Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Stanley emphasizes Lovelace's right- and left-brain pedigree (her father, whom she never knew, was poet Lord Byron; her mother, a scientist and mathematician). Multiple entry points--Lovelace as female mathematician, nineteenth-century woman balancing career and family, and visionary kept in the background by society--should attract a diverse readership. Hartland's gouache illustrations combine visual playfulness with concrete points in the narrative. Timeline. Bib., glos. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Stanley surveys the brief life of Byrons daughter, whose scientific education and inquiring mind shaped her foundational contributions to computer science.Raised by the hyperrational Lady Byron, Adas creative ingenuity is shaped by the study of math and science. Touring newly industrialized factories, Adas fascinated by Jacquards mechanical loom, which uses encoded, hole-punched paper cards to weave fabrics from plaids to brocades. Introduced to London society at 17, Ada is flummoxed by fashion and gossip, but shes entranced once introduced to mathematician Charles Babbage and his circle of scientists and writers. Encountering Babbages Difference Enginea prototypical calculating machineAda forms a pivotal connection with the inventor. Marriage and children follow for Lovelace, but her later translation of an article about Babbages proposed Analytical Engine secures their partnerships significance within the incremental timeline of machine science. Adas extensive Notes explain how to encode complex calculations, marking her own unique contribution. Stanley efficiently takes readers through Adas childhood and career, choosing details that develop her subject as both a human being and a landmark scientist. Complementing the clear prose, Hartlands whimsical gouache pictures portray white figures with coral lips and in period dress. Gestural brushstrokes loosely evoke landscapes and interiors, yet scores of objectsfrom book titles and period toys to an omnipresent catprovide plentiful visual interest. Pithy narrative plus charming pictures equals an admiring, admirable portrait of a STEM pioneer. (authors note, important dates, bibliography of adult sources, glossary) (Picture book/biography. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.