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Counting On Katherine

Author:

Helaine Becker

Illustrator:

Dow Phumiruk

Published by:

Macmillan Children's Books

First Published:

15 Apr 2021

Ideal for readers age

6-9y

My Review

Gorgeously and colourfully illustrated, this is a wonderful picture book biography telling the story of Katherine Johnson, the African-American mathematician whose role in bringing Apollo 13 safely back from its near fatal journey to the moon has been largely unknown until now. The book tracks her childhood obsession with maths through to her adult contributions in the world of space engineering, and is a brilliant read for inspiring girls - and anyone! - about the role maths can play in the world, and how maths - yes, maths - can make you are hero!

Heads Up!

The book is American, so has a couple of instances of Maths being described as 'Math' - adjust or not as you please!

Publisher Review

Meet Katherine Johnson, the mathematical genius who helped make the historic Apollo 11 moon landings possible and made sure that Apollo 13 returned home safely when the mission was in critical danger. Counting on Katherine is a beautiful illustrated biography, sure to inspire young readers. Winner of the information book category of the UKLA Book Awards. As a child, Katherine loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about maths, about the universe . . . Helaine Becker interviewed Katherine and her family for this authorized biography. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the true story of a groundbreaking African-American woman who went above and beyond what was expected of her in the 1960s, saving lives and making enormous contributions to history. Featuring Dow Phumiruk's gorgeous full-colour illustrations throughout.
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