If you’re looking for a children’s book loaded with captivating illustrations and packed with the highlights of Grace Hopper’s early life and career, look no further.
Laurie Wallmark does a fantastic job of making this extraordinary woman, Grace Hopper, approachable while pulling back the curtain of the monumental accomplishments of this trailblazer of technology.
Katy Wu takes this book to the next level with her extraordinary and engaging illustrations. Throughout the book we see young Grace, young adult grace, and Naval Soldier Grace grow into herself and her abilities as a mathematician and engineer.
Grace Hopper, Queen of Computer Code, opens by showcasing Grace’s innate curiosities and intelligence, even as a young girl. She tinkers with clocks, machines, and doll houses as she comes into her own as a explorer and innovator.
We watch as Grace struggles with difficult subjects in school and with being accepted in a field dominated by men. Our heroine excels at her work and is selected to work on a number of the most important projects in our nation’s history.
This book takes readers on a journey of the ups, downs, and loop-the-loops that came with being the first woman, first person, to ever code a machine. Readers are endeared to this maven of math from the first page to the last.
The stories of men and women who shaped history are so important to share with young people. A woman like Grace Hopper can seem too monumental a challenge for a children’s book. I, for one, couldn’t be happier that Laurie Wallmark and Katy Wu were up to the task.