Review: Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

'We needed to be assertive as women in those days—assertive and aggressive.'

You've heard of the historic Moon landing in 1969, but do you know the name of the African-American NASA mathematician who was pivotal to the success of this momentous space mission? 

This fascinating bio pitched at children in KS2 shines a light on the extraordinary life of Katherine Johnson, who worked at NASA for over 30 years and was a significant contributor to the inaugural American space programme. Katherine calculated Apollo 11's flight trajectory in 1969 and saved Apollo 13's subsequent mission from near disaster! 

Katherine, who was naturally gifted from childhood, knew she was destined for a career that combined her unending love of numbers and the universe. And, with the support of her father who moved the whole family to a new town so Katherine could attend a Black school, she refused to let anything prevent her from fulfilling her dreams.

Along with the 2017 movie Hidden Figures which documents Ms Johnson's incredible life story, many bio books for children have come to market. This book, published in 2018 before Katherine's passing in 2020, is particularly poignant because she personally participated in the author Helaine Becker's research. 

The content, which touches gently on workplace gender discrimination and the 1950's US hostile racial climate, had Katherine's seal of approval in terms of authentic portrayal. The author describes brilliantly her innate fighting spirit and patience. We learn about her determination to succeed while experiencing racial segregation and trying to carve a career within a white-male-dominated industry. 

She worked extremely hard to achieve success and a glowing reputation at NASA, so it's a shame that when Becker recounts Katherine's involvement in Project Mercury—which sent the first American astronauts into space—'star astronaut' and 'national hero' are included in the description of John Glenn, taking away, slightly, from Katherine's genius mathematical achievements. When reading this text, it would be useful to explore with children why Glenn was perceived as a hero, emphasising the importance of teamwork, and taking into account the attitudes of the time. 

The crisp illustrations are lovely, especially the detailed chalkboard endpapers crammed with mind-blowing maths equations. Children will be inspired by the awesome possibilities for the real-life application of maths while enjoying a bold story of one woman's brilliance, determination, and self-belief. 

It's an empowering true-life account which space or maths enthusiasts will enjoy as will children keen to read about the pioneering Black historical figures who have been overshadowed for too long. 

Guide for teachers and parents

Genre	Non-fiction: biographical text
Child-led interests (EYFS)	N/A
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	KS2
Curriculum links/topics (EYFS/NC)	English comprehension (Y3/4): ·     listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks ·    checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context ·    asking questions to improve their understanding of a text ·    drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence ·     retrieve and record information from non-fiction ·     participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say. Science (Y5): Earth and space History (KS1): the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements, some should be used to compare aspects of life in different periods  PSHE & Citizenship: perseverance, positive thinking, resilience, dreams and aspirations
Suitability	storytime, class library, school library, independent reader, home reader
General features	interesting opening, key life events in chronological order, historical facts, past tense, direct quotes, third-person pronouns

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.