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Hidden Figures
by
Based on the New York Times bestsellingbook and the Academy Award–nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrator Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers!
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.
They
...moreKindle Edition, 384 pages
Published
May 8th 2018
by HarperCollins
(first published January 16th 2018)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Hidden Figures
I have now read the full novel of this, seen the movie of this and read the children’s book of this. Obviously, the children’s book misses out on so much, but it’s a great introduction for children. The good thing about it is you can get a feel for the bigger picture or overview of what really happened. I mean, it really is an amazing true story in American history.
The artwork is nice and I like how really good at math these girls are. My niece is struggling with math at the moment and she is ...more
The artwork is nice and I like how really good at math these girls are. My niece is struggling with math at the moment and she is ...more
Jul 27, 2018
Stephanie Anze
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction
Before rockets where launched into space and man walked on the moon, a group of underrepresented women worked in shadows. Hired as computers, these women used their minds, a ruler and paper for complex equations that set trajectories and made history. Of black descent, theirs was a story that had been previously been unknown. Now Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden finally have the spotlight and theirs is a story that rises higher than the rockets they help sent
...more
May 26, 2018
KC
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
race,
inspirational,
science,
childrens,
civil-rights,
diversity,
girl-power,
empowerment,
non-fiction
A wonderful telling of the African American women who helped launch the space program. In the bio for Katherine Johnson the author failed to mentioned her Medal of Freedom award.
I could do with a bit more explicitness around “because racism” — I think segregation is presented mostly as “separate spaces” and less “also not equal & danger.” But overall, it’s a beautiful book & gives brief bios of each of the four women. I also think there could have been a bit more math. Interested to read the grownup book & what made it to this version. (This library hold came through first.)
Four women are profiled in this little book (my review for the grown up version) with lovely illustrations. How could I not enjoy reading about brilliant women doing brilliant things?
Mar 01, 2018
Elizabeth
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackGirlsLo...
I really like this illustration style (the matte paper).
Whereas the adult book and ensuing movie works to show how Dorothy, Mary, and Katherine were part of a community together, this picture book merely moves from one woman to the next. Because I read quickly, I would often find myself confused and then remember that oh yes, the name of this woman was different than the name of the previous woman I was reading about.
Although it talks about various legal and cultural barriers the women faced ...more
Whereas the adult book and ensuing movie works to show how Dorothy, Mary, and Katherine were part of a community together, this picture book merely moves from one woman to the next. Because I read quickly, I would often find myself confused and then remember that oh yes, the name of this woman was different than the name of the previous woman I was reading about.
Although it talks about various legal and cultural barriers the women faced ...more
This is such a lovely picture book version of the book. Perfect for children so they can learn this important story of these incredible women.
Black women in math and science who changed our world. An important book to have in the classroom.
Thanks to the book by the same name for adults, as well as the successful movie based on that book, many people know the story of the four African-American women who helped NASA send men into space. Now the author and an illustrator have teamed up to bring the story to children.
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were “really good" at math, and they loved it enough to want to make a career out of it. Dorothy Vaughan got interested during WWII, out of a desire ...more
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were “really good" at math, and they loved it enough to want to make a career out of it. Dorothy Vaughan got interested during WWII, out of a desire ...more
I am grateful for a picture book edition of Hidden Figures that makes each woman's narrative accessible to our youngest readers. It tells the true stories of four black women: Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, and the important roles they played working for NASA. Their work as computers (mathematicians) and engineers was critical in developing aircraft that could fly faster, higher, and safer. Their labor extended beyond our planet to outer space.
The emphasis ...more
The emphasis ...more
The book is about four powerful women who worked in NASA and helped NASA to be successful. Now their stories inspire both women and African Americans. Also, it shows how African Americans were segregated and threatened not equal, then how they earned their rights. There is also a pretty good movie with the same name “Hidden Figures”. If you didn’t watch it yet, watch it as soon as possible. Different from the movie, they added one more women, Dr. Christine Mann Darden, to the book.
Illustrations ...more
Illustrations ...more
This was very abbreviated. I guess I'll have to read the adult edition to get more information. Actually most of it just left me wondering and wanting more info. For example: in the half page long biographies at the back, Katherine Johnson contributed calculations to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969. I can see why that was so important, no question. However, that was a long time ago and she is still alive (according to Wikipedia) at age 99. She didn't do anything noteworthy since 1969?
...more
Phenomenal. This was loaned to me by a teacher and I've already ordered a copy for the library. Gorgeous art and a well-told story brings the history of the black women who helped shape NASA to life for elementary kids. In addition to the biographical aspect, the book uses very age appropriate language to talk about the social aspects of their achievements. It highlights some of the struggles faced by all African Americans during the civil rights era, as well as discussing the ways in which
...more
A picture book, children's version of Hidden Figures, of an adult non-fiction book of the same name. There is also a hit film also called Hidden Figures. This is a touching story of four African-American women who worked between 1941-1970 as computers for NASA to help the war effort in making jet planes fly faster and safer and later, rockets in the space program. The women survived discrimination both as females and as African-Americans. It is written in an interesting and comprehensible way
...more
Feb 11, 2018
Julie Kirchner
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
I’m super excited to have a little easier book to share with students about these incredible women. My students were very intrigued by Hidden Figures last year when the movie came out, but the text of the book, even the children’s version, was inaccessible to some of my students. I’m happy to have this one as a step into the longer, more involved text. It may be a little hard to follow for some students since all the stories are somewhat combined and not clearly defined. The back matter,
...more
A+ illustrations, a perfect book for reading aloud.
Feb 25, 2018
Baby Bookworm
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
our-reviews
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book tonight is the wonderful Hidden Figures: The True Story Of Four Black Women And The Space Race, written by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling and illustrated by Laura Freeman.
Based on Shetterly’s book of the same name, Hidden Figures examines the contributions of four remarkable women of color to the space and aeronautics industry from WWII to the height of the ...more
Jan 26, 2018
Emily Hernandez
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-lit2018
Nonfiction Entry/Twin Text Entry #1
This book is a biography nonfiction book and tells the amazing story of four black women and their involvement in the space race. Their names are Dorothy Johnson Vaughan, Mary Winston Jackson, Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, and Dr. Christine Mann Darden. They were all really good at math and worked for The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at the Langley Laboratory in Hampton, VA. The book includes beautiful illustrations of the women and their work ...more
This book is a biography nonfiction book and tells the amazing story of four black women and their involvement in the space race. Their names are Dorothy Johnson Vaughan, Mary Winston Jackson, Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson, and Dr. Christine Mann Darden. They were all really good at math and worked for The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at the Langley Laboratory in Hampton, VA. The book includes beautiful illustrations of the women and their work ...more
Sep 26, 2018
LaShonica Lawrence
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
girls-who-defy-gender-roles-text-se
This historical fiction book was an awesome and informative read! The age range for this book is 4-8, however, I’m unsure if kindergartners and first graders will remain interested throughout the entire book. The illustrations are simply amazing, and I think the illustrations are key to keeping interests in this book. The vocabulary may be too advanced for younger kids. I like that there’s a lot of Social Studies in this book. Teachers could definitely use this book for a Social Studies lesson
...more
Mar 31, 2018
June
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Black and Women's history history and STEM requests
Recommended to June by:
capitolchoices.org
Prejudice against women and math still exists (as proved by the Google engineer's article) and I don't think we can have too many biographies highlighting women in the field. I think it is wonderful that John Glenn specifically requested that Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson double-check the computer's calculations of his spacecraft's orbit!
I do wish the first 5? women mentioned in the author's note included their names.
I do wish the first 5? women mentioned in the author's note included their names.
This book was a great introduction to the women of "Hidden Figures" for young readers. It provides a great synopsis of the original book and movie and includes a brief biography of each woman. I highly recommend this book for children who dream big, especially girls of color who are "really good at math."
This true story is inspiring, but the telling of it here is dry—especially for a children’s book. It seemed mostly a listing of facts. Repetition was used one time in the story and that was effective. The illustrations were well done. This could be useful for an elementary student writing a report about one of these women.
Excellent book for both kids and adults
Great illustrations and awesome content for kids and adults alike. Also a relatively smoother introduction to issues of race and segregation in the American history.
Great illustrations and awesome content for kids and adults alike. Also a relatively smoother introduction to issues of race and segregation in the American history.
Love. Love. Love!
This book is so inspiring! I love the message it shares with young readers - how if you have a dream, no matter how hard it is to reach that dream, give it everything you got & you’ll eventually achieve it ...more
This book is so inspiring! I love the message it shares with young readers - how if you have a dream, no matter how hard it is to reach that dream, give it everything you got & you’ll eventually achieve it ...more
an amazing story of prejudice and overcoming expectations by never giving up. This is a story that should be taught in school so children will realize heroes can be anyone, even black women.
Fantastic story! I really enjoyed this story! True heroes for what they did and what they overcame!
Loved the artwork. I think the writing was a bit awkward, as if the author was trying to hard to write to children.
I love kids book biographies! I may have learned more from this than from the admittedly excellent movie in some ways. Gorgeous illustrations-- I especially loved the one on the time of Civil Rights which shows black and white people interspersed holding hands in solidarity.
"No one was better than Katherine at solving tricky math problems."
"Today we think of computers as machines, but in the 1940'2, computers were actual people like Dorothy, Mary, Katherine, and Christine. Their job was to do ...more
"No one was better than Katherine at solving tricky math problems."
"Today we think of computers as machines, but in the 1940'2, computers were actual people like Dorothy, Mary, Katherine, and Christine. Their job was to do ...more
Coretta Scott King Award Nominee for Illustrator (2019), NAACP Image Award Nominee for Children (2019)
A [much] condensed version of the New York Times Bestselling (Adult) book by the same title and author about the four black women who made a HUGE impact on the United States Space program.
This is very well written with beautiful illustrations by Laura Freeman.
A [much] condensed version of the New York Times Bestselling (Adult) book by the same title and author about the four black women who made a HUGE impact on the United States Space program.
This is very well written with beautiful illustrations by Laura Freeman.
This review was originally shared on Lazy Day Literature
I have the full length novel somewhere on my TBR shelf waiting to be read but I couldn't pass up reading the picture book to my daughter. I love books like this that show girls that they too can grow up to do amazing things if only they persevere and follow their dreams.
More so, this picture book is about the four intelligent black women who worked for NASA, doing mathematics, programming their first computer, engineering airplanes and ...more
I have the full length novel somewhere on my TBR shelf waiting to be read but I couldn't pass up reading the picture book to my daughter. I love books like this that show girls that they too can grow up to do amazing things if only they persevere and follow their dreams.
More so, this picture book is about the four intelligent black women who worked for NASA, doing mathematics, programming their first computer, engineering airplanes and ...more
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