From School Library Journal
Gr 2–4–Grace Hopper (née Murray), a girl with a keen mind and a determined attitude, grows up to become the "queen of computer code." Wallmark shares incidents and stories from the scientist's remarkable life that illustrate "Grace being Grace," and with these anecdotes, the author paints an engaging portrait of a unique woman in this bright and informative biography. At age seven, Hopper dismantled several clocks in her house to find out what made them tick. Finishing high school two years early, she overcame difficulties with Latin before she was admitted to Vassar College. Convinced she could make a difference to the war effort, Hopper enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and embarked on a lifelong military career writing computer programs. After finding a moth trapped inside a navy computer, she coined the phrase computer bug. Colorful and crisp digital illustrations accompany the text. The vibrant palette and straightforward composition are eye-catching, and Hopper's curiosity, love of learning, and ambition shine through in her expressive features. Be sure to examine the endpapers, which offer supplemental information. VERDICT Inquisitive readers who, like Hopper, "want to understand how things work" will appreciate this upbeat biography of a woman who was ahead of her time. A sound purchase for most collections.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston
Review
*“Wallmark's tone is admiring, even awestruck, describing Hopper's skill, inventiveness, and strength of character in straightforward, accessible language, introducing a neglected heroine to a new generation of readers. Wu's strong, bright digital illustrations perfectly complement the text while incorporating Hopper's own words in a variety of bold, eye-catching pull quotes scattered throughout the pages. Amazing Grace indeed.” —Kirkus (Starred review)
“Well-chosen anecdotes and quotes offer a sense of [Grace’s] personality . . . Wu’s digital illustrations feature rich colors, strong structure, and unexpected but accurate details. An inviting picture-book biography.” —Booklist
“[T]he author paints an engaging portrait of a unique woman in this bright and informative biography. . . .The vibrant palette and straightforward composition are eye-catching, and Hopper’s curiosity, love of learning, and ambition shine through in her expressive features. . . . VERDICT Inquisitive readers who, like Hopper, ‘want to understand how things work’ will appreciate this upbeat biography of a woman who was ahead of her time.A sound purchase for most collections.” —School Library Journal
“. . . an upbeat biography . . . Newcomer Wu’s digital illustrations are rendered in a vivid and appealing cartoon style that harmonizes with Wallmark’s enthusiastic writing, which emphasizes how Hopper’s accomplishments arose as much from her intuition as her number sense. Quotes from Hopper, scattered throughout, further amplify the personality and drive of a trailblazing programmer.” —Publishers Weekly
“Grace Hopper was mechanically, scientifically, and mathematically minded since childhood, as this biography playfully explains via several anecdotes. Then, while serving almost fifty years in the Navy, she broke barriers for women--and for computer science. A biographical poem graces the front endpapers; the back endpapers mention Hopper's honors. Kid-appealing digital cartoons are reminiscent of Hopper's own propensity for doodling. Reading list, timeline. Bib.” —Horn Book
About the Author
Laurie Wallmark is passionate about getting the word out to young people about successful women in science. She has degrees in Biochemistry from Princeton University, Information Systems from Goddard College, and Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut book was a picture book biography of Ada Byron Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer. Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books) received four starred reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and School Library Journal), praise in The New York Times, and numerous awards. Laurie lives in NJ. Follow her on Facebook: @lauriewallmark.
With a BFA in Illustration and Entertainment Arts from Pasadena Art Center College of Design in 2007, Katy Wu has worked for Google, Laika, Pixar, CinderBiter, and Simon & Schuster. Grace Hopper is her first picture book; her second, Dumpling Dreams, written by Carrie Clickard (Simon and Schuster), is scheduled for fall 2017. Having worked on such projects as the feature film Coraline, and various shorts (La Luna, Car Toons) as well as CG, 2D, stop motion, online games, and content for social media platforms, Katy is an incredible talent. She lives and freelances in New York City. Follow her online at katycwwu.tumblr.com.
