North, South, East, and Gladys West: How a Mathematician Helped Shape GPS
$25.49
- Hardcover
40 pages
- Release Date
24 November 2026
Summary
“Three cheers for Gladys West, and for this exhilarating story of her contributions!” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Gladys’s mind swirls with numbers and shapes as the world enters the high-tech space age. This is the lyrical true story of a groundbreaking Black mathematician whose inventions led to the creation of GPS.
Little Gladys is a farm girl who loves math. But as a Black kid growing up in Virginia in the mid-twentieth century, she sees life around her as le…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781536225310 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1536225312 |
| Author: | Ainissa Ramirez, Tamisha Anthony |
| Publisher: | Candlewick Press,U.S. |
| Imprint: | MIT Kids Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 40 |
| Release Date: | 24 November 2026 |
| Weight: | 435g |
| Dimensions: | 10mm x 224mm x 268mm |
| Series: | Black Innovators |
| Audience Age: | 5-9 |
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Critics Review
Gladys’ process is complicated but fascinating, and Ramirez recounts it in detail, with scientific explanations about gravity and satellites that will leave readers well informed and likely intrigued to learn more about geoscience. Gladys’ story … is told in straightforward and clever prose. Anthony’s sweet, detailed illustrations combine mathematical imagery with the episodes of Gladys’ life to convey her busy life, accomplishments, and impact. Hefty backmatter rounds out this quality offering.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Anthony’s colorful illustrations help readers envision the people and settings in this intriguing book… . Ramirez brings math, science, and history together in a memorable way in this account of the life of a lesser-known but important STEM figure.
—Booklist (starred review)
Ainissa Ramirez
Ainissa Ramirez is a scientist and science communicator and the author of the first book in the Black Innovators series, Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone, illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey. She dreamed of becoming a scientist when she was a little girl. She earned her doctorate in materials science from Stanford, worked at Bell Labs, and taught mechanical engineering at Yale. Ainissa Ramirez lives in Connecticut.
Tamisha Anthony is the illustrator of Seoul Food by Erin Danielle Russell, Sparrow Loves Birds by Murry Burgess, and On Our Way! What a Day! by JaNay Brown-Wood. She writes and illustrates “Spilling the Tea with T” for Uppercase magazine. When she isn’t illustrating, you can find her joyfully swing dancing with her husband, gardening, or singing jazz standards. Tamisha Anthony lives in Texas.
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