Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13.

 Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13. Written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2018. Children's picture book.

A childlike retelling of the complicated work and the life of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, this colorful picture book will enchant both children and adults. Known for her accuracy and leadership, Johnson calculated the numbers for the Friendship 7 that took John Glenn into space. She worked on the Apollo 11 where men first walked on the moon. But, when Apollo 13 had an explosion, everyone come to know the famous words by astronaut Jim Lovell, "Houston, we have a problem." Katherine Johnson redid the flight pattern to one that would take the astronauts around the far side of the moon and require them to burn off fuel at certain intervals. With her instructions, they were able to return safely to Earth. A humble person, she did not want to take credit and always said that she worked on a team. But, readers will agree that Katherine Johnson was really a star herself.