Huge fan of Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's series <i>Little People, BIG DREAMS</i> and I'm an even bigger fan when the new biography is about one of my favourite humans: Katherine Johnson, who loved math and the space!

It is a great read, very accessible to the little ones, very inspiring and educational - and it's fun to read as an adult too. Great book for inspiring the little ones, bus especially little girls. A great one for STEM education!

We love the Little People Big Dreams books in our house! I knocked off a star for the line “she quickly proved she belonged” after a comment about them not wanting a black woman to check their work. I know the reality of the situation was that she did have to prove she was capable to these white men, however, it made it seem like (and maybe I’m just reading into it) there was no issue with her having to prove herself. She shouldn’t have had to do that, and it’s great that she was able to prove her capabilities but also it had to be so insulting to her.

I have to admit, a little sheepishly, that I didn’t know much about Katherine Johnson before reading this book. I’d heard of NASA and space travel, and I knew about discrimination, but Katherine’s story opened a door to a whole new world for me. It was fascinating and so inspiring!

The book is a wonderful introduction to Katherine’s life, told in a way that’s easy to understand and perfect for young readers. It shows how she grew up loving math and solving puzzles, eventually becoming one of the smartest and bravest women at NASA. She worked hard, even when things were unfair, and proved that anyone can achieve their dreams if they believe in themselves and never give up.

I especially loved how the book explains the challenges Katherine faced and how kind, supportive people helped her along the way. It’s an inspiring reminder that we can all make a difference by helping others shine.

This is such a sweet and uplifting story, and it’s perfect for children who love learning about space, history, or amazing real-life heroes. After reading it, I can’t wait to learn more about Katherine Johnson and other incredible women like her. I highly recommend it—kids and parents alike will enjoy it! 😊

The story of the great Katherine Johnson told in simple words for kids to understand and admire! Loved it as I love the whole series.

Little People, Big Dreams did a wonderful job teaching young readers about Katherine Johnson. They discuss the hardship that her and her family endured in kid friendly language and showed the power of perseverance even when women were not respected as intellectual equals. This book should be in all classroom libraries for readers to enjoy.

Little People, Big Dreams books are a staple in my home and classroom as a teacher. These books tell the stories of big people in a way that little people can understand them. This version of Katherine Johnson is no different. Katherine Johnson was an incredible human who did great things for women in the science field as well as for space exploration. This is all covered in this beautifully illustrated book that I know will inspire little girls and boys alike. This book proves that mathematics can be fun and you should be proud of your love for it.

Katherine Johnson is a trailblazer in the history of space exploration. Her insurmountable contributions in NASA, especially during their manned missions and space exploration/navigation eras is exceptional. Starting from a young age, her determination to study mathematics, a subject rarely encouraged in young women during her youth, to study in one of the top university's and then being approached to form and work in NASA, she is truly a generational talent.
Her tenacity and smarts, her dedication to her craft have all been captured beautifully in prose by Vegara. Matching the inspirational text are the illustrations by Jemma Skidmore — a match in weaving an inspiring and aspiring story for young girls interested or fascinated by STEM.

The amazing story of Katherine Johnson with beautiful illustrations and a brief historical recap at the end for parents.

Lovely picture book that depicts Katherine Johnson as an intellect and good role model, especially for girls and kids of color.

I loved this iteration of Katherine Johnson's story! She's so influential in our lives and this absolutely knocked it out of the park with showing all of what she has done and how she got there. It does not steer away from the racism she faced but told the information at an age appropriate level. I love these books and cannot wait to see who they'll showcase next!

5 stars

“Once, in West Virginia, lived a Black girl named Katherine who lived numbers.”

Part of the “Little People, Big Dreams” series for children. This is the story of Katherine Johnson of “Hidden Figures” fame and starts when she was a child, and a high achiever in math in segregated schools in West Virginia. After high school and college she was then accepted into West Virginia’s top university, as the first Black woman to attend.

In 1953 she joined the U.S. Space Agency which later became NASA. There she, along with other brilliant Black women became an essential part of the nation’s space program.

Very well done and focuses on Johnson’s entire life. Lovely illustrations. Highly recommended.

Another brilliant book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. This was a great overview of Katherine Johnson. Little ones everywhere will love this. I only wish it was a bit more detailed about her life!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is so great to keep knowing new people with this series.

I didn´t know that Katherine Johnson was such a good mathematicians and that she was so important for this sector.

I only have good works for this series.

Also, chapeau to the illustrator! I love the illustrations!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I love this series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. She does a great job distilling people's lives into messages easily digestible by young readers while making them interesting for older readers, too. I also love the breadth of who she covers in her series.

I know quite a bit about Katherine Johnson, having read a lot of books about her. I thought Maria did an excellent job with this one. She captured Katherine's story, life, and background extremely well and did a great job presenting hard themes like racism and segregation in ways that were accessible to younger readers. She also did a great job showcasing Katherine's accomplishments as a child and as an adult. One of her better ones.

Pages: 32

Reading age: 4-7 years of age.

The beautiful story of Katherine Johnson, a woman of color who defied all odds to become a brilliant mathematician for the US astronaut program. Provides historical context and a short biographical sketch. Great message of setting and achieving goals!

A picture book biography of Katherine Johnson, brilliant mathematician who was a math teacher and then human calculator for the NACA and later NASA, integral to the success of many US space missions.

Having read the longer middle grade biography of Katherine and her fellow calculators, this is a wonderful succinct introduction to Ms Johnson and her amazing achievements for little ones. Katherine Johnson was such a brilliant woman. It is great that young ones can meet this amazing woman via picture book bio.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

She loved math, loved learning, loved being the first to do, loved to teach, loved being a mathematician in the NASA space program! She believed in herself and worked to achieve many things, and lived to be 102!
The illustrations by Jemma Skidmore are simple, colorful, and expressive.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Jan 07, 2025
Katherine Johnson @QuartoKids @CBCBook @Frances_Lincoln #LittlePeopleBIG DREAMS @sanchezvegara @TheQuartoGroup #BlackWoman #AerospaceMathematician Illus by Jemma Skidmore @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones ***** #Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org Ages 8 and up @bookshop_org_uk @childrensbookcouncil #ChildrensNonfiction #TryNewThings #STEM 6 - 8 Years

I don't have any little ones in my life currently so didn't really want to review children's books but read the synopsis and it tweaked my curiosity so I had to give it a go !
Got to say as an adult reader the story doesn't tell me much more than the synopsis does but the illustrations were top class and I loved the further information section as it gives you a bit more information as an adult/older child.
I would have actually liked the book to have explained a bit more about racism/ sexism the book kind of highlights its bad but without really explaining why or what it is.

I am always on the hunt for fun and informative nonfiction books for my classroom. Thank you to @netgalley and @quartopublishing for the arc. I cannot wait to get the physical copy for my classroom. I really enjoyed reading this biography, it was easy to follow and understand. As well as being informative, the illustrations make it easier for children to engage with and understand the facts being presented within the text. At the end of the book there is a timeline of what the book covered with pictures of Katherine. Overall the biography was really well done and I cannot wait to read more in the series.

Anyone who saw the movie Hidden Figures knows who Katherine Johnson is. Here, in this latest in the good series, young readers can meet this remarkable woman.

Katherine’s skills in Math led her to outstanding (and outer space) achievements. To me, an extra bonus of this story, is that it reminds girls that Math is not only the realm of boys. Maybe there is another amazing future mathematician reading this one.

Note that this story touches on the prejudices that made it more challenging for a bright student to get her high school education. She became the first Black woman to attend a top university in West Virginia. Yes, achieve she did, right up to when Neil Armstrong benefited from her calculations on his moon walk.

This is an excellent addition. Johnson was truly a little person with BIG DREAMS.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.