Review by Booklist Review
As WWII loomed, technology advanced, with machinery evolving to keep up with a world that was moving at a faster pace. At the University of Pennsylvania, female mathematicians, called ""computers,"" solved calculations that would help with the mechanics of the war effort. For three women, the stakes were even higher. Betty Snyder, Jean Jennings, and Kay McNulty, mathematicians and engineers equipped with particular skills, were tasked with programming ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), one of the first computers; if successful, they would create a machine to increase efficiency and ""show that computers have a future in war and in peace."" Through much trial and error, they accomplished their task, though they received little celebration or even recognition at the time. ""To solve the biggest problems,"" the text asserts, ""computer memory has to be elegantly organized."" Here complicated concepts are clarified with poetic grace. The window into this early phase of computer science is the women who pioneered it; Betty, Jean, and Kay are made distinct in their backgrounds, personalities, and specialities through both the rhythmic text and the retro pastel art. Beck implements a separate, subtle color scheme for each woman, and those threads are stitched throughout the book; a final spread, set in the modern day, highlights the lasting echoes of their work. Thorough back matter completes this essential ode to women in STEAM.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The history of three women--Jean Jennings, Kay McNulty, and Betty Snyder--who created the code for an experimental WWII computer and made fundamental contributions to computer science, anchor this book. Though the story is framed as "some people thought there was a better way... to solve routine problems by using machines," the problem these women focused on was anything but routine: programming EINAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) for a missile launch, shown in Beck's stylized cartoon illustrations. Moreover, the text reduces these trailblazers to one-dimensional characters: "Jean, persistent and consistent"; "A+ Kay, never misses a day"; "left-handed Betty... plays her own way." The larger story of how the women came to be involved with the program is not covered, though the text explains their later contributions to the field, which an authors' note further discusses. Ages 6--8. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--In January of 1942, a classified ad appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper seeking women mathematicians to aid the war effort by calculating weapon trajectories. Betty Snyder, Jean Jennings, and Kay McNulty proved to have exceptional problem-solving skills. They were invited to a secret lab at the University of Pennsylvania to figure out a way to tell the world's largest computer, the ENIAC, how to conduct specific calculations. Initially, the women were not allowed to see it; still, they worked tirelessly to determine a way to translate the logic of mathematics into a code the machine could understand. The day before the computer was to be unveiled to important dignitaries, the women discovered that ENIAC spits out incorrect answers. Working through the night, Betty fell asleep and found a solution in a dream. Within the story, we learn that all of the women went on to design important innovations in computer programming. The back matter adds information about each woman's contributions. Beck's illustrations are executed with simple, clean lines that artfully represent the myriad expressions on the women's faces as they tackle complex problems, experience satisfaction, and show determination. Some pages are in color; others are in shades of black and white. Each woman is featured with her own distinctive color. The narrative consists of short, carefully laid out words, sentences, and stanza-like paragraphs reminiscent of free verse poetry. VERDICT An important and motivating contribution for young readers about women pioneers in STEM.--Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A celebration of three of the female programmers of the World War II-era computer, ENIAC.Present-tense text describes how Betty Snyder, Jean Jennings, and Kay McNulty have always been standouts: Betty inventively individualistic, Jean tenacious, and Kay perfectionistic. The highly intelligent women especially love math. During WWII, the call goes out for female mathematicians to join the war effort, computing the math problems that determine angles and timing of weapons. But there's also a top-secret project, the ENIAC. The three heroines are among the mathematicians tapped to figure out how to program the machine and ensure its fast calculations are accurate. The machine's a costly investment, and it's up to the programmers to get it working in time for a demonstration for an audience of important men. With each wrong answer ENIAC generates, the pressure on the programmers grows. When they succeedjust in timethe men celebrate by congratulating themselves while the women get back to work coming up with important innovations in programming (Betty's sort-merge datastream, Jean's scheme to store programs, and Kay's thrifty use of memory). The crisp, clear illustrations color-code the women yellow, red, and green for ease in keeping them straight and for showing montages. While the three are white, the forward-looking final page turn embraces the computer age with an illustration of three girlsAsian, white and chubby, and blacksharing the color-coded motif and other visual ties to the heroines' stories.An upbeat, necessary history. (authors' note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
