Katherine Johnson is a trailblazer in the history of space exploration. Her insurmountable contributions in NASA, especially during their manned missions and space exploration/navigation eras is exceptional. Starting from a young age, her determination to study mathematics, a subject rarely encouraged in young women during her youth, to study in one of the top university's and then being approached to form and work in NASA, she is truly a generational talent.
Her tenacity and smarts, her dedication to her craft have all been captured beautifully in prose by Vegara. Matching the inspirational text are the illustrations by Jemma Skidmore — a match in weaving an inspiring and aspiring story for young girls interested or fascinated by STEM.

The amazing story of Katherine Johnson with beautiful illustrations and a brief historical recap at the end for parents.

Lovely picture book that depicts Katherine Johnson as an intellect and good role model, especially for girls and kids of color.

I loved this iteration of Katherine Johnson's story! She's so influential in our lives and this absolutely knocked it out of the park with showing all of what she has done and how she got there. It does not steer away from the racism she faced but told the information at an age appropriate level. I love these books and cannot wait to see who they'll showcase next!

5 stars

“Once, in West Virginia, lived a Black girl named Katherine who lived numbers.”

Part of the “Little People, Big Dreams” series for children. This is the story of Katherine Johnson of “Hidden Figures” fame and starts when she was a child, and a high achiever in math in segregated schools in West Virginia. After high school and college she was then accepted into West Virginia’s top university, as the first Black woman to attend.

In 1953 she joined the U.S. Space Agency which later became NASA. There she, along with other brilliant Black women became an essential part of the nation’s space program.

Very well done and focuses on Johnson’s entire life. Lovely illustrations. Highly recommended.

Another brilliant book by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. This was a great overview of Katherine Johnson. Little ones everywhere will love this. I only wish it was a bit more detailed about her life!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is so great to keep knowing new people with this series.

I didn´t know that Katherine Johnson was such a good mathematicians and that she was so important for this sector.

I only have good works for this series.

Also, chapeau to the illustrator! I love the illustrations!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I love this series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. She does a great job distilling people's lives into messages easily digestible by young readers while making them interesting for older readers, too. I also love the breadth of who she covers in her series.

I know quite a bit about Katherine Johnson, having read a lot of books about her. I thought Maria did an excellent job with this one. She captured Katherine's story, life, and background extremely well and did a great job presenting hard themes like racism and segregation in ways that were accessible to younger readers. She also did a great job showcasing Katherine's accomplishments as a child and as an adult. One of her better ones.

Pages: 32

Reading age: 4-7 years of age.

The beautiful story of Katherine Johnson, a woman of color who defied all odds to become a brilliant mathematician for the US astronaut program. Provides historical context and a short biographical sketch. Great message of setting and achieving goals!

A picture book biography of Katherine Johnson, brilliant mathematician who was a math teacher and then human calculator for the NACA and later NASA, integral to the success of many US space missions.

Having read the longer middle grade biography of Katherine and her fellow calculators, this is a wonderful succinct introduction to Ms Johnson and her amazing achievements for little ones. Katherine Johnson was such a brilliant woman. It is great that young ones can meet this amazing woman via picture book bio.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

She loved math, loved learning, loved being the first to do, loved to teach, loved being a mathematician in the NASA space program! She believed in herself and worked to achieve many things, and lived to be 102!
The illustrations by Jemma Skidmore are simple, colorful, and expressive.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Jan 07, 2025
Katherine Johnson @QuartoKids @CBCBook @Frances_Lincoln #LittlePeopleBIG DREAMS @sanchezvegara @TheQuartoGroup #BlackWoman #AerospaceMathematician Illus by Jemma Skidmore @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones ***** #Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org Ages 8 and up @bookshop_org_uk @childrensbookcouncil #ChildrensNonfiction #TryNewThings #STEM 6 - 8 Years

I don't have any little ones in my life currently so didn't really want to review children's books but read the synopsis and it tweaked my curiosity so I had to give it a go !
Got to say as an adult reader the story doesn't tell me much more than the synopsis does but the illustrations were top class and I loved the further information section as it gives you a bit more information as an adult/older child.
I would have actually liked the book to have explained a bit more about racism/ sexism the book kind of highlights its bad but without really explaining why or what it is.

I am always on the hunt for fun and informative nonfiction books for my classroom. Thank you to @netgalley and @quartopublishing for the arc. I cannot wait to get the physical copy for my classroom. I really enjoyed reading this biography, it was easy to follow and understand. As well as being informative, the illustrations make it easier for children to engage with and understand the facts being presented within the text. At the end of the book there is a timeline of what the book covered with pictures of Katherine. Overall the biography was really well done and I cannot wait to read more in the series.

Anyone who saw the movie Hidden Figures knows who Katherine Johnson is. Here, in this latest in the good series, young readers can meet this remarkable woman.

Katherine’s skills in Math led her to outstanding (and outer space) achievements. To me, an extra bonus of this story, is that it reminds girls that Math is not only the realm of boys. Maybe there is another amazing future mathematician reading this one.

Note that this story touches on the prejudices that made it more challenging for a bright student to get her high school education. She became the first Black woman to attend a top university in West Virginia. Yes, achieve she did, right up to when Neil Armstrong benefited from her calculations on his moon walk.

This is an excellent addition. Johnson was truly a little person with BIG DREAMS.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

I have a stack of Little People Big Dreams series in my classroom, and I think this is a great addition to the series. I know this is not the first biography of Katherine Johnson out there, but I think it's really accessible for the younger readers. I'll definitely get one for my class when it's published!

Little People, Big Dreams
Katherine Johnson
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Pub DateJan 07 2025
Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books |Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Biographies & Memoirs| Children's Nonfiction| Professional & Technical




I am reviewing Little People, Big Dreams, Katherine Johnson, through Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley:


This book is perfect for ypunger kids interested in Stem based subjects!


Get to know Katherine Johnson and her incredible story! A trailblazer whose calculations changed the future of space exploration.




Katherine enjoyed learning, and math was her favorite subject. She worked so hard in class that she was able to move up to high school four years early! Due to racist laws of the time, Katherine's family had to move to a town where Black students could attend school. She was the first Black woman to attend one of West Virginia's top universities after high school and college. She was the first Black woman to attend a West Virginia university after high school and college. 


In 1953, she joined NASA, which became the U.S. space agency. Katherine's mathematical skills contributed to the early success of the space programme along with those of other talented African American women. She was part of the team that planned the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon! Katherine’s tenacity and expertise led to the dawn of a new era for humankind, making her an inspiration to all of us. Katherine's tenacity and expertise helped usher in a new era for humanity, making her an inspiration to all. 


I give Little People, Big Dreams five out offivestars!


Happy Reading!

A beautiful positive story with the moral that if you work hard, you will achieve. Katherine Johnson was a high achiever throughout her life, but had to struggle against racism and sexism - the book covers these topics in a child friendly way. An excellent addition to the series.

Another winner in the "Little people, Big dreams" series. I have enjoyed all the books in this series I have read so far.
I knew a little about Katherine Johnson, but want to learn more about her. This was a great bite-sized book, perfect for middle schoolers!

Another fantastic book in the series!

My four-year-old and ten-year-old both love the Little People, Big Dreams series. This latest book focuses on the life of mathematician Katherine Johnson. I love how these books present complex topics in a very approachable fashion for children of any age. This book sparked a conversation on racism with my eldest, while my youngest was very taken with the beautiful illustrations.

A recommended read for fans of Hidden Figures and fun educational reads for children.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Katherine Johnson

Such a good children’s book that covers the history of Katherine Johnson. I loved Hidden Figures and feel the essay of that full story was captured so well in this book for children to understand. It’s delivered in a positive, inspiring and factual way. I would recommend for classrooms and at home collections for all children.

I received a free copy of this book from Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.