A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon

by Suzanne Slade, Veronica Miller Jamison (Illustrator)

* NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book,  NSTA Best STEM Books list, Bank Street College Best Books of the Year list
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.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, Space, History, Mathematics

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 2019

About the author

Sibert honoree author of more than 150 books for chlldren.

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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."

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's picture book biography of mathematician Katherine Johnson and how she and many other black women came to work for NASA and the space program. Very good and engaging with many discussion points included in the story.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book. I was, of course, familiar with her story because of the movie Hidden Figures. But this is just everything a picture book biography can and should be. If our school budget is not ridiculously low again next year (👎🏻😕) I want to get it!

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and nice repetition in the writing emphasizing math as well as the themes of perseverance in the face of prejudices.

[Nrithya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely children's book on NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson. Great way to introduce kids to the subject of careers - To dream big, to ask questions and to enjoy and celebrate work.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this picture book biography. I read it today to kindergarten and they enjoyed it. I think it would work as well with older students, too. The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that some of the text made it seem like Katherine Johnson was the ONLY curious, intelligent female. Like ever. But maybe I am wrong? Read this: "But Katherine wasn't like the other women. She asked questions. Lots of questions!" and then: "The men engineers noticed the woman who asked intelligent questions and how quickly she solved difficult math problems." You decide . . .

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book about Katherine Johnson that includes some life details that haven't been in other picture books.
Like the emphasis on her supportive family.
When the book wants to say that something is wrong, it uses a math "equation" that isn't equal. Example: "As wrong as 10-5=3."

The illustrations really add to the story.

[Rebeca Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the book, Hidden Figures, I was inspired to read the story behind Katherine. When she was a young girl she was known as a math genius and a star student. This showed when she had to skip a grade not once but twice before her family moved to attend a high school at age ten. She was then allowed to enroll at a high school at that age and then went off to college. After she graduated from West Virginia State College- at age eighteen- she became a math teacher. Even though she liked being a teacher she wanted much more so she became a mathematician at Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in 1953. Her fast problem-solving skills and questions landed her a spot on the team for the first man on the space team. In her career, she calculated Alan Shepherd's First-American-in-Flight path and certified the course for him. She also approved Apollo Eleven's Race-to-the-Moon flight which cleared a way for women to be in STEM careers. Through the challenges she faced, she would fight against the racism, sexism, and other beliefs placed on her when she was part of the space team. In this book, it has many beautiful illustrations that relate to the story with math equations, charts, and scales that surrounds the mind that a kid like Katherine was thinking of.

Since I liked the book Hidden Figures, I decided to read on about Katherine Johnson and her accomplishments in the space program. In history, students learn about Albert Einstein and other white men that did accomplishments. After several years, books like this one pop up to put a right on the history that was wrong all along. As much as I love history, I would have my students read the book since some girls may take for granted the STEM careers and that women can do the same work as men do.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both the story and the pictures are magical in this STEM biography picture book of Katherine Johnson. Who wouldn't be inspired by her tale? She was super smart and moved up grades before professors had to create new classes in order to teach her what she insatiably wanted to know and THEN ended up using in her job at NASA doing the calculations for space travel.

She was a trusted computer who calculated orbit and return and fought back against oppression-- she deigned to enter the meeting of all men when she was entitled to be in the meeting (it just hadn't been done before that a woman attended) and she pushed the boundaries of women in science and particularly black women in science.

This is endearing, hopeful, uplifting, and a powerful example of how women shaped and changed the world. The cover is everything.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine loved numbers since she was a little girl, and she was always superb at math. When she reached high school, at age 10 there wasn't one for black students. Katherine's family moved so that she would be able to attend a good high school. After graduating from West Virginia State, she became a math teacher, before discovering a job at Langley Aeronautics Laboratory as a "computer" a name given to women whose job was calculting data for male space engineers for airplane designs, and for their flight plans. After she proved herself as an inventive thinker Katherine was invited to join the space team, to plan for the flight of the first astronaut in space. She continued calculating, and planning, reaching new horizons, until she finally was responsible for calculating and charting the entire moon flight. This story highlights Katherine's inquisitive mind, always asking questions, and her resilience, never taking a "no" for the answer. A beautifully written biography inspiring girls of all cultures in STEM fields, to challenge the barriers reaching for the sky and beyond.

[CiarraL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Computer Called Katherine is the story of Katherine Johnson; a black female mathematician whose skills helped launch the first manned flight into space. During her time working for NASA, she also helped launch several other spaceflights. This is a great children’s book that highlights Katherine’s life, career, and accomplishments. We see how a love of counting and math as a child eventually led to a career as a mathematician when she got older. The book also explores some of the challenges she faced as both a black person and a woman growing up in the time period she did. The pictures in this book beautifully illustrate Katherine’s life and achievements. The story explores her life in a very succinct and engaging way that I think young readers will enjoy. I would recommend this book for kindergarten aged students or older. As a teacher I think this text could be used to explore themes of perseverance, facing adversaries, or just to teach the history and background of a world famous mathematician. I checked out a hard copy of this text from my local library, but I would recommend this book on any platform. It's a great read!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is not a new one. Adult readers meet Katherine in the popular book and movie Hidden Figure. This book brings that story down for children to read and learn about. Katherine is an important historical figure because she proved that you can be both a woman, and black, and still do impossible things like help launch people into space. The story is well written, easy to understand, and keeps the reader's attention. The illustrations are beautiful and a perfect match.
#BBRC #AtoZofpicturebooks

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Showcased in the movie Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson’s remarkable life gets its own highlight in this empowering and moving picture book. I love that it has little math jokes running through the story to tie it together and to lighten the mood a little as the racism and sexism can be hard to bear. This fascinating book shows kids what an inspiration Katherine was, and should be read by everyone.

[Allison boozy bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

PROGRESS: 1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN challenge
Read together May 9, 2020
Book #28 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge

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.

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.

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!

Link to original blog review: https://babystolemybook.wordpress.com...

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic biography of Katherine Johnson in picture book format for elementary readers. The book describes her childhood and experiences in segregated schools. It goes on to describe the challenges and limitations that she faced as a woman in science. Katherine Johnson perseveres and becomes a trusted mathematician and integral part of NASA's earliest space flights.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a beautiful book which did a good job at showing how Katherine was able to break barriers and pursue/excel at a job in STEM. It shows the needless and nonsensical barriers that woman have had to go through in order to pave out a way for themselves in that world. As a person of colour, Katherine had even more barriers and I think that this book is inspiring: to pursue ones passion and to dismantle the senseless barriers and systems that create them.

[LeeTravelGoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! 💚💚💚

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction for the younger picture book crowed. Engagingly told in a age-appropriate manner with lovely illustrations.

[Katalina Townsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring picture book biography of an amazing woman. Doesn't give a lot of information on Johnson, but a good introduction for children.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great picture book biography of Katherine Johnson and her important work for NASA during the space race. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is simple enough that it can be used with younger audiences. Highly recommended!

[Ellen Kunce · Rating 5 out of 5]

How anyone could give this less than 5 stars is beyond me. Art work was beautiful. Facts were all correct, and it reminded me of The Magic School bus books, like Ms. Frizzle wrote this herself! I got it as a Christmas gift for nephew and he’s 5. It’s going to be a fun book for him!

[Chandler Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in July 1969, uttering his famous words about it being one small step for man, he became the immortal face of the space race. Armstrong was part of the Apollo 11 crew that included not only the astronauts but the engineers and mathematicians on the ground as well. The prospect of landing a man on the moon seemed nothing more than a work of science fiction for many, something that would require years of mathematical expertise and unprecedented experimentation to make a reality. For nearly fifty years, the labor of NASA’s most essential workers, the female “computers,” was overshadowed by the accomplishments of the male engineers and astronauts. Suzanne Slade’s A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon seeks to shed some light on the story of one of those women.
Katherine Johnson began work as a NASA “computer” in 1953. She joined a large pool of women tasked with doing calculations and other work the men “thought [was] boring and unimportant.” Even so, her skill with numbers became crucial to the success of the numerous space missions NASA was working on throughout the 1960s. Astronaut John Glenn, the first man to orbit the Earth, famously refused to fly unless Katherine personally approved the calculations for his trip.
Katherine loved to count and she loved learning. As a child, she eagerly counted down the days until she could start school. For her, math was a straightforward language with simple answers to complex problems but the world around her was not quite as easy to understand. In her hometown, there were arguments about whether children with different skin colors should attend the same schools or whether women could have the same jobs as men. Katherine believed the obstacles put in her way by these arguments were wrong because all she wanted was to continue learning and working with numbers. Her family moved to a new town so she could attend high school – at only ten years old! At this new school, she was introduced to geometry and other new mathematical concepts.
Katherine had an insatiable hunger for knowledge that stayed with her throughout her life. While at West Virginia State College, a professor taught more challenging math classes just for Katherine. Her career prospects after graduation were limited to teaching and nursing because she still lived in a world full of prejudice, but she believed women could be anything, including mathematicians. She found the perfect job at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory where they were hiring women to work on calculations that would help the male engineers with their designs. While she worked with numbers all day, she began to wonder what her calculations were being used for and she didn’t keep her curiosity silent. By asking lots of questions, Katherine found herself breaking down walls that had previously limited what women were allowed to do in the field of aerospace engineering, becoming the first woman to attend the engineers’ meetings. She joined the team working on sending the first astronaut into space and, using her impressive skills with geometry, calculated the ideal time the spacecraft should blast off. After this successful, albeit short, space flight, Katherine was almost replaced by a new machine that could work out calculations must faster than any person. Luckily for Katherine, this machine did not inspire confidence in the astronauts and her job was safe.
The biggest challenge for Katherine and NASA came in the 1960s when both the Soviet Union and the United States became obsessed with putting a man on the moon and winning the “space race.” Katherine knew that this would be a difficult journey to calculate because the numbers would have to be perfect; any mistakes could result in the spaceship missing the moon entirely! There were many moving parts to consider in solving this geometry problem and many people believed in could not be solved at all. But Katherine knew every math problem has an answer and she set out to prove it. The big day came and Katherine watched nervously as Apollo 11 lifted off. Four days later, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon’s surface, planted an American flag, and Katherine breathed a sigh of relief.
This short biography details Katherine’s unique relationship with numbers. Slade uses mathematical equations to illustrate Katherine’s understanding of the racism and sexism of the times in which she lived: “Katherine knew it was wrong that African Americans didn’t have the same rights as others – as wrong as 5 + 5 = 12. Paired with Veronica Miller Jamison’s watercolor images, there is no question that Katherine saw the world from a different perspective; her brain was always buzzing with information. The chalk diagrams included throughout Jamison’s images visualize both Katherine’s thought process and the flight paths she helped calculate. Slade includes a pair of striking quotes from Katherine alongside a small collection of archival photos at the end of the book. A timeline tracing Katherine’s life from her birth to President Obama awarding her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 offers further points of exploration for the interested reader. Influenced by the popularity of the Hidden Figures film released in 2016, this book joins a host of others focused on Katherine and NASA’s female “computers” released in 2018/2019, including Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 (Helaine Becker, 2018); NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson (Heather E. Schwartz, 2018); Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly, 2018); Reaching for the Moon (Katherine Johnson, 2019); and Katherine Johnson (Ebony Wilkins, 2019).

IL: LG BL: 4.3 AR Pts: 0.5 AR Quiz: RP

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written introduction to Katherine Johnson and her outstanding courage, determination and skills. The story is appealing and interesting for youngsters and the back matter is excellent and inludes both an author and an illustrator's notes

Veronica Miller Jamison's illustrations are lively and fun with numbers and math cleverly included. A terrific STEM book but a great choice for any picture collection.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students and I loved this book! It was beautifully illustrated, engaging, and inspiring. It prompted several important discussions and kindled an heightened interest in math and science. My class adored it, and even my reluctant readers enjoyed retelling the story through the pictures.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Computer Called Katherine by Suzanne Slade is a biography about a mathematician, Katherine Johnson. Ever since Katherine was younger, she always had a fascination with math and numbers. As she grew up, she continuously advanced academically and placed out of her grade level. Katherine’s ability with math continued to grow but she began to realize that a lot of people doubted her because she was an African American female. The doubt motivated Katherine as she proved everyone wrong. She continued to do things that were thought of as impossible and changed history in the process. Katherine eventually made calculations that helped assist America’s first manned space flight. Throughout the story, we learn more about Katherine’s journey to being a mathematical “computer”.

This book is appropriate for class readings or independent reading. I think it would be most beneficial to read aloud in a 1st-4th grade classroom. This book should be introduced to students because it addresses civil and women’s rights. I also think this book is a great way to introduce autobiography/biographies into the classroom. I think this book can be used for a few lessons. Since the book addresses social justices, it would be a great foundation for teaching about the civil war and continuous fights for women’s rights. To further this social studies lesson, students can research a historical figure that advocated for civil rights or women’s rights. Once students have their historical figure, they will gather information on them and create an all about me with a portrait of the individual. In addition to this, another lesson that can be incorporated with the book, is an integrated math and science lesson. Since the book mentioned how Katherine is a great mathematician who did calculations for NASA, students can do a lesson to calculate things associated with space. For example, a lesson can be done where students calculate the distance of stars or planets. Furthermore, students can also calculate the proportion of planets to others by utilizing fractions.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon is a children's picture book written by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. It chronicles the life of Katherine Johnson – an instrumental part of getting the first man on the moon.

Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson is an African-American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights. During her 35-year career at NASA and its predecessor, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped the space agency pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks.

Slade's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. It detailed the childhood of Katherine Johnson and how she loved counting and numbers. It also detail the trails that she had to face when she wants to go against societal norms, because the color of her skin and her gender. There is an additional and helpful timeline in the back of the book that shows her life’s work. Jamison's illustrations are drawn rather well, reminiscent of vivid watercolors, and depict the narrative rather well.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It depicts the life of Katherine Johnson from her early childhood through adulthood. It is a wonderful introduction to an important chapter in history and an incredibly inspiring woman who helped changed the world. It stresses the important messages about perseverance and the courage to break through barriers in order to achieve dreams.

All in all, A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon is a wonderful book about perseverance, courage, and hard work through the wonderful example of Katherine Johnson.

[Tara Gunstenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Computer Called Katherine” is a beautifully illustrated picture book about the mathematician Katherine Johnson, who helped NASA to put the first man on the moon. Katherine sped through mathematics in school, went to college at age 15 and became a math teacher. From there, she got hired as a “computer” at a research company and eventually worked her way up to work with the engineers on their mission to send the first man into space, and eventually to the moon. Katherine had to overcome many struggles on her journey to working at NASA. She was an African American woman in a completely white male dominated field. She was told no over and over throughout her life, but she refused to take no for an answer. Every time people tried to limit Katherine because of her race or gender, the story illustrates her response with incorrect math problems. For example, “Back then, people said women could only be teachers or nurses. Katherine know that was wrong- as wrong as 10-5=3.” Overall, Katherine’s story can be an inspiration to anyone who is told by society that their potential is limited by their race, gender, age, physical abilities, etc. The language in the book is fairly simple and geared towards younger children if you are reading it allowed, however, the message of the book is for anyone. This book could also be read by mid-elementary students if they are learning about this particular time in history or about historical people. There is a lot of good information and facts about Kathrine Johnson’s life that they could use if they are researching for a project or report.

[Bonnie Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third grader is currently going through a phase of only wanting to read books which are "real" but finding nonfiction books at his reading level that also spark his interest is a bit of a challenge sometimes. We found this one kind of at random while scrolling through a list of nonfiction Kindle books available through the library and since it was sort of about space (one of his big interests), he decided to check it out. We both really enjoyed biography about Katherine Johnson, one of the computers who worked at NASA during the space race. I was really impressed by Katherine's family and their dedication to making sure she got a good education- they had to move so that Katherine could go to high school, because her town didn't have a high school for black students. L also liked the story and especially appreciated the way that Katherine counted everything (he tried to follow her example and count how many steps it took to walk to school on his first day back in person), and he also really liked how when the book talked about Katherine knowing something was unfair, it used a math equation to talk about how wrong it was (for example, when talking about how when Katherine was a child, some people believed that black and white children shouldn't go to the same schools: "Their arguments seemed wrong to Katherine- as wrong as 5 + 5 = 12").

[Teresa Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before there were laptops or desktop computers, there were people who solved all sort of complex equations. This biography of Katherine Johnson shares details about the life of an African-American female mathematician who solved extremely complex equations helping America to put a man on the moon. Defying the typical stereotypes, misconceptions, and inequities of the mid 1900's regarding race and gender, Katherine's love of numbers and computations helped her to overcome every obstacle and become an instrumental contributor to one of America's greatest accomplishments. One aspect of this book that really stands out to me is how incorrect mathematical equations were used to illustrate Kathrine's logical arguments regarding what is right and wrong. These equations create very clear distinctions illuminating how unfairly people were treated based on their ethnicity or gender. The realistic illustrations depict images showing just how difficult the task of calculating the equations needed for a successful mission to the moon would be as well as what some of the earliest computers looked like. This upbeat and encouraging text demonstrates to young girls that they can pursue careers in STEM fields.

As a read aloud, this book is ideal for preschool through second grade illustrating the importance of studying math as well as having a growth mindset to always seek and apply knowledge and new skills. In the classroom, this text would provide a great example of why studying math is important. Students can discuss the equations in the text as well as the many math formulas and geometric shapes present in the illustrations. Providing a purpose for math beyond just earning a good grade, Katherine's story brings a tangible example of how math can be applicable making it less abstract. Additionally, a social emotional lesson could be planned to teach about the importance of having a growth mindset and always seeking to learn new things and practice new skills. Katherine discovers a love for math at a young age and continues to seek out ways to grow in her knowledge and understanding despite having to make sacrifices and overcome conflicts to hone her skills and realize her fullest potential. This story provides a great window into understanding the life of a brave African-American woman as well as a mirror for students to imagine themselves making such great achievements.