Counting on Katherine

Winner of the information book category of the UKLA Book Awards 2020.

Katherine Johnson is the mathematical genius who helped make the historic Apollo 11 moon landings possible and made sure that Apollo 13 returned home safely when the mission was in critical danger.

As a child, Katherine loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about maths, about the universe . . .

Helaine Becker interviewed Katherine and her family for this authorized biography. From Katherine's early beginnings as a gifted student to her heroic accomplishments as a prominent mathematician at NASA, this is the true story of a groundbreaking African-American woman who went above and beyond what was expected of her in the 1960s, saving lives and making enormous contributions to history. Featuring Dow Phumiruk's gorgeous full-colour illustrations throughout.

About the Author

Helaine Becker has written over seventy books. Her award-winning non-fiction includes Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots, and she has written many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children's magazines and for children's television.

About the Illustrator

Dow Phumiruk trained to be a pediatrician, before finding her passion in children's book art. Her favourite subjects are children (especially girls) and animals.