A computer called Katherine : how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon

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Title:

A computer called Katherine : how Katherine Johnson helped put America on the moon

Author:

Slade, Suzanne, author.

Miller Jamison, Veronica, illustrator.

Summary:

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.

Audience:

Age 4-8.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

32 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 27 x 27 cm

Genre:

Biographies.

Picture books.

Personal Subject:

Johnson, Katherine G.-Juvenile literature.

Corporate Subject:

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration -- Officials and employees -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Subject Term:

African American women scientists -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

African American women mathematicians -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Women mathematicians -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Mathematicians -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

African Americans -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Author(s):

Miller Jamison, Veronica,

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9780316435178

Publication Information:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2019.

Call Number:

P SLADE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003416487	Picture Books	SLADE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The inspiring story of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson (the subject of the hit movie Hidden Figures ).

Katherine Johnson grew up during a time when women were not encouraged to excel in the fields of math and science, and when African-Americans were heavily discriminated against. But she was so good at math that she zoomed ahead of her elementary school classmates, attended a high school far away from home, and started college at age fourteen, taking difficult geometry classes taught just for her. She went on to become one of NASA's "computers who wore skirts," women who did calculations that helped the men engineers design flight plans and rockets.

Katherine wasn't like other women. She asked lots and lots of questions, and she didn't stay out of design meetings that were previously just for men. She was so good at her job that she was asked to double check the calculations of a machine computer. Katherine made important contributions to the first flight into space, the first orbit of the Earth, and the first trip to the moon--and back--breaking barriers for African Americans and women everywhere. Author Suzanne Slade brings Katherine's story to life in this smartly written picture book biography, illustrated by debut artist Veronica Miller Jamison.

Author Notes

Suzanne Slade (Author) Suzanne Slade holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and worked on NASA's Delta IV rockets. Her recent titles include The Inventor's Secret , Friends for Freedom , With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School , and Climbing Lincoln's Steps . She lives in Illinois with her husband, and she invites you to visit her online at suzanneslade.com. Veronica Miller Jamison (Illustrator) Veronica Miller Jamison is a fashion illustrator whose clients include Essence Magazine , Bloomingdales, and Hallmark. A Computer Called Katherine is her debut picture book. She is an alumna of Howard University and Drexel University, and she lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and their cat. She invites you to visit her online at veronicamarche.com.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-Even as a child, Katherine Johnson loved numbers. She skipped through school, took a job as part of a team of number crunchers called "calculators," and helped figure out the trajectory of early space flights of the 1960s, even after machine computing became a part of the process. This retelling of Johnson's achievements focuses on her path as a black female mathematician. The book devotes a spread to the civil rights struggle, illustrating how people were divided about school integration; it also shows that many disagreed about whether women should work at jobs traditionally held by men. Jamison stresses how Johnson's talent for math broke both barriers. Covering much of the same ground as Helaine Becker's Counting on Katherine, the text is relatively straightforward and accessible even to listeners not yet ready for the inclusion of incorrect math problems, such as "25 ÷ 5 = 4," used as examples of how wrong some people's assumptions were. First-time illustrator Jamison relies on ink, watercolor, marker, and colored pencil to create spreads that emphasize math concepts. Often there's a faint background of the geometric images and equations shown on the end papers. Back matter includes author and artist notes about their personal connection to the subject, quotes from Johnson herself, and sources and credits. VERDICT Another appealing picture book biography of a successful woman; a strong choice for most collections.-Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Slade explores the life of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. Johnson excelled in mathematics beginning in childhood but was frustrated by the lack of opportunities available to women of her era. Her perseverance and skills led her to work at a Virginia research center, where she made complex calculations, advocated for her right to attend meetings with male engineers, and eventually joined the NASA space team. Slade writes in clear, up-tempo prose, well paired with Jamison's expressive mixed-media art, which presents Johnson as a self-assured figure in bright, jewel-toned clothing. Spreads also feature chalky mathematical computations, and the launch of Apollo 11-guided by Johnson's meticulous calculations-is presented dynamically across three panels. An uplifting portrait of a no longer so "hidden" figure. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.