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Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing
A true story from one of the Women of NASA!
Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world.
Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft's computer to solve any problems it might encounter. Apollo 8. Apollo 9. Apollo 10. Apollo 11. Without her code, none of those missions could have been completed.
Dean Robbins and Lucy Knisley deliver a lovely portrayal of a pioneer in her field who never stopped reaching for the stars.
Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world.
Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft's computer to solve any problems it might encounter. Apollo 8. Apollo 9. Apollo 10. Apollo 11. Without her code, none of those missions could have been completed.
Dean Robbins and Lucy Knisley deliver a lovely portrayal of a pioneer in her field who never stopped reaching for the stars.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
9 people are currently reading
715 people want to read
About the author
Dean Robbins
15 books8 followersDean Robbins writes nonfiction children’s picture books about his heroes. His award-winning books have been featured on Public Radio International and praised in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and other publications, along with receiving starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal. They’ve been chosen for best-of-the-year honors by the American Library Association, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and Children’s Book Council, among others, and "Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass" was adapted as a short film by Weston Wood Studios. As a journalist, Robbins has served as the editor of Isthmus and contributed to USA Today, The New York Daily News, Space.com, Wisconsin Public Radio, and other media outlets. He draws on his journalism experience to interview the subjects of his children’s books, including Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean and NASA’s pioneering computer scientist Margaret Hamilton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews
March 16, 2018
Oh, if only there had been books like this when I was a kid. How wonderful to let little kids see that girls can do anything, even write code that would save the Apollo mission to the moon.
One reviewer complained that it didn't give enough information, and it was too short, but it is a picture book meant for the very young, and this is all they need.
Very colorful illustrations by Lucy Knisley, artist known for her foodie cartoons, and of late, for her cartoons about her toddler son, code name Palindrome.
Fun for kids to see themselves reflected in a picture book story.
One reviewer complained that it didn't give enough information, and it was too short, but it is a picture book meant for the very young, and this is all they need.
Very colorful illustrations by Lucy Knisley, artist known for her foodie cartoons, and of late, for her cartoons about her toddler son, code name Palindrome.
Fun for kids to see themselves reflected in a picture book story.
June 6, 2018
Margaret Hamilton is someone who everyone should know. Everyone knows Neil Armstrong but there are many other people who had a significant impact on the landing on the moon, like Margaret Hamilton. She is the one that developed onboard flight software for the Apollo space program. When we read this book in our Pink STREAM coding and electronic classes, girls were very surprised because the landing on the moon was possible with a woman's program. The stereotypes make people think NASA engineers are men, coders are men, astronauts are men...but there are so many women too. So with books like Margaret and the Moon we should break the stereotypes. The book has great illustrations and keeps the attention of children. Also, it is very inspiring and motivating girls to join STEM fields.
July 21, 2017
I wish the format had permitted the inclusion of a little more information about her life, but overall this is a very good short biography of the woman who invented the term "software engineer" and who wrote the computer code for the Apollo program.
Much of the bibliography is material written for adults, far above the level of this book, but at least the information is there.
The visuals, a mixture of illustrations and photographs, is both informative and interesting. I thought that the visual proof of how much computer code she had to write was especially interesting.
Much of the bibliography is material written for adults, far above the level of this book, but at least the information is there.
The visuals, a mixture of illustrations and photographs, is both informative and interesting. I thought that the visual proof of how much computer code she had to write was especially interesting.
September 11, 2022
Good introduction to her work for the young, but even kids as young as 8 will want more. Fortunately, there's a note and a bibliography to get them started. Recommended to all families and other educators.
September 4, 2024
Labor Day picture book read-aloud marathon with my wife! (Book 6 of 7)
A nice little biography of an early computer programmer who worked on the Apollo missions. The writing didn't quite work for me, but Lucy Knisley's art kept the events flowing in a fun way.
A nice little biography of an early computer programmer who worked on the Apollo missions. The writing didn't quite work for me, but Lucy Knisley's art kept the events flowing in a fun way.
October 9, 2017
This biographical tale about
October 21, 2017
The subtitle of this book is “How Margaret Hamilton Saved The First Lunar Landing,” and it introduces readers to Margaret Hamilton, “who loved to solve problems” and “came up with ideas no one had ever thought of before.” Eventually she became a part of the American space program at NASA.
As the author informs us:
“She helped Apollo 8 orbit the moon ten times. She helped Apollo 9 connect two ships in space. She helped Apollo 10 get within nine miles of the moon’s surface.”
Most famously, she helped Apollo 11 land on the moon even after several computer alarms had been triggered, becoming a hero of the mission. In 2003, she won NASA’s Exceptional Space Act Award for her groundbreaking contributions to the U.S. space program. The Award recognized her achievements, stating “Apollo lives on today, continuing to impact the modern world in part through the many innovations created and championed by Ms. Hamilton.”
Margaret was born on August 17, 1936. She was always curious, as the author explains, and especially loved solving problems in math. When computers first came into use, she was delighted:
“Margaret could use this new invention to answer so many questions about the universe!”
And she did, programming computers to do things they had never done before. In 1960, Margaret took an interim position at MIT to develop software for predicting weather. She later observed that at that time, computer science and software engineering were not yet disciplines; instead, programmers learned on the job with hands-on experience. From 1961 to 1963, she worked on a project writing software for military use in anti-aircraft air defense. This work led to her being chosen as Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for the Apollo space program.
After her work with NASA, she went on to found her own companies for systems design and software development.
In his Author’s Note, Robbins credits Margaret's father with always taking her questions seriously, and making her believe she could be anything she wanted. She became “fearless.” In fact, Robbins said, when Hamilton became a pioneer in programming computers, “the job had no name, so she made one up: software engineer. She was one of the only female computer scientists of the 1950’s and ‘60s.”
Hamilton has published over 130 papers, proceedings, and reports about the 60 projects and six major programs in which she has been involved.
On November 22, 2016, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama for her work leading the development of on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo Moon missions.
You may recognize the work of illustrator Lucy Knisley from her adult graphic novels such as Relish: My Life In The Kitchen.. She employs cartoon-style illustrations - a perfect choice to convey the excitement of Margaret’s discoveries, and a variety of texts to punctuate the narration.
At the back of the book, there is an Author’s Note, a bibliography, and a list of recommendations for additional reading.
Evaluation: Both Robbins and Knisley are to be credited with making what could have been a dry story into more of an inspiring and entertaining comic book tale of a real-life superhero.
As the author informs us:
“She helped Apollo 8 orbit the moon ten times. She helped Apollo 9 connect two ships in space. She helped Apollo 10 get within nine miles of the moon’s surface.”
Most famously, she helped Apollo 11 land on the moon even after several computer alarms had been triggered, becoming a hero of the mission. In 2003, she won NASA’s Exceptional Space Act Award for her groundbreaking contributions to the U.S. space program. The Award recognized her achievements, stating “Apollo lives on today, continuing to impact the modern world in part through the many innovations created and championed by Ms. Hamilton.”
Margaret was born on August 17, 1936. She was always curious, as the author explains, and especially loved solving problems in math. When computers first came into use, she was delighted:
“Margaret could use this new invention to answer so many questions about the universe!”
And she did, programming computers to do things they had never done before. In 1960, Margaret took an interim position at MIT to develop software for predicting weather. She later observed that at that time, computer science and software engineering were not yet disciplines; instead, programmers learned on the job with hands-on experience. From 1961 to 1963, she worked on a project writing software for military use in anti-aircraft air defense. This work led to her being chosen as Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for the Apollo space program.
After her work with NASA, she went on to found her own companies for systems design and software development.
In his Author’s Note, Robbins credits Margaret's father with always taking her questions seriously, and making her believe she could be anything she wanted. She became “fearless.” In fact, Robbins said, when Hamilton became a pioneer in programming computers, “the job had no name, so she made one up: software engineer. She was one of the only female computer scientists of the 1950’s and ‘60s.”
Hamilton has published over 130 papers, proceedings, and reports about the 60 projects and six major programs in which she has been involved.
On November 22, 2016, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama for her work leading the development of on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo Moon missions.
You may recognize the work of illustrator Lucy Knisley from her adult graphic novels such as Relish: My Life In The Kitchen.. She employs cartoon-style illustrations - a perfect choice to convey the excitement of Margaret’s discoveries, and a variety of texts to punctuate the narration.
At the back of the book, there is an Author’s Note, a bibliography, and a list of recommendations for additional reading.
Evaluation: Both Robbins and Knisley are to be credited with making what could have been a dry story into more of an inspiring and entertaining comic book tale of a real-life superhero.
April 30, 2018
This is amazing!! Why did I not learn about Margaret Hamilton in school? Why is she ignored in the landing Apollo 11, when she saved the day?! Such an important book. Give this to everyone! Read for Info Books for Youth for grad school.
August 5, 2020
This was a very cute story. It is not very helpful if you want to learn a lot about Margaret. It is definitely a children's story that skims some of the facts. A good look that girls can do math and science. They can help in some really intense situations!
June 24, 2024
I certainly did not know a woman wrote the code for the Apollo rockets! Her father encouraged her wonder and to try unconventional jobs for women. This also explained in general but clear language what went wrong with the mission and that Margaret Hamilton had thought of the problem and protected the rocket from it. What a legacy to leave behind and what a way to shut up people who sneer girls can’t do math!
May 19, 2017
Great book about a woman whose contributions to making it possible for Neil Armstrong to land on the moon have gone unsung for a long time. I love the illustrations and the playful way her story is told. Another fine addition to the growing number of illustrated informational picture books.
June 9, 2017
Cool story about a cool lady in history! Love the illustrations, too!
Can't decide if I think the font is super fun or if it just makes it harder to read.
Still an amazing book!
Can't decide if I think the font is super fun or if it just makes it harder to read.
Still an amazing book!
August 7, 2017
I love this book!
October 5, 2017
Women in science #FTW
Read
March 21, 2019Margaret Hamilton has always been an unconventional thinker. As a computer software engineer, she wrote codes to tell computers to track planes, predict the weather, and fly astronaut Neil Armstrong in Apollo 11 to the moon for NASA. The book reminds every parent and teacher of the importance to encourage children to use their imagination and curiosity to solve problems in unusual ways.
July 7, 2019
Excellent
December 11, 2020
A wonderful biography all about Margaret Hamilton, her passion for mathematics and code, and how she got the U.S. to the Moon and back!
March 22, 2021
从Rebel Girls知道了Margaret Hamilton，她作为NASA软件工程师与数学家参与了从Apollo 8到Apollo 11的工作。
这本的画风不是很喜欢，编绘水平不如Hidden Figures.
这本的画风不是很喜欢，编绘水平不如Hidden Figures.
March 31, 2025
It was a good book and very interesting!
July 21, 2017
This is a great children's biography about Margaret Hamilton and how she wrote the code for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The story is crisply told and the illustrations are bright and engaging.
January 25, 2024
I felt like there were... gaps.
Spoiler alert... She "saved" the mission by preemptively doing her work very well to avoid problems.
Spoiler alert... She "saved" the mission by preemptively doing her work very well to avoid problems.
April 26, 2019
I wanted to like this more than I did. The writing was a bit off, especially for when Margaret was growing up. And the art was just okay, though I was happy to see the artist illustrating a children's book. The historical note was better.
October 2, 2017
This picture book biography passed the preschooler test - my two-year-old made me read it twice in a row, exclaiming over the pictures: "She playing music! She painting! Wow, mooooon!"
This does a great job of highlighting the accomplishments of a true trailblazer.
Notes on representation: Hamilton was white; people of other skin colors are depicted in crowd scenes and in Margaret's imagination.
This does a great job of highlighting the accomplishments of a true trailblazer.
Notes on representation: Hamilton was white; people of other skin colors are depicted in crowd scenes and in Margaret's imagination.
May 20, 2017
Although I'd have liked to have known more about her, this picture book biography of Margaret Hamilton, the talented mathematician and software engineer who wrote the computer codes that made the lunar landing possible, is quite interesting and sure to encourage some girls to follow in her footsteps. Created with ink and then colored in Adobe Photoshop, the illustrations are appealing and simple, with just enough detail to interest readers. The text makes it clear that Margaret was always a hard worker and a problem solver, characteristics that would help her stick to the course in later life. While she was curious about the dearth of women in professions dominated by men, she was fascinated by the universe, an interest nurtured by her father. Her interest in numbers led to an interest in computers and writing codes that would enable computers to perform complicated tasks. I enjoyed how the book describes how she went to work for NASA and then began imagining all the complications of a landing on the moon. When something actually did go wrong, she trusted that her code would set things right and allow two men to walk on the moon. Having photos of Margaret on the end papers helps readers see what she really looked like, but the illustrations seem to have stayed close to the truth and captured her curiosity and deep interest in what's out there. Hers is just another one of those inspiring stories that remind readers how much effort went into the Apollo projects and how easily things could have gone wrong. As often as I make mistakes when adding a column of numbers or figuring out my income tax, I was left in awe of this woman's mathematical genius. Her story will appeal to anyone, but particularly those who find themselves gazing in wonder at the night sky and wondering what's out there.
May 23, 2017
Another great picture book of someone who made a contribution to the world and whose story hasn't been heard until now.
One of the traits I enjoyed about Margaret Hamilton was her being prepared for any scenario that may happen. Of course, she had a plan!
I loved the photos of Margaret and how they were used as inspirations for certain illustrations.
One of the traits I enjoyed about Margaret Hamilton was her being prepared for any scenario that may happen. Of course, she had a plan!
I loved the photos of Margaret and how they were used as inspirations for certain illustrations.
January 29, 2018
1/28/2018 ~~ Hmmm. Great concept, interesting illustrations and layout. I'll order for my library. HOWEVER, I wish the story told a bit more about the context Hamilton worked in: education, barriers faced, people she interacted with. The book feels like she worked in a vacuum. I want my girls to know more about college, advanced degrees, etc.
June 17, 2019
An approachable, easy to read story about Margaret Hamilton and the computer code she wrote for the moon missions. Cute illustrations that actually do capture the real Hamilton in a cartoony kind of way, and an inspirational story about curiosity and hard work.
February 14, 2020
Before Margaret saved the first lunar landing she programmed computers to track airplanes and to predict the weather. She also would become the director of software programming for the Apollo. In 2016 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
May 5, 2017
Appealing picture book biography of the software engineer who wrote the computer code for several Apollo missions, including Apollo 11.
April 11, 2024
Do you love science, and want to learn more about the moon, well then 3,2,1, blast off and read Margret and the Moon! In this book we are introduced to Margret who loves solving problems and is interested in the planets and space, she also gets to work in NASA and accomplishes a great thing! The major themes in this book are to see problems around you and find a solution for it and act on it (make sure the solution is realistic), and continue the passion that you have because it will lead you to do something amazing, something that you thought will never come true! Even though this book looks like a realistic fiction book it is an informational text genre. Through reading this book I learned more about the moon, like how fast it goes, how wide it is, how far it is from the Earth, and more, which children will learn after reading this book as well! This book was a WOW book for me because, I really love science even though I'm not really good at it, and I love learning about space because that also interests me and this book had a combination of both, as well as seeing Margaret accomplish something with her passion motivated me!
A few of the writing craft techniques the author used that enhanced the quality of the writing of this book were hyperbole and setting. The author used hyperbole to show us how Margaret was passionate about her studies, for example, the author wrote "She will study hard in every subject at school" which is possible but the author was exaggerating. The author uses the setting to show us how Margaret's love of studying and curiosity led her to her biggest accomplishment! I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because this book was focused on Margaret and her journey and facts about the moon and nothing else, that is harmful and not.
A few of the writing craft techniques the author used that enhanced the quality of the writing of this book were hyperbole and setting. The author used hyperbole to show us how Margaret was passionate about her studies, for example, the author wrote "She will study hard in every subject at school" which is possible but the author was exaggerating. The author uses the setting to show us how Margaret's love of studying and curiosity led her to her biggest accomplishment! I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because this book was focused on Margaret and her journey and facts about the moon and nothing else, that is harmful and not.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 182 reviews