Booklist Reviews
Interest in Ada Byron Lovelace and other female pioneers of science has soared of late. This young adult biography is a particularly exemplary example of the burgeoning genre and should find a home in all libraries. Caldecott medalist McCully is careful to show Lovelace as a complex, and sometimes troubled, child, teen, and woman whose love of math was as passionate as love of poetry was to her famous father, the Romantic poet Lord Byron. While Lovelace's mother, a controlling figure who reviled Lord Byron, was rather distant, she did cultivate her daughter's intellect. She also introduced Lovelace to Charles Babbage, a well-known figure in England who was developing a protocomputer called the Analytical Engine. It was Lovelace who foresaw its implications and who ultimately wrote "code" for its use. While her life was tragically short, she is now generally acknowledged as "the first computer programmer." McCully's work is eminently readable, with short chapters and lavish illustrations. It also includes meaty appendixes and source notes for teen scholars. A worthy addition to biography bookshelves. Grades 7-10. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Booklist Reviews
Everyone has favorites, but this cheerful picture book leads kids to think about what and how they choose them. For example, do you examine, weigh, and measure first? Do you follow your heart? Do you follow the crowd or not? Do you sometimes change your mind? Later, the text muses on what happens next. "The favorites we pick, the choices we make, become part of us and the path that we take." The closing lines envision limitless possibilities suggested by people's current and future favorites. Written in rhymed couplets with an easygoing cadence, the text reads aloud gracefully. The illustrations, which digitally combine watercolor, pen-and-ink, and monoprint elements, illustrate a diverse group of children choosing their favorites among colors, dogs, trees, desserts, hats, reptiles, and so on. While the text doesn't take long to read, its genial tone and popular topic make this book a great conversation starter when shared with young children, who are so often willing to talk about what they like. An appealing choice for reading aloud. Preschool-Grade 1. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Ada Byron Lovelace followed nineteenth-century conventions by marrying and bearing children yet still pursued scientific interests. Her friend Charles Babbage produced a mechanical tabulation machine, which Lovelace defined as a computer prototype; her resulting algorithm is often considered the first computer program. McCully clearly and systematically outlines mathematical concepts while painting Lovelace's life as one characterized both by spurts of brilliance and many challenges. Archival illustrations and photographs appear throughout. Bib., glos., ind. Copyright 2019 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Born during the Industrial Revolution, Ada Byron Lovelace endured a childhood apart from her estranged poet father, Lord Byron, and controlled by a mother who possessed scant ability to nurture her daughter. Consequently, Lovelace's childhood was one of neglect and cruelty, albeit one marked by strong educational opportunities. Lovelace followed the conventions of the times by marrying and bearing children, two roles she was ill-equipped to handle. Still, because her husband adored her, she was able to pursue her scientific interests and maintain a friendship with Charles Babbage, who began production on a mechanical tabulation machine. When asked to translate an article stating what this (unfinished) invention could do, Lovelace imagined its possibilities beyond numeric computation. In so doing, she defined the machine as a computer prototype, and her resulting algorithm is often considered the first computer program. McCully clearly and systematically outlines the mathematical concepts behind Babbage's machine and the steps Lovelace took to reach her conclusions, as well as her famous statement of limitations: a machine can only do what it is told to do. McCully paints Lovelace's life as one revealing spurts of brilliance but also defined by a domineering mother; strange maladies; indifference toward her children and husband; a fascination with gambling (and resultant financial ruin); and a possible addiction to laudanum. Readers see a complex woman trapped by history, deserving both sympathy and admiration. Archival illustrations and photographs appear throughout; a wealth of back matter includes an epilogue, source notes, a bibliography, an index, and a mathematical glossary. betty carter Copyright 2019 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
A biography of Ada Lovelace, widely celebrated as the first computer programmer. McCully juxtaposes the analytical genius of her subject with her humanizing flaws and personality, painting a portrait of a turbulent soul and a visionary intellect whose promise was cut short by early death. After the acrimonious end of Lord and Lady Byron's relationship, the intelligent Lady Byron sought to distance Ada from both her father himself and his unstable tendencies by giving her a challenging education focused on rational pursuits, math, and science. Lady Byron's portrayal is complex—she's cold and self-centered but determined to provide academic opportunities for her daughter. The book follows Ada's education with her marriage and death from uterine cancer, but both the book and Ada focus on her collaborator, Charles Babbage. A temporary textual shift to focus on Babbage provides necessary context, establishing how advanced and revolutionary Babbage's Difference Engine and Ana lytical Engine designs were. And yet, Ada was able to see far beyond his visions, conceptualizing the potential of modern computers and predicting such programming techniques like loops. McCully demonstrates that although Ada had the potential to achieve more, she was hampered by sexism, ill health, and a temperament akin to her father's. Appendices summarize Lovelace's notes on the Analytical Engine and present the British Association for the Advancement of Science's rationale for refusing to support its construction. A sophisticated yet accessible piece that humanizes a tragic, brilliant dreamer. (source notes, glossary, bibliography, index [not seen]) (Biography. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
PW Annex Reviews
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School Library Journal Reviews