Katherine Johnson

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!

"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.

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.

I've already read a lot of the Little People, Big Dreams books with my son so I knew we wouldn't be disappointed! Like the rest, this is well written and illustrated in a way that my 5 year old will engage with the book and wants to hear the story. Whilst highlighting and beginning to educate children on issues such as racism and sexism, it continues to be inspirational and enforce that you can be anything you want, no matter who you are.

Brilliant, though so sad that Katherine's abilities and accomplishments weren't recognized at the time. I think all children should read this, and hopefully Black girls will find a role model and inspiration.

Absolutely fascinating story of a brilliant black woman who never gave up on her passion for maths despite facing discrimination at every level. This is such an inspiring story of determination and resilience for children, particularly girls or children of colour, interested in maths or science, to encourage them to pursue their education and show them what they could do. I really love reading the Little People Big Dreams with my kids, as it's such a great way of teaching them about history and current affairs, as well as overcoming challenges and adversity. The words and illustrations worked really well together in this too. Definitely one I'll be adding to our collection when it's released.

This is a great entry in the Little People, BIG DREAMS anthology! I loved reading about Katherine Johnson & her astounding work with NASA. This book does a great job of opening the conversation of racism for young readers. Thanks to NetGalley, Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, and Quarto Publishing for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

“Katherine Johnson” is another fantastic addition to the Little People, BIG DREAMS series by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara.

I really enjoyed reading about her life in this beautifully illustrated children's book. It highlights her early love of math, her key role at NASA, and her contributions to space missions, all while overcoming the challenges of racism. With engaging illustrations and fun facts, this book makes an excellent gift for kids, especially girls interested in STEM. It’s a wonderful way to inspire young girls to pursue their passions in science and math. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing the opportunity to read this advance copy

The "Little People, Big Dreams" series is always worth a read!
As is so often the case with women, especially in STEM, Katherine Johnson's contributions to science have long been overlooked. This book gives a valuable insight into her early struggles to overcome racism and prejudice and into her eventual success in STEM research.
The illustrations are wonderful as usual and the story is simply inspiring.

I love this series! Just like all of the other books in this series that I've rated and reviewed, this book was wonderfully well-written and the illustrations were adorable while still being accurate. I can't properly articulate how educational this book is. I even learned a lot of stuff myself! So, I have no doubt that young readers will learn from this book and be inspired by Katherine Johnson's story. The creator of this series really knows how to appeal their stories to a range of young readers, which is impressive. I know that there will be or is a book in this series for every kid out there, which is really an amazing feat. The plot was cohesive and made sense, and moved in the way a biography should. Lastly, the illustrations were colorful and complemented the story amazingly well.
Bravo!

This series is always a winner for me, and this instalment about Katherine Johnson - “the girl who loved to count” - is one of my favourites yet. Telling the story of Johnson, a Black trailblazer whose love and aptitude for mathematics led her to a job at NASA where she was pivotal in key missions including the moon landing, this little book is inspiring and important.

Having seen ‘Hidden Figures’ some time ago, which introduced me to Katherine’s story, it was great to see her life represented in a way that will resonate with young children. I hope this book inspires many kids to strive for their dreams regardless of the barriers in place and to get excited about numbers! I will be buying for my god-daughter and really appreciate the opportunity to see a Digital Review Copy - thanks NetGalley!

When I was a little girl, I loved going to the library and reading the biographies in the children's section of the library. It was so exciting to see how normal people became part of big events. This series is aimed at even younger kids, and every book I've read in the Little People, Big Dreams series is excellent.
This is the story of a little girl who knew from a very young age how much she loved numbers, and her family had to help her get past barriers because so many schools didn't welcome young black women. Katherine got her college degree when she was 18, and eventually went on to play an important part in NASA, protecting the first moon landing.
This little picture book was so positive and informative. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I live all of the Little People, Big Dreams books but it‘s especially great to read something about female scientists! These are the people young girls should get to know and aspire to be!

Katherine Johnson is such an inspiring woman in history. I have always loved her story. As a mom of 2 girls this is a book I couldn’t wait to read with them. The illustrations are wonderful and my oldest came away wanting to learn more about her! Such a treat to sit down and read a story together about a woman who constantly pushed boundaries.

Books from the Little People, Big Dreams series always seem to be pretty solid, and this is the case once again with this installment on Katherine Johnson. If you've read or seen the movie on Hidden Figures, you will know about Katherine. This book is a great kid friendly bio on her life and how she went for her dreams. This would be a great book for younger kiddos and could be included in a unit on space travel. The illustrations are very cute and go along with other books from this series.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

I am so happy that Little People, BIG DREAMS created a book about Katherine Johnson's life. I have enjoyed reading books and watching movies about her as an adult.
The book presents the struggles of being a black woman in STEM with just the right about of depth for children.

I really enjoyed how they had real photos and more information at the back of the book,

I would give the story 5 stars. I felt the illustrations were just ok, so I would give them 4 stars. I would definitely add this book to a home library if my children were still at home. A great series. This story was inspiring and so informative. I learned even more about Katherine Johnson, such an amazing woman who flourished under difficult circumstances. I was blessed with a free ARC, and I’m voluntarily leaving my review. Highly recommend.

This might be my new favourite book in the Little People, Big Dreams series and is definitely a book I wish I had had when I was younger. I've always loved maths and science so would have been inspired by Katherine Johnson's story. As always, I loved that the story was told in a way that was accessible and appropriate for a younger audience whilst being a great summary for an older audience. I love that at the back of the book there is a biography and further reading suggestions for older readers. The illustrations were very charming and really helped to enhance the story being told.

Overall I love this series and am very glad to see a female mathematician being included!

I absolutely adore the Little People Big Dreams series and how diverse it is. I’m so glad Katherine Johnson was introduced to the series as well as her story is so important!

The illustrations throughout the story are beautifully done and in much detail as well.

I appreciated the span of illustrations featuring her personal adversity through her achievements and recognition for how important she was to NASA.

A cute, inspiring story to inspire future little leaders to follow their dreams, this one will be a big hit.