mat_tobin's review
5.0
An accessible and delightful biography of Hopper whose desire to succeed and take on any challenge, no matter what the obstacle, is enough to inspire any young reader. Raised in a time where female engineers, technicians and naval officers were rare to the point of non-existence, Grace, through her intellect and sheer force of will, broke down so many barriers and dragged us all into a generation of computer science. Inventing smarter, more versatile ways of using and implementing computer code, Grace's life and sense of quizzical ambition is something to admire.
The text itself is pitched well for a young audience and Wu's lovely, colourful spreads present a sense of time and mood within a warm atmosphere. A lovely addition to any home or classroom and although especially inspiring for girls it is also inspiring for all who seek to succeed through their own drive and determination.
The text itself is pitched well for a young audience and Wu's lovely, colourful spreads present a sense of time and mood within a warm atmosphere. A lovely addition to any home or classroom and although especially inspiring for girls it is also inspiring for all who seek to succeed through their own drive and determination.
shighley's review
4.0
I like the way this book details much of Grace Hopper's life without being too heavy on text; it is still enjoyable as a story. When using with students, I would give them an idea of the time period, rather than waiting until the end to find out. They might also need a little help realizing that Vassar courses such as "Husbands and WIves" and "Motherhood" were tongue in cheek names.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of words for a children's picture book. And I didn't always appreciate the tone. But in the end well done. I don't know enough about Grace Hopper to distinguish myth and legend from truth, but this books rings true. And is quite detailed enough to be believable by a knowledgeable software engineer, but still work as a child's story book. Normally I just think of Grace Hopper as the creator of COBOL, but this book puts that in perspective. And the art mostly adds to the book. Definitely well enough done.
pwbalto's review
5.0
This is how you do it. No mention of burning the steak or neglecting her children - in fact we never even learn she was married until the timeline in the back. Instead, we learn about Grace's accomplishments: joining the Navy at age 36, inventing modular coding, developing FLOW-MATIC (the basis for COBOL).
And with peppy, punchy art that mimics Grace's crisp but humorous demeanor ("Faithfulness in all things my motto is you see: The world will be a better place when all agree with me.").
And with peppy, punchy art that mimics Grace's crisp but humorous demeanor ("Faithfulness in all things my motto is you see: The world will be a better place when all agree with me.").
readingthroughtheages's review
5.0
Fascinating biography about a woman who really should be celebrated in the areas of math, science and technology!
abigailbat's review
5.0
Grace Hopper made amazing contributions to the field of computer science that helped develop computers as we use them today. This would make a super family read, making the subject accessible to young children, if parents are interested in books like Hidden Figures, Code Girls, etc.
Don't miss this one for your STEM displays or women's history!
Don't miss this one for your STEM displays or women's history!
ajacks's review against another edition
5.0
I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org
nerfherder86's review against another edition
5.0
Terrific picture book biography ( although none of the Hopper quotes in the book are attributed :-( about Grace Hopper, who coined the term "computer bug" and developed program that taught computers to recognize words, not just 1's and 0's, among many other accomplishments in her long career. Book has great design: endpaper has a poem about Grace: "Software tester. Workplace jester. Order seeker. Well-known speaker...." Loved that! Also the anecdote that as a child she took apart seven clocks until she figured out how they worked. Went to Vassar, then in the Navy where she worked for 43 years! Forced to retire at age 60, became an admiral, then called back to work for another 20 years. Amazing. I liked the artwork, it's cartoony but realistic, if that makes sense. The illustrator works in animation and games (this is her first picture book), and you can tell, that skill really lent itself to the excellent design, the varying points-of-view, etc. to keep it lively and entertaining.
agudenburr's review against another edition
5.0
A long book but a goodie, about a woman computer coder.