This is such a wonderful addition to the Little People Big Dreams series! I loved reading Katherine Johnson's story - it brought to mind images from the movie Hidden Figures. The end of the book gives the powerful reminder that "when you find what you love to do, you must give it your all." I think that's a great lesson for kids who are reading this book and learning about the incredible work that Katherine did and the path that got her to NASA.

It's always fascinating to read about the intelligent and capable women who helped to accelerate the space program in the U.S. and be reminded of their incredible contributions toward making huge steps in history happen. The illustrations in this book are great and help to support the story being told on each page. This is definitely an excellent story to have as part of the collection - and a great historical figure that can inspire young people today. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book!

Katherine Johnson is a children's picture book about an African American mathematiciam whose calculations helped put a man on the moon. The book spotlights how racist policy served as an obstacle for her career. From university student, to teacher, to calculation reviewer, to engineer, the book follows her through all the steps in her career. I would recommend this book for ages 5-8. This book is an excellent addition to a classroom and a home library to increase childrens content about African American history or Women in STEM. Many adults would recognize the Katherine Johnson from the recent historical drama film, Hidden Figures.

The illustrations of this book are painted with generous detail. I love the way hair is styled and decorated, and the diversity of facial expressions are a real talent of this artist. My favorite pictures are the university campus, with its flowering pink trees, and the award ceremony for her receiving the Medal of Freedom, just because of how wonderful Obama's smile is.

Thanks to Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Quarto Publishing Group for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Johnson is a new biography for young readers in the Little People, Big Dreams series. These are all delightful and exuberant little books which cover the lives of famous cultural, science, arts, and innovative icons while maintaining an age-appropriate level of detail. Due out 7th Jan 2025 from Quarto on their Frances Lincoln imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Succeeding throughout her life despite formidable hurdles in place because of the time period (mid 20th century) and area in which she was born (WV), as well as being a female person of color, Katherine Johnson was a wonderfully brilliant applied mathematician who refused to be cowed and whose expertise played a significant part in the early manned space program's success.
Written by Isabel Sánchez Vegara it's written in clear accessible language. The gentle and sweetly whimsical illustrations are well done. The art by Jemma Skidmore is appealing and colorful and supports the text very well. The art is rich in small subtle details which bear a closer look (like the school scenes, her studies, her university days, and her work at NASA and even her acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama).

Well written and appealing, all of these little books are worthwhile and enchanting. This one is a worthy addition. The author/publisher have also included a short timeline with photos in the back of the book as well as suggestions for further reading.

Five stars. This would make a superlative reading circle book, classroom library book, or gift. Mrs. Johnson was an intelligent and beloved figure and has become an icon for a more hopeful and cooperative future, an inspiration for girls choosing STEM educations, and this little book is a nice introduction to her life and work for the youngest generation.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Part of the Little People, Big Dreams series, which aims to educate children about historical heroes, this instalment is about NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. It follows her journey from a young girl with a love for numbers, to the first Black woman at a Virginian university, to doing the calculations for rocket launches and ensuring the safe return of astronauts, to finally receiving a medal commemorating her life’s work. Her story is really inspiring, and shows that you can do anything you put your mind to, even if the world says you can’t. It is a great little storybook, which kids will enjoy and be inspired by.

A well deserved new edition to the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ collection. Katherine Johnson’s contribution to science was long overlooked so this a welcomed addition to the anthology.
It’s a lovely introduction into her life and career for small children and I’ll definitely be buying my daughter a copy upon release.

Katherine Johnson by Maria isabel sanchez vegara is an amazing and informational children's picture book dictating the life of Katherine Johnson, one of my favorite people to learn about in history class. This is definitely a book to add to the family book shelf.

The latest in the Little People, Big Dreams series is about Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician who overcame the racial and gender limitations at the time with her work at NASA. As always with this series, the book was a delight! They always phrase the material in such a kid-friendly way, and I love the illustration style!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Learn about the incredible story of Katherine Johnson! The trailblazer whose calculations changed the future of space exploration.

Little Katherine loved learning and her favorite subject was math. In class, she worked so hard that she was able to move up to high school four years early! Due to the racist laws of the time, Katherine's family had to move town for her to go to a school where Black students were admitted. After high school and college, she was accepted to one of West Virginia's top universities, and was the first Black woman to attend.

In 1953, she joined the U.S. space agency, which later became NASA. Alongside other talented African American women, Katherine's mathematical skills were essential to the early successes of the space programme. She was part of the team that planned the Apollo 11 mission which landed the first people on the moon! Katherine’s tenacity and expertise led to the dawn of a new era for humankind, making her an inspiration to all of us.

This powerful book is the perfect gift for STEM and space enthusiasts. It features quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of Katherine's life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a bestselling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

As the children's librarian and family curator, I am keen on acquiring, gifting, or endorsing books that authentically depict the richness of Black individuals across the diaspora, particularly African Americans. To assess a book's suitability, I consider the subject matter, artwork, narrative, accuracy, and the overall impression—how did it leave us feeling? Did it provoke further interest or respect? Or was it off-putting? Were Black individuals portrayed respectfully in the illustrations, or did they appear foreign and inhuman?

Upon reviewing these aspects, I've concluded that the highlight of the book for me was the factual timeline at the end. However, I have decided not to include this book in our collection at present.

Another fantastic book from the Little People, Big Dreams series. My son and I love reading these books together, especially when it's people we haven't heard of before. One thing that annoyed me about this particular book was the word math rather than maths. I guess it's written for an American audience rather than a UK one.

I'd like to start my review by extending a thank you to the author, Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, the illustrator, Jemma Skidmore, the publisher, Frances Lincoln Childrens Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this children's picture biography of Katherine Johnson. I will share my review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble upon release.

I love the Little People, Big Dreams series, and this one is no exception. This book tells the store of a young Black scientist from West Virginia who faced a huge amount of struggle and difficulty in her career at NASA. Her contributions to space exploration, science, and the United States are enormous, and show that despite hardship, amazing people like Katherine are able to overcome and contribute to the society that doesn't fully value their humanity. I'm glad children will have a way to learn about such a valuable and commendable member of our history, and this book is full of cute illustrations and context about her story in order to share that story in an entertaining and engaging way. At the end, there is more context and a timeline with real pictures of Katherine Johnson in order to provide more information. I would definitely recommend this book for any child's library, but especially for little girls who need to see themselves in subjects like STEM. This would also be great for school and classroom libraries. Thanks again for the privilege!

Katherine Johnson is another children’s biography by Little People, BIG DREAMS. Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Jemma Skidmore, this book features the story of Katherine Johnson’s life, her work and the challenges she faced. This biography is a must read for all children, at school and at home.

"Little People, Big Dreams’ releases yet another incredible book, this time spotlighting Katherine Johnson—a math enthusiast whose calculations transformed space exploration history. Having read many books from this series, I'm familiar with their charming illustrations and fascinating facts, along with the biographical timeline and photos that vividly bring each story to life. This book is an ideal gift for STEM enthusiasts and young girls inspired to dream big and achieve even bigger.

Ever since hidden figures came out, I have been interested inKatherine Johnson. This book brought some of her achievements into a level that young readers can understand. I also always appreciate when a children’s book has a timeline at the end so you can learn a little bit more.

Thankyou to NetGalley for the eARC of this beautiful book. All opinions are my own.

I’ve seen the film Hidden Figures and it fascinated me so it’s no news that I loved this too. The story is so captivating and she really was an astonishing woman. The illustrations are stunning. A perfect addition to a bookshelf of a young child interested in STEM.

"Katherine Johnson" by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara is a heartwarming addition to the "Little People, BIG DREAMS" series, celebrating the remarkable life of the mathematician whose work was pivotal to NASA's space missions. The book beautifully narrates Katherine's journey from a child prodigy in mathematics to a key figure in the success of the Apollo 11 mission. It's an inspiring story, told with engaging illustrations and accessible language, that highlights the importance of perseverance and passion. This book not only educates young readers about a significant figure in science but also encourages them to dream big and break barriers, just like Katherine did.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC!

This is a wonderful and welcome addition to the "Little People, Big Dreams" series, especially with someone as amazing as Katherine Johnson. The illustrations are cute and engaging, and the text walks you through Katherine's life without shying away from the hardships she faced. I could have done with a bit more detail in the main story, but the back matter satisfied my desire quite nicely. I think this is a worthy title to add to any biography collection or for any young reader who is interested in STEM.

I love this series, as soon as I see a new book is released I have to grab a copy!

This is another brilliant addition to this series – even as an adult I look out for the next book in the series being released and now my daughter is 7 and fully reading independently I love being able to share the new releases with her and she read the books to me - she loves finding out about the people chosen in the series.

The books are an excellent introductions to some of the well-known, and less well-known, characters that have had a great impact in our lives through a variety of subjects such as literature, women’s rights and science.

This book features Katherine Johnson and as my daughter learnt about space in her last term at school it was a great topic as we had talked about Mae Jemison who was the first black woman in space and also a release in this series before. My daughter is space mad and she loves mathematics and excels at it at the moment in school so Katherine really intrigued her and I think she is a brilliant role model and inspirational tool - just such a shame it too so long for her, and the others that worked on the projects to get her the acknowledgement and praise deserved, but that also allowed us to discuss the differences between the past and now and Black History month which has just ended for her at school too.

Katherine is an inspiration to me and her story should be shared with children to show what she managed to achieve despite the political situations and the way that Black people were treated at the time in the USA - she is a fabulous role model. It is 5 stars from me for this one – a delightful read and one I will be very highly recommending!!

Katherine Johnson is an icon and true American hero, so to finally have her featured in the Little People, Big Dreams series is such an exciting moment. Learning about Katherine's upbringing in West Virginia, her family's sacrifices and endurance of racism to help her achieve higher education, and then her lasting impacts at NASA was such a rewarding reading experience as a family. The illustrations are delicate yet bold, just like Katherine, and are the perfect accompaniment to the story. We cannot wait to add the physical edition of this book to our home library.

A brilliant little bio fo a brilliant contemporary mathematician and physicist. The perfect addition to any elementary or middle school classroom or school library to inspire kids and raise interest in STEM fields.

This is a children’s biography of Katherine Johnson, one of the main characters in the 2016 movie Hidden Figures. Her mathematical calculations while working for NASA helped our astronauts make it safely into space and back again. Young girls will especially like reading about a female who excelled in mathematics.