Katherine Johnson: Barrier-Breaking Mathematician

Gr 3-5–These profiles of female scientists include basic biographical information and identify key achievements. Opening chapters touch on their early lives, and the following chapters shift to focus on their accomplishments. Complex concepts, like Chien-Shiung Wu’s work on the atomic bomb and Marie Curie’s work with radiation, are presented at a basic level with simple diagrams and photos for some visual support. The text does not include quotations from or about the scientists, which keeps the narratives at a generally impersonal level. Final chapters highlight the impacts of the scientists’ work up to current times and note either the year that they died or, in the cases of Temple Grandin and Jane Goodall, their current activities. Gender-based struggles that women in science faced are noted, as when the contributions of Rosalind Franklin, Chien-Shiung Wu, and Katherine Johnson were not initially widely acknowledged. “Did you know?” factoids are sprinkled throughout and review activity, glossary, further reading, and an index are included in the back matter.