Review By: Anonymous
Author: Suzanne Slade
Published: 2019, Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Nonfiction, Space, History, Mathematics, Biography
Audience: Pre-k, K, 1, 2, 3
Triggers: None
Summary: The inspiring true story of mathematician Katherine Johnson–made famous by the award-winning film Hidden Figures–who counted and computed her way to NASA and helped put a man on the moon! Katherine knew it was wrong that African Americans didn’t have the same rights as others–as wrong as 5+5=12. She knew it was wrong that people thought women could only be teachers or nurses–as wrong as 10-5=3. And she proved everyone wrong by zooming ahead of her classmates, starting college at fifteen, and eventually joining NASA, where her calculations helped pioneer America’s first manned flight into space, its first manned orbit of Earth, and the world’s first trip to the moon!Award-winning author Suzanne Slade and debut artist Veronica Miller Jamison tell the story of a NASA “computer” in this smartly written, charmingly illustrated biography.
Review: This story is based on the story of a real person named Katherine Johnson and her journey through school and life which lead to helping NASA send a person to the moon. Katherine loved math, science, and learnning, and knew it was wrong that just because she was African American that she did not have the same rights as others. The story shows her perseverance and impact she had on our society! I would recommend this book to many people. I think it is inspirational and it is really easy to think of thoughtful, unique questions while reading it. The pictures are really fun and help to enhance the story. There are so many connections to math, science, SEL, etc.