Marie Curie, nicknamed "Manya" by her family, revelled in reading, learning, and exploring nature as a girl growing up in her native Poland. Demonstrating an uncanny ability to concentrate and persevere, Manya overcame the premature deaths of her mother and sister and the limitations and humiliations of living under a repressive Russian regime to excel in school and discover her passion for scientific research. She went on to become one of the world's most famous scientists. Curie's revolutionary discoveries over several decades created the field of atomic physics, and Curie herself coined the word radioactivity . She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person ever to win in two different fields -- chemistry and physics. This book introduces this legendary figure in all her complexity. Kids learn how Curie worked alongside her husband and scientific partner, Pierre, while also teaching and raising two daughters; how this intense scientist sometimes became so involved with her research that she forgot to eat or sleep, and how she struggled with depression and health issues, refused to patent her discoveries (which would have made her very wealthy), and made valuable contributions during World War I. Packed with historic photos, informative sidebars, a resource section, and 21 hands-on activities and experiments that illuminate Curie's life and work, this is an indispensable resource for budding scientific explorers. Children can: examine real World War I X-rays; make a model of the element carbon; make traditional Polish pierogies, and much more.