Virginia Wouldn't Slow Down!

Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down-I love a good picture book biography. This is the first I’ve read about this spunky, determined, brilliant pioneer who invented the APGAR score for newborns. I loved reading about how she broke barriers to develop this system that we still use today.

Humorous, playful, informative illustrations and a well-written text make this book an appealing read about Dr Virginia Apgar, the inventor of a test that quickly. measures the health. of newborns. The book begins by showing how Virginia was able to overcome three hurdles--being a girl at a time when girls had limited opportunities beyond being homemakers, lacking the money she needed to attend college and move ahead in her professional training, and timing or social conditions at the time. Virginia overcame these hurdles with spunk and skill. She was able to attend medical school, but not pursue a career as a surgeon. Instead, Virginia became an anesthesiologist. The test she developed to measure the health of newborns is still used today.

This picture book biography was an enjoyable read about a woman whose ambitions were realized. She not only worked hard but showed a positive attitude towards life. Highly recommended.

If you have been in a delivery room at a hospital, you are well are that newborn babies are assessed with a rubric called the Apgar score. Did you know that a female doctor named Virginia Apgar was an anesthesiologist who came up with the original test in 1949? She had watched the chaos surrounding a baby delivery and noted that there was a lacking in consistency of treatment for the newborn. Her first list was: 1. Heart rate 2. Respiratory effort 3. Muscle tone 4. Reflex irritability 5. Color. In 1961, the test was changed to an acronym of Apgar's name: A. Appearance (Is the baby's skin a healthy color?) P. Pulse (Is the baby's heart beating normally?) G. Grimace (Does the baby pull away when poked?) A. Activity (Does the baby use it's muscles?) R. Respiration (Does the baby have a strong cry?)
As a mother, I especially appreciate this perceptive test. My youngest was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and started his life at a "2." Fortunately, the quick work of the professionals in the hospital boosted that up to "7" just a minute or two later. And that little guy is getting married in thirteen days. Thank you, Dr. Virginia Apgar! I loved reading your story and the illustrations give testament to her action-filled, unstoppable life.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

"Perhaps someday, the person who gives the APGAR score-- and saves a baby's life-- will be you."

I LOVE THIS BOOK! As a NICU nurse I never learned the history of the APGAR scores. I learned so much! This book is also so inspirational for any student to overcome any obstacle in their life!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Excellent non-fiction picture book biography of Dr. Virginia Apgar, who developed the rapid test that doctors and nurses use to assess a newborn's health in the delivery room. It covers everything from her childhood through her training other doctors and encouraging the development of maternal and newborn health protocols throughout the country. I had no idea that the Apgar test was named after her or that she developed it using her training as an anesthesiologist. My daughter gave this book five stars and it was a fascinating read for me as an adult as well. Highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read early.

What a great story! The illustrations are wonderful. The hook is perfect (it worked on my 7-year-old). The list of three barriers that Virginia overcomes in her career pursuits keeps the pages turning. Well done.

Any parent has probably heard of the apgar test, which measures the health of a baby seconds after they are born. The letters stand for the things that are checked. Appearance, Pulse, Grimse, Activity and Respiration. Each of these things are graded 0-2, and a perfect 10 is a healthy baby.

So, this didn’t just come out of thin air. This test was devised by Dr. Apgar, an an anesthesiologist, who noticed that checking babies, when they were born, for these things, could save their lives. When she invented it, she didn’t use her name, as it is now known, but just made a list, heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability and color.

I love these picture books of famous women and men who history has carefully forgotten about. I knew there was an apgar test, but didn’t realize it was named after the doctor who invented it, and that she was a woman who was practicing in the 1930-1950s.

It is such a delightful picture book, and the author, who did the research on it said that she had access to her paperwork and the more she learned about this charismatic and resilient doctor, the more she became her hero. Especially since she worked in a time when there were very few female doctors, and she had to overcome a lot to get where she did get.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. It is coming out the 7th of August 2023.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. The illustrations feature diversity and complement the text wonderfully. While reading this book, I was inspired to learn even more about Virginia. Students will love to learn of the ways that she overcame challenges to achieve her goals.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of the book!
I love the way this book starts -- did you know that you took your very first test when you were just a few minutes old? All around the world, babies are given an APGAR test as soon as they are born to make sure they don't need medical intervention. My babies were given this test - and one went to NICU because they did not quite pass the healthy points. But I had no idea until I read this book that the test was invented by an amazing female anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar! She was a trailblazer her entire life. She wore the clothes she wanted to wear and studied the subjects she wanted to study. She became a doctor when very few women were allowed to enroll in medical school. Besides overcoming the obstacle of being a woman, she also had to raise enough money to put herself through school. Initially she wanted to be a surgeon, but she was afraid she would not make enough money (because no one would hire her since she was a woman...) so she became an anesthesiologist instead. Back in the mid 190os, pregnant moms delivering their babies were given anesthesia. But a lot of the babies were born with difficulty breathing. Many died. Virginia noticed this and decided that babies should be tested in five different areas as soon as they were born to see if they needed extra medical attention. Her test - later named APGAR after her - is used around the world and has saved the lives of many, many babies.
Virginia's story is very inspiring. She refused to let the hurdles that society put in her way stop her from doing the things she wanted to do. Be sure to read the author's note at the end along with her timeline and photographs of the amazing Virginia Apgar!

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.

🍼 If you pay attention to my reviews, you know I love sharing books about women you’ve never heard about. Particularly when they are in the form of kid lit! This book fits the bill nicely!

🍼 Today we meet Dr. Virginia Apgar. This amazing woman, the second board-certified female anesthesiologist in the U.S., created a simple test to evaluate a newborn’s health. The test measures breathing, skin color, reflexes, motion, & heart rate right after birth. It seems like such a simple, obvious thing to do, right? But in 1952 it wasn’t so obvious. Thankfully, this test saved countless newborn lives since then & is still used today.

🍼 The book is called Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down because she literally didn’t slow down! She was constantly working, traveling, flying, gardening, or creating!

🍼 When she needed money for college she babysat, waited tables, & even caught stray cats! She did whatever she could to earn money to pay her own way. She never let obstacles stop her from her ambitions.

🍼 In 1994, she was depicted on a U.S. postage stamp as part of the Great Americans series. So, you’ve possibly seen her before, but didn’t know who she was. Now you do!

🍼 This book has a lot of text, but the info is interesting & educational. The illustrations support the story well. There is additional info in the back of the book, including photos & a timeline of her life. Don’t miss it!

🍼 I recommend this book for teachers and school librarians.

Thank you @netgalley and Norton Young Readers for an eARC of this book, which I’ve reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I’m not currently a baby nurse but in nursing school we had to learn what the Apgar test is and how it works but learned nothing about where or who it came from so I’m glad to have read this wonderfully drawn and very informative children’s book about Dr, Virginia Apgar. Fun and whimsical illustrations and interesting information presented in a kid friendly format that I think kids if all ages (including myself) will enjoy this book. I’d buy a copy for a child in my life.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**