Grace Hopper

Queen of Computer Code

Sterling Children's Books

(pub. 5.16.2017)
48 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Laurie Wallmark
      and illustrator: Katy Wu

C haracter: Grace Hopper

O verview from the jacket flap: 

     "Meet Grace Hopper: the woman who revolutionized computer coding.
     An ace inventor, groundbreaker, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she coined the term 'computer bug" and developed the program that taught computers to recognize words and not just endless O's and 1's. GRACE HOPPER tells the inspirational story of this brilliant woman who had a passion for science and math and the firm belief that new solutions to problems were not found by those who said 'We've always done it this way.'
     RULE BREAKER.
     CHANCE TAKER.
     TROUBLEMAKER.
     AMAZING GRACE."

T antalizing taste:  "Maybe the problem wasn't in her program. Maybe it was in the computer....Grace and her team searched everywhere for the problem... The engineers were stumped. They had checked everything. What could be causing the problem?
     Then someone saw it - a moth was trapped inside, blocking a switch from working properly.
     One of the engineers borrowed Grace's eyebrow tweezers and removed the dead moth. The computer started up again with no problem....
     Ever since then, because of Grace's sense of humor, computer glitches have been called 'bugs'."  
 

and something more: I enjoyed learning about Grace Hopper's contribution to computer programing, including the wonderful anecdote about the origin of the term 'computer bug.' The back matter of the book states that "Grace would be especially delighted to know that the Google Doodle created in honor of what would have been her 107th birthday includes the infamous 'computer bug.'"