Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon

by Helaine Becker, Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)

Meet the amazing woman who put astronauts on the moon! Katherine Johnson is the mathematical genius who not only helped make the historic moon landings possible, but also made sure that all the astronauts returned safely home when the mission was in critical danger.

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 . . .

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, Helaine Becker's Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon is truly a gift to treasure.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, History, Mathematics, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2018

About the author

Helaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.

Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.

Reviews

[LauraW · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Hidden Figures for the younger set and is well worth its while. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but I think this book is even better at giving a coherent picture of how Katherine Johnson did what she did. If there is any critique I would make about the book, it would be that it doesn't make quite a big enough point about both the sexism and racism that she faced. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend it.

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated biography about Katherine Johnson, brilliant mathematician, and one of many incredible black women instrumental to the US’ early success with space flight. Her contributions didn’t end there; Katherine was responsible for the deeply complicated math on numerous engineering projects over her professional life. An amazing woman!

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little picture book, perhaps best for around age 8. Established readers, but still young enough for picture books. Since it recounts the life of real-life Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who worked as a computer for NASA during the Mercury and the Apollo missions and beyond, there is no plot per se, so it comes across as rather dry. The illustrations are beautiful and show that learning can be fun. The message that you should always pursue your dreams and do everything to the best of your ability is a strong one and a good one for girls *and* boys.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A neat children’s story book about Katherine Johnson. She was a black, female mathematician who joined NASA and played an integral part in various space missions, including getting the Apollo 13 astronauts back on track. I had never heard of her before, but it’s a great story!

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written biography about Katherine Johnson, her work with NASA, and how she saved Apollo 13 ("Houston, we have a problem"). Read along with Hidden Figures.

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great picture book! I enjoyed reading about Katherine Johnson and learning even more about her life than what I knew from Hidden Figures. She was a brilliant woman indeed! I was also touched by how her father worked hard to make sure she could attend highschool. An inspiring true story with beautiful illustrations. <3

[Karen Upper · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant, approachable story! the author's succinct phrasing coupled with the fabulous illustrations by Dow Phumiruk are a perfect pairing in allowing young readers to grasp the momentous importance of this woman! Not only did she open the door for Afro-American women, but for all women in the workplace! What an empowering narrative! Thank you for gifting young readers with empowerment! Kudos!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Highly recommended for elementary school and public libraries!

[Michelle Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preschool STEAM: math, space

This will be an awesome book to read aloud to my Preschool STEAM kids or to an elementary school class.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that there IS a picture book about Katherine Johnson, though I thought this one was a bit too pushy about the 'women weren't allowed to have real/interesting jobs' angle.

[Stephanie Anze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine loved math and counting. She was by far the smartest in her class and also the youngest person in the room (having skipped three grades). After college Katherine wanted to pursue a career in Mathematics but due to her gender and her race, she had to settle for a job as a teacher. When the NACA (National Advisory Committe for Aeronautics) was hiring human "computers", Katherine applied and thus began a remarkable career.

I am not unfamiliar with Katherine Johnson. Having read Hidden Figures and seen the movie I gotta say, she is one impressive lady. This abridged biography for children has wonderful illustrations and a strong delivery. I thought I was not going to learn anything new but I did. Katherine's story is one resilience and courage, of guts and glory. To say Katherine was important to NACA (and then to NASA) is an understament. This lady was fundamental in the launching of rockets into space. In fact, her tragectory calculations were trusted above most. I was unaware that Katherine entered highschool at age ten and graduated from college by age eighteen. She is the difinition of a child prodigy. Her 35-year-old career earned her a Presidential Medal of Freedom and many more accolades. In 2017, a research facility in her name was unveiled. In 2018, Mattel made a Barbie in her image. Next month, Mrs. Johnson will turn 101 years old. Do pick up this book. Its a wonderful read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved the film Hidden Figures enough to have bought the book that tells the story of Katherine Johnson's involvement in the space race, I was thrilled to find this picture book. Since it covers some of the similar territory from the film and then goes even further, readers will be immersed in the world of numbers and calculations so loved by Katherine even from a young age. Not only does the book tell about her formative years and her schooling but her job as a computer at NASA. Eventually, of course, it would be her calculations that would guide the space craft Apollo XIII homeward when it experienced problems while in flight. Created digitally with Adobe Photoshop and watercolor and texture scans, the illustrations are filled with mathematical formulas and equations that come to life through the artist's hands. I am thrilled to see this woman receive so much well-deserved attention and be able to share this book with my students since Katherine Johnson clearly broke barriers. I do agree with another reviewer who suggested that the sexism and racism she faced were touched on rather lightly, and it might have been valuable for young readers to learn more about how she dealt with them. Still, her achievements stand on their own merit, and this is a wonderful book for a collection about mathematicians and ground-breakers.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Katherine loved to count. She counted the steps to the road. The steps up to church. The number of dishes and spoons she washed in the bright white sink. The only thing she didn't count were the stars in the sky. Only a fool, she thought, would try that! Even so the stars sparked her imagination. What was out there?

Premise/plot: Counting on Katherine is a picture book biography of Katherine Johnson. Part of Johnson's story was told in the adult biography Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. (Hidden Figures also tells the story of other human computers, women who worked alongside Katherine Johnson. This is the book that inspired the film of the same name.) Both the movie and book were fabulous. It isn't a surprise that someone would want to adapt the story for a younger audience. It is a WONDERFUL story.

My thoughts: I really loved this one. The narrative is lovely. The illustrations are just as lovely. It's a compelling story and one that could inspire readers of all ages.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

[Caitrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second biography book. I've been interested in learning more about Katherine Johnson and the other women since watching "Hidden Figures," and this book didn't disappoint me; it was cool how it had additional information about her in the back.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the flow of this one & design. Everyone's heard of Apollo 13, although Katherine Johnson is probably someone not too many folks know, which needs to change!

[Chris Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book about Katherine Johnson? Yep. This one carries similar merit to the other biographies about her for students. A couple thoughts...I love the layout and focus on math, the art is wonderful, the story is perfect even for the youngest students.

[Ericka Clou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the kids were so excited it was a true story. They could hardly believe the excitement during the Apollo 13 mission. It was a great book to introduce the idea of intersectionality as Katherine Johnson had to overcome both obstacles of racism and sexism.

[Blythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7yo and 8yo loved this book!! They were mightily impressed by Katherine and the challenges she faced not only as a mathematician but a black female. They were both inspired by what she did with math and excited to learn more. Also, we all loved the fantastic illustrations.

[Amanda Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 is written by Helaine Becker. I found this book on the list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (2019). This book is a biography about Katherine Johnson. She was an African-American mathematician that assisted NASA. She was working for NASA during the space race and used her mathematical mind to help Apollo 13 return to Earth. It all started when she was a child. Katherine found an interest in counting and would count almost everything she saw in the world! She skipped 3 grade levels because she excelled so highly!

The clear illustrations add life to the book and I really liked the white background that was used throughout most of the pages. Diverse themes of segregation and inequality are represented in this biography.

I would use this book as a read aloud for student from 1st through 8th. For older students this book could be part of a biography study. I would read this book to 2nd graders to discuss following a passion and also talking about segregation and inequality.

[Sunday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read aloud in the primary grades. Students will pick up on the repeating line, "You can count on me" which serves to reveal one of the main ideas in this book--that Katherine Johnson played a critical role in the success of NACA/NASA's early space exploration. I'd read this aloud to students for enjoyment and then read aloud again and pose questions for students to turn and discuss in small groups. Questions like -
*How does the author show that Katherine Johnson was determined to become a professional mathematician?
*What were obstacles Johnson (and her family) faced? How did she overcome those?
*Would you describe Johnson as perseverant? Why?
*How does the author's repeated use of the response "Count on me" help develop a big idea in this book?
*How do the illustrations contribute to understanding the details in the text?

Another strength of this book was the author's explanation of the kind of mathematics that Johnson did for NASA. I've read several books now about the "computers" at NASA, women who did mathematics for the agency (in its early days) and the authors frequently fail to explain the mathematics or the purpose of the mathematics (other than "it helped NASA") in a way that young children can understand. Young children may wonder why 2+2 is a big deal, you know? Becker, the author, and Phumiruk, the illustrator, have a great two page layout explaining very simply how and why math was helpful in sending a rocket into space. They use the analogy of throwing a ball up--
"But as it runs out, the ball's path curves back toward the ground. Where it lands depends on
what angle it was thrown and how high and how fast it flew.
Because math is a kind of language, Katherine could ask those questions--how high would
the rocket ship go and how fast would it travel?--using numbers..."
With Becker & Phumiruk's simple explanation and illustration, students in the primary grades can begin to grasp the value of Johnson's work. After reading aloud the book, reread just these two pages and use this as a jumping off point for a hands-on experiment as part of an integrated approach, using math and thinking about forces and motion. Lots of potential while learning about a very important person.

I'd PAIR THIS BOOK WITH OTHER BIOS ABOUT STRONG WOMEN IN STEM FIELDS LIKE-
Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (Robeson, 2019), Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain (Bardoe, 2018), Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles (Valdez, 2018),
Caroline's Comet (McCully, 2017)
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? (2013)
Guiding questions for thinking across these titles might be, "How did these women persevere?" and "Why was it important that they persevered? How was the world changed as a result?" I've also reviewed each of these. Look for my goodreads shelf "bio-strong-women" at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list....

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine loved counting and math as a young girl. She was a brilliant student who skipped three grades. However, there was no high school in her town that accepted black students. So her father worked day and night to afford to move them to a town where Katherine could attend high school. She became an elementary school teacher, because there were no jobs for research mathematicians who were women. Katherine did not give up her dream, eventually becoming a mathematician working for NASA. She worked on the Mercury missions and the Apollo missions, doing the math that allowed the Apollo 13 astronauts to return safely.

Filled with the determination and resilience it took for Johnson to become a NASA mathematician, this picture book shows the barriers that were and are in place for scientists and mathematicians who are women and people of color. Make sure to check out the note at the end that provides even more information on this incredible mathematician. The art in the book is incredibly appealing with mathematics adding complexity to the simple style.

A picture book biography that soars to great heights. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book for my NBCT renewal project. And this one has a direct link to adult nonfiction with HIDDEN FIGURES.

Katherine was a little girl who had to count everything...she excelled in school, and her father made sure she could get the best education an African American girl could get in the south. She went to work for NACA, the forerunner for NASA, in the only job a woman could do: computing.

These women were literally the computers of the operation. With paper and pencils, on adding machines, they launched the Mercury Project, and Katherine was instrumental in bringing Apollo 13 back to earth.

This and the book about Sophie Germain are the kinds of inspirations girls need to see themselves in STEM if that's their passion. The book doesn't shy away from the difficulties Katherine faced...but it shows how important her life of service was to her.

Love the picture of her in her wheelchair, with her Presidential Medal of Freedom around her neck. A mighty girl, for sure.

[Mireille Messier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passion for numbers and a strong will to persevere in the face of seemingly impossible hurdles are what make the story of mathematician Katherine Johnson such a compelling biography. Author Helaine Becker really knocks it out of the park with a clear, concise and kid-friendly retelling of Katherine Johnson's fascinating life. Clever math-filled illustrations by Dow Phumiruk are the icing on the cake. An absolute must for every household and elementary classroom!

[Lin Lin]

Thanks to the film and the book "Hidden Figures", I learn about this amazing African American mathematician who played an instrumental role at NASA in bringing Apollo 13 safely home. If it is hard for women to become mathematicians and scientists, it is harder for African American women to become one. Katherine Johnson is an inspiration.

[Wendy Kennar · Rating 4 out of 5]

So hard to believe that up until a few years ago, with the release of the film Hidden Figures, most of us had never heard of Katherine Johnson.
My son and I enjoyed it, and it now sits on his shelf near his books about Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully drawn, informative, accessible children's biography on a remarkable pioneering lady! Truly, this is an inspiring biography that will resonate with children who yearn for knowledge.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nice to see a biography at an accessible reading level!

[Gloria Barrios]

This book was so empowering and astonishing. discrimination against women and especially African American women has gone on for years. Unfortunately we still see it today. This book shows how determination and believing in yourself can really help you push through any obstacle presented to you. In the book, we have a little girl named Katherine Johnson. She is extremely smart in school, her favorite subject, math. She is so smart she gets to skip a couple of grades. At 10 she should be going to high school but where she lived there were only white people high schools. Her family and her move to a place where there was a black school. After high school the only jobs available for women is mainly teaching and nursing. she decides to teach. She hears of a job opening at NACA which included black women too. Katherine unfortunately was told that all the positions had been filled and that she could try again in a year. and that she did and got a position. Katherine played a huge role in the missions that NASA would later have to do. As previously mentioned, its amazing all the obstacle she faced and then to be such a big part of something so important. It is so amazing. That being said the themes of the book are perseverance and dreams. This such a well written bibliography. Helaine incorporated every important event in Katherines life and made it such an empowering book for children. This was for sure WOW book for me because it conveys such a strong message. To know that women can do so much more than we are allowed, to know that our lights are dimmed by intimidation, this book showed me that women can do amazing things. I felt so proud.

I really enjoyed the timeline of the book, getting to read about when Katherines dreams started and how they continued to be in her heart. Then to have a job that fulfilled her dreams was so inspirational. Every event of the book added on to Katherines overall story.
I also really enjoyed how the book was very positive all throughout. There were multiple parts of the book that could have turn the book a little bit dark, like the segregation and little women opportunities. Helaine really made it a point to add those in but each time over came it with something positive.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, especially to little girls who have big dreams. so inspirational and empowering!

[Kim Tyo-Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooray for Katherine Johnson getting the credit that she so deserves for her work in mathematics! Every library should have a copy of this picture book biography to share with young mathematicians, computer scientists and curious learners in any subject. The message in Katherine's story is to follow your passions, develop your talents, reach for the stars. It also serves as quiet testimony to Johnson's family and their commitment to their children, her father who worked as much as he could to earn enough money to move their family to a city with a black high school so Katherine could continue to study in 1940s America where schools were still segregated by race. As an adult, Katherine became an elementary school teacher, one of the only professions open to a woman of color, but continued to dream of a career in mathematics until she saw a job ad calling for mathematicians to work for the US government's National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) and applied. Soon she was working for NASA and calculating the flight paths for Project Apollo. All her talents and leadership were put to the test when Apollo 13 suffered an explosion requiring Katherine to re-calculate the flight path and save the mission. This nail-biting challenge, the intricacies of the Apollo 13 crew burning off fuel at precise intervals following Katherine's course exactly, so perfectly illustrates Katherine's leadership and skill under pressure that make her a true American hero.

[McCauley Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is inspiring and encouraging. The story goes through Katherine Johnson's life and how she became such a successful and impactful mathematician. It discusses how she has hard work and determination and how she pushes past social norms to follow her passions and dreams. I read this book to a group of 1st graders and I saw that it was very appropriate for their age. However, I would also read this book to 2nd graders. This book is definitely a biography.
I would use this book in my classroom for a stem lesson. I think this is a great and exciting way to get students interested or intrigued about math and science. Katherine's inspiring story may help students get more excited about math and science and see how fun it can be when they hear all the exciting things Katherine got to be a part of. Another way I would use this book would be for black history month. This book can be used anytime, but I would love to do a lesson on Katherine and other influential black Americans in history. Therefore, this book would be a great addition to, or way to introduce that lesson.
This was a wow book for me because of how inspiring, strong, and bold Katherine was. In addition, when I read this to the 1st graders they were so intrigued and invested in the story. This really blew me away and made me want to keep talking with the students about Katherine's story and others like hers.

[Srujan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a massive Hidden Figures fan, this book was just perfect! While I now know that the author of Hidden Figures has now brought out a special edition for the little humans, this book was equally helpful. My 2020 born twins, who have not seen any difference in treatment to them because of the gender, couldn't understand why won't they give the jobs to women. They looked extremely puzzled. After the book my daughter asked me 3-4 times, "Mamma, girls can do everything that boys can do, right Mamma? Become a firefighter, or astronaut or an engineer?" Which makes me wonder if I am giving her worries that she shouldn't have at this age. But I do want to have this conversation with her, so instead of shying away from it, I try to make the conversation to the best of my abilities, as gently as I can. ❤️ The racial discrimination part also bounced right over their heads at 4. They don't even know what are the different ethnicities in this world. May be it's time to have that conversation before the racial discrimination one. In conclusion, we really liked reading this one and will read again! ❤️