Author: Margot Lee Shetterly with Winifred Conckling
Illustrator: Laura Freeman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Grade Level: K - 2
Social Justice Element #1: Self-love and Knowledge
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Summary
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
is a children’s version of the extremely popular New York Times bestseller that
was released in 2016. As I read the book, two sentences in particular caught my
eye in the first few pages. “She was good at math. Really good.” Although
I was a voracious reader as a child and read untold numbers of books to
children that I love, I don't believe I've ever seen those words in print.
Ever. This book continually provides those powerful moments as it peels
back the layers of history to bring an amazing story to light. This book captures
in a child-friendly format the challenges that Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson,
Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden encountered as they made their
tremendous contributions to aeronautics and space exploration including the Apollo and Mercury space missions. The story is told
from the women’s perspective and details how their personal circumstances and
the social context of their time influenced their journeys. It starts by focusing
on Dorothy Vaughn and her desire to serve her country by working for the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA. As the story unfolds,
the author shows how the path that each of them took was rooted in a love for
math and an unshakable confidence in their ability to make significant
contributions in a STEM field. The story is told chronologically so that one
can clearly see how the women supported each other and blazed the trail for
those who were following after. The injustices they faced are spelled out in clear
terms as are the ways in which they persisted and resisted. The book contains an
illustrated timeline so that children can see where the women are located in
history. A brief biography of each woman is also included and highlights their formidable
contributions. At the end of the book, there is a glossary that defines key
terms found in the book. Overall, the book highlights historical facts and perspectives
that are usually excluded from a highly celebrated portion of U.S. history.
Social Justice Element
This book represents Social Justice Element #1: Self Love and Knowledge.
It gives students an opportunity to learn about history that is often
overlooked and suppressed in favor of a narrative that aligns with the prevailing
discourse. Children will see positive images of Black women playing critical roles
in history and being pioneers in a STEM field – an area where there is a
distinct lack of role models for Black children and girls especially. The story
told in this book can build a sense of pride and provide students with historical
examples of black excellence. It can help to answer the question, “Where am I
or people who look like me in American history?” The book provides so many reasons to be proud to be Black in this text. The stories in this book are examples of how Black
women have been making contributions throughout American history although they
may not have been recognized or included in most texts about the events. It
also is a great introduction to intersectionality. Several times in the book,
it is emphasized that the women faced certain challenges because they were
black and women. That makes this one of the few children’s books to address
intersectionality. Additionally, children will be introduced to being critical
consumers of what they read or watch. After reading this book, children can
reasonably ask what other stories and contributions are out there that just did
not make it into my library books or my history textbook.
Potential Activity
Students could read this book and compare it with another children’s
book about the Space Race.
-
Start with discussing what children know about space exploration and any
current events involving space.
- Have the children read both books and capture in anchor charts and/or
graphic organizers the differences they see in who’s contributions were included.
- Follow up with questions about what they learned and how they felt about
themselves after reading each story.
Additional Comments
This
book is gorgeously illustrated and formatted in a way that will help students
gain some valuable insights into US history. Although there is a very popular
film based on the lives of these women, this book is still a worthwhile read
for children. It brings into focus some aspects of the story that may have been
relegated to the background in favor of other aspects of the story that play
better on film. The book length also lends itself better to children’s attention
spans. Also, the resources such as the timeline and the glossary make it much
easier to integrate into several subject areas including history, social
studies, and science.
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