Book: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
Author: Laurie Wallmark
Illustrator: April Chu
Publisher: Creston Books
Copyright Date: 2015
Age Range: 5-8 years old
Lexile: 730
In this book, the author Laurie Wallmark details the life of Ada Lovelace. Ada grew up with
very educated parents, Lord and Lady Byron, and was fortunate to receive a good education.
The book then talks about how Ada was a child fascinated by numbers, which her mother
encouraged her to pursue her education. Young Ada is fascinated with inventions such as a
flying machine and writes, tirelessly, to calculate the the wings’ power. Ada contracts a bout of
measles that leaves her temporarily blind and paralyzed but her brilliance does not dim in these
times. Her mother drills young Ada with math problems, which Ada can see in her head, even if
she is not able to physically see them.
very educated parents, Lord and Lady Byron, and was fortunate to receive a good education.
The book then talks about how Ada was a child fascinated by numbers, which her mother
encouraged her to pursue her education. Young Ada is fascinated with inventions such as a
flying machine and writes, tirelessly, to calculate the the wings’ power. Ada contracts a bout of
measles that leaves her temporarily blind and paralyzed but her brilliance does not dim in these
times. Her mother drills young Ada with math problems, which Ada can see in her head, even if
she is not able to physically see them.
The books then discusses how the young Ada at the age of 17 meets the inventor Charles
Babbage who was 41. Babbage is so impressed with the young woman that her invites her
to his laboratory. This friendship was so inspiring that these two souls found solace and common
ground within each other through their desire for knowledge. Babbage shows her his Difference
Engine and then his plans for his Analytical Engine, which prompts Ada to write an algorithm that
becomes the world’s very first computer program.
Babbage who was 41. Babbage is so impressed with the young woman that her invites her
to his laboratory. This friendship was so inspiring that these two souls found solace and common
ground within each other through their desire for knowledge. Babbage shows her his Difference
Engine and then his plans for his Analytical Engine, which prompts Ada to write an algorithm that
becomes the world’s very first computer program.
The book’s final page tells how Charles Babbage never built his Analytical Engine, so Ada
never got her see her program run. But she was a woman who was born too early because
her efforts with Charles Babbage’s inventions had created a new profession of computer
programming. This would not come to pass for over 100 years after Ada had written her algorithm.
never got her see her program run. But she was a woman who was born too early because
her efforts with Charles Babbage’s inventions had created a new profession of computer
programming. This would not come to pass for over 100 years after Ada had written her algorithm.
This book is beautifully illustrated and would be a great addition to a library’s juvenile
biography section. This book could be put into a STEM display so children can learn
about how women can excel in STEM fields. The readalikes listed below could also be
used with this book in a STEM display or could be read before a school age Scratch Coding
program.
biography section. This book could be put into a STEM display so children can learn
about how women can excel in STEM fields. The readalikes listed below could also be
used with this book in a STEM display or could be read before a school age Scratch Coding
program.
Readalikes:
Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (People Who Shaped Our World) by Laurie Wallmark
Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley
Margaret and the Moon by Dean Robbins
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh
Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas
Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer by Linda Liukas
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor
I too blogged about this title. I had never heard of Ada before, but she seems to be exploding in popularity. I love your idea of a Scratch Coding program. I could see a children's scratch coding club at the library. Librarians could read the title to get girls interested in the club. I know my niece has taken an interest in Scratch Coding and asked for books about it one Christmas.
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteI just looked up some of those readalike titles since I wasn't familiar with them. "Grace Hopper" will be added to my to-read list shortly; it looks wonderful and has such good reviews on Goodreads! The Rachel Carson biography reminded me of a similar title I found for a previous assignment: "Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement." It looks like the former is a little more in-depth about her life than the latter; "Spring After Spring" focuses more on her connection with nature, and her observance of nature's rhythms as a child. It's interesting how multiple biographies are published within children's literature that focus on different aspects of a person's life.