Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark; illustrated by Katy Wu
Sterling Children’s Books, 2017. 978-1454920007
Synopsis: Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug” and taught computers to “speak English.” Throughout her life, Hopper succeeded in doing what no one had ever done before. Delighting in difficult ideas and in defying expectations, the insatiably curious Hopper truly was “Amazing Grace” . . . and a role model for science- and math-minded girls and boys. With a wealth of witty quotes, and richly detailed illustrations, this book brings Hopper’s incredible accomplishments to life. – from Amazon.com
Why I picked it up: Another book blog that I follow did an interview with Wallmark about this book that sparked my interest.
Why I finished it: Computing and coding are nothing new for the modern reader and the idea that there was a lot of trial and error to get us where we are today is somewhat mind blowing to me. In the twentieth century alone, computer users have gone from needing to switch out programs to perform a given task (for example, switching between a program that would perform addition and one that would perform multiplication) to having all those same programs being just a click away. What inspired me the most about Hopper’s story is that she continued to push forward in the face of adversity and fought the idea that we needed to keep doing things the same way. Hopper did a lot of thinking outside the box, and today we benefit from many of those off-the-wall ideas that perhaps no one else thought would work. I admire Hopper’s perseverance and passion, and how she never let things like her age, or her gender get in the way; it’s a wonderful example of never being too old to do what you want to do. Wu’s illustrations give the larger-than-life figure a softer side, giving the story a sense of whimsy without losing its seriousness. I love the free-flowing style that uses contrast to outline the drawings rather than relying on thick lines to distinguish between objects/people/etc. Though this is a picture book, the story and its message will resound with readers of all ages and surely capture the hearts and minds of a future generation of scientists.
Other related materials: Mathematician and Computer Scientist Grace Hopper by Andrea Pelleschi; Women Who Launched the Computer Age by Laurie Calkhoven, illustrated by Alyssa Petersen; Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by April Chu; Lauren Ipsum: A Story about Computer Science and Other Improbable Things by Carlos Bueno; Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts; Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas; If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers by David J. Smith, illustrated by Steve Adams; Hedy Lamarr and a Secret Communication System by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Cynthia Martin; Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Katy Wu; Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science – and the World by Rachel Swaby; Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Hasley and Sean Addy