Title: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
Author: Laurie Wallmark & April Chu
Publisher: Creston Books (2015)
Age: 5-9 years old (K-3rd)
Lexile Reading Level: n/a
Awards: Booklist Top Ten Books in Science and Health, Booklist Editor's Choice: Books for Youth 2015, Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 for 2016, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council... (several more similar awards)
Review
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine is a lovely book - both in words and pictures - about the 19th century Lovelace, considered by many to be the first computer programmer. It's an inspiring story - especially encouraging for young, inquisitive minds. Despite societal rules of the age (young women were not supposed to be studying math and the sciences!), Lovelace followed her hunger for numbers her entire life, eventually meeting the well-known mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage. Babbage had invented a counting machine, essentially the world's first computer, but it was Lovelace who programmed it. The books is easy for even young readers but it would still be appealing for 3rd and 4th graders. I especially loved the illustrations which are quite exceptional. They reminded me of paintings from the Renaissance era but somehow modern. The books glosses over quite a bit of Lovelace's life, but it is still a wonderful introduction to the woman and her role in the modern age of computing.
Recommended Pairings
1. Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Laurie Wallmark)
2. Margaret and the Moon (Dean Robbins)
3. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (Rachel Ignotofsky)
To my surprise and delight, there are numerous picture books available that tell the stories of women scientists and mathematicians. Grace Hopper is also by Wallmark and is a really cool story about another woman who had a major impact on the computer age and whom I knew nothing about. (It's worth nothing that this book has a different artist than Ada Byron Lovelace.) Margaret and the Moon is very similar to the books about Ava and Grace. All three would be excellent storytime reads or classroom reads. My third pairing is a wonderful book that I was actually introduced to by reading a fellow student's Book Blog. The book tells the story of 50 different women who made massive contributions in the various STEM fields. The book is probably best suited for slightly older children than the audience of the other three books I've written about, but I think a teacher/librarian could absolutely still use it with the younger audience. And for those children wanting to explore more on their own - this would be a great choice. My two daughters were enthralled by it. (Interestingly, my youngest loved the book on Ada while my oldest felt it was a little too "babyish" for her.)
Suggested Activities
Girls Who Code is a very popular program in libraries these days and these books would be great for that. I also think it would be a wonderful program or lesson - especially with the current political situation - to celebrate the impact and advancements made by women in the STEM fields. These books could all be a part of that. While a program/lesson like that would be excellent any month of the year, March is "National Women's Month."
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine is a lovely book - both in words and pictures - about the 19th century Lovelace, considered by many to be the first computer programmer. It's an inspiring story - especially encouraging for young, inquisitive minds. Despite societal rules of the age (young women were not supposed to be studying math and the sciences!), Lovelace followed her hunger for numbers her entire life, eventually meeting the well-known mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage. Babbage had invented a counting machine, essentially the world's first computer, but it was Lovelace who programmed it. The books is easy for even young readers but it would still be appealing for 3rd and 4th graders. I especially loved the illustrations which are quite exceptional. They reminded me of paintings from the Renaissance era but somehow modern. The books glosses over quite a bit of Lovelace's life, but it is still a wonderful introduction to the woman and her role in the modern age of computing.
Recommended Pairings
1. Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Laurie Wallmark)
2. Margaret and the Moon (Dean Robbins)
3. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (Rachel Ignotofsky)
To my surprise and delight, there are numerous picture books available that tell the stories of women scientists and mathematicians. Grace Hopper is also by Wallmark and is a really cool story about another woman who had a major impact on the computer age and whom I knew nothing about. (It's worth nothing that this book has a different artist than Ada Byron Lovelace.) Margaret and the Moon is very similar to the books about Ava and Grace. All three would be excellent storytime reads or classroom reads. My third pairing is a wonderful book that I was actually introduced to by reading a fellow student's Book Blog. The book tells the story of 50 different women who made massive contributions in the various STEM fields. The book is probably best suited for slightly older children than the audience of the other three books I've written about, but I think a teacher/librarian could absolutely still use it with the younger audience. And for those children wanting to explore more on their own - this would be a great choice. My two daughters were enthralled by it. (Interestingly, my youngest loved the book on Ada while my oldest felt it was a little too "babyish" for her.)
Suggested Activities
Girls Who Code is a very popular program in libraries these days and these books would be great for that. I also think it would be a wonderful program or lesson - especially with the current political situation - to celebrate the impact and advancements made by women in the STEM fields. These books could all be a part of that. While a program/lesson like that would be excellent any month of the year, March is "National Women's Month."
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