless challenges throughout her life to get to the point in her career that she is most known for today.

A great book that is told in a student-friendly manner.

What a terrific book to inspire young girls (and all children for that matter). Here is the story of Virginia “Ginny” Apgar. Born in the early 1900s, her world was not like today’s where girls are more encouraged to pursue their dreams. Yet, Virginia forged ahead.

Apgar is best known, at least to adults, for the Apgar score that was most aptly named for her. It assesses how an infant is doing at birth. It was both simple and revolutionary.

Still, much happened to Virginia before that and this book tells her story. It will inspire. Highly recommended. By the way, the illustrations are delightful, among the most appealing that I have seen in a children’s title.

Many thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for this title. All opinions are my own. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This picture book should be in every library. I had never heard of the APGAR score so I was thrilled to not only enjoy the illustrations but the history lesson as well. A great story about not letting anyone or anything stop you from achieving your dreams. Teaches to turn every obstacle into and opportunity.

I really enjoyed Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down. Before reading the first page I knew a lot about the APGAR test itself, but knew nothing about the woman behind it. Dr. Apgar’s life story—both within and outside of medicine—is an inspiring one, and her perseverance in the face of adversity would make her a great role model for any kid!

I learned so much from this book! Virginia was the creator of the Apgar test and the book explains the way she struggled as a female in the time. She became an anesthesiologist, which helped her know what to do if babies were struggling after birth. Apgar is an acronym using her last name. There was a lot of information in the author's note as well.

This was so interesting to read! I didn't know about the APGAR test for newborns, let alone how infants were cared for before the test was created. Virginia would be such a good role model for little girls everywhere.


Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC! Out August 7th!

A clear, concise, and compelling picture book biography of an important (yet often unknown) figure in modern medicine. The author does a great job of making Apgar's life and work relatable to young readers, and Carpenter's lively illustrations complement the text well.

I found this to be a interesting book and Dr. Virgina Apgar a fascinating women. In her generation of growing up females at the time we’re suppose to stay home and raise the children but not Virgina she didn’t let being. A female slow her down she went on to become the 2nd board certified female Doctor in the US. . I never really put much thought about how Doctors came up with the list they go through to look at newborns right after they are born like
A = Apperance/coloring
P = Pulse
G= Grimace/reflex
A= Activity
R= Respiratory effort
This list was created by Virgina and named after her last name. Chances are you were checked after you were born by the APGAR method. This book would be a great book to read to young girls I think it would encourage them to follow their own dreams.Thank You netgalley for letting me read about Dr Virgina Apgar