Mama’s Book Review: “A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon” by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison

Logan and I read a stellar children’s book about Katherine Johnson. If you’ve seen the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures,” you already know about her. She was an amazing woman, and I was proud to introduce my son to her story. We will revisit this one when he’s older.

BOOK DETAILS
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon
by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison
2019
Hardcover, 40 pages
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

OUR CHALLENGE
Read together May 9, 2020
Book #28 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge

Rating: 5 / 5 coffee beans

Logan and I read another stellar children’s book a few days ago — this time about a real-life figure we were already somewhat familiar with: Katherine Johnson. If you’ve been living under a rock the last few years, you might not have heard of this awesome lady, but if you’ve seen the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” or paid any attention to NASA, you certainly know about her. (In fact, you also probably know about Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, as well.) Katherine Johnson was the last surviving member of this empowered trio until she passed away at the age of 101 on February 24, 2020.

Photos courtesy of the publisher (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers); my photo arrangement in Pic Collage

Genres: Non-fiction, picture books, children’s books, history, African American, gender, women, artwork, biography
Themes: motivation, intelligence, power of perseverance, heroes, education
Recommended for: general audience

Katherine G. Johnson refused to be limited by society’s expectations of her gender and race while expanding the boundaries of humanity’s reach. – – former President Barack Obama, who presented Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson

Portrait of Katherine Johnson, Credit: NASA
For more information, click here

The beautifully-illustrated picture book “A Computer Called Katherine” was released in spring 2019 to much acclaim. Since our public library has been closed for a while now, we can’t access a physical copy of the book, so we read an ebook copy on Mama’s phone. We know without a doubt that the experience of the physical book would have made the reading of this book even more wonderful, and we hope to revisit it as soon as possible.

We won’t reveal the details of the book because we definitely want you to pick it up for yourself, but we will tell you without reservation that this is one great title, for littles and adults alike. The amazing (I can’t find a better word!) artwork by illustrator Veronica Miller Jamison and the biographical narrative by children’s book author and scientist Suzanne Slade provide ample evidence that they are wholly devoted to their subject.

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  Children’s book author and scientist Suzanne Slade has written over 100 books for children, many of them science-based

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  Illustrator Veronica Miller Jamison’s glorious artwork shines a light on Johnson, one of America’s scientific heroes

The authors of the biographical book “A Computer Called Katherine”

The cheerful full-page spreads visually invite the reader into the world of NASA and American society during the time in which Katherine was doing her history-changing work. It highlights Katherine’s lifelong ambition and intellectual gifts in a way that young children will devour, making her personal determination and enthusiasm to achieve and excel an important talking point.

This book will help start the conversation about personal goals and the importance of having dreams — no matter one’s gender or skin color. It will also demonstrate how critical it is to disregard any voices saying (sometimes shouting) that something can’t be done simply because it’s never been done before. The story of Katherine’s entire life proves that if we are able to do something in our lives, we must then be willing — no matter what.

It’s simply inspiring from the first page to the last, and a must-read for young and old alike. 5 stars for the artwork alone. One of our favorite reads so far!

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

xoxo,
Mama & Logan