PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY REVIEW: Beulah has a Hunch! by Katie Mazeika

BEULAH HAS A HUNCH:

Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry

written & illustrated by Katie Mazeika

Beach Lane Books, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-6659-0363-9

Source: Blue Slip Media

Ages 4-8

All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Book cover & illustrations provided by Blue Slip Media. Book summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Meet Beulah Louise Henry, a girl with a knack for problem-solving who grew up to be a world-famous inventor, in this captivating picture book biography for fans of Just Like Rube Goldberg and The Girl Who Thought in Pictures.

Growing up in the 1890s, when Beulah Louise Henry spotted a problem, she had to find a solution, turning it around and around in her mind until…aha! She had a hunch—what she called the inventions she came up with to solve the puzzles she saw all around her.

Beulah’s brain worked differently. She had hyperphantasia, which meant she saw things in extreme detail in her mind, as well as synesthesia, which caused words and numbers and even music notes to show up as different colors in her brain. Beulah’s unique way of seeing the world helped her think up vivid solutions to problems—her hunches came to her fully formed with gears whirring and wheels spinning. She invented everything from a new and improved parasol to cuddly stuffed animals and from ice cream makers to factory machinery. Beulah’s inventions improved daily life in lots of ways, earning her the nickname “Lady Edison,” and she became one of the most prolific inventors in American history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR

Katie Mazeika is an author and illustrator with a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design. When she isn’t in the studio, she likes to spend time at the theater, in her garden, or getting lost in a good book. She is the author-illustrator of picture book biographies including Annette Feels Free and Beulah Has a Hunch!. She lives in Ohio with her family and two dogs. To learn more, and download a free curriculum guide, visit her website at katiemazeika.com.

REVIEW

Picture book biographies fascinate me with their combination of illustrations based on photographs and imagination along with facts turned into a narrative. The text wonderfully introduces readers to Beulah Louise Henry, who saw the world rather differently than most people. With both hyperphantasia and synesthesia, Beulah saw things in great detail in her mind as well as seeing words, numbers, and music as colors. She used her unique mind to design things and refused to let others stop her from doing what she wanted to do. By the time she died she had 49 known patents and had created her own successful company. The story is fascinating and well-told with lots of great back matter, including additional information about Beulah, photographs, and a time line of some of her inventions. The illustrations are bright and colorful and very appealing. The way her unique way of seeing and thinking about the world are illustrated complements the text very well. Picture book biographies like this one are a great way to help open children's eyes to some of the amazing things people have done, but also the unique ways they manage to do them despite opposition and difficulty. A wonderful resource for teachers and parents who want to encourage their students/children to follow their dreams.

ILLUSTRATIONS