Instructions Not Included: How a Team of Women Coded the Future

Gr 1-3--In January of 1942, a classified ad appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper seeking women mathematicians to aid the war effort by calculating weapon trajectories. Betty Snyder, Jean Jennings, and Kay McNulty proved to have exceptional problem-solving skills. They were invited to a secret lab at the University of Pennsylvania to figure out a way to tell the world's largest computer, the ENIAC, how to conduct specific calculations. Initially, the women were not allowed to see it; still, they worked tirelessly to determine a way to translate the logic of mathematics into a code the machine could understand. The day before the computer was to be unveiled to important dignitaries, the women discovered that ENIAC spits out incorrect answers. Working through the night, Betty fell asleep and found a solution in a dream. Within the story, we learn that all of the women went on to design important innovations in computer programming. The back matter adds information about each woman's contributions. Beck's illustrations are executed with simple, clean lines that artfully represent the myriad expressions on the women's faces as they tackle complex problems, experience satisfaction, and show determination. Some pages are in color; others are in shades of black and white. Each woman is featured with her own distinctive color. The narrative consists of short, carefully laid out words, sentences, and stanza-like paragraphs reminiscent of free verse poetry. VERDICT An important and motivating contribution for young readers about women pioneers in STEM.--Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

The history of three women--Jean Jennings, Kay McNulty, and Betty Snyder--who created the code for an experimental WWII computer and made fundamental contributions to computer science, anchor this book. Though the story is framed as "some people thought there was a better way... to solve routine problems by using machines," the problem these women focused on was anything but routine: programming EINAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) for a missile launch, shown in Beck's stylized cartoon illustrations. Moreover, the text reduces these trailblazers to one-dimensional characters: "Jean, persistent and consistent"; "A+ Kay, never misses a day"; "left-handed Betty... plays her own way." The larger story of how the women came to be involved with the program is not covered, though the text explains their later contributions to the field, which an authors' note further discusses. Ages 6-8. (Oct.)