Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson put Astronauts on the Moon
“If you have watched the film ‘Hidden Figures’ you will know the story of Katherine Johnson and this beautifully illustrated picture book re-tells her story for children. This excellent book is based on the life and achievements of Katherine Johnson. She was a young African-American who was exceptional at maths but was faced with limited opportunities because of her race and gender. The book shares how her father supported her to go to high school and how she became integral to the NASA space missions and her calculations enabled Apollo 13 to return safely. Katherine is inspirational and shows that if you work hard even with challenges and follow your dreams, amazing things can happen. I can’t wait to read this to my class. I’m hoping it will inspire them, for the girls to see science and maths differently and to show all the children that even though they may face challenges they shouldn’t give up.”