When my daughter started preschool, she attended a
Montessori school. Although we were impressed by the diligence of the students,
and the peaceful atmosphere of the campus, we were somewhat taken aback when
the teacher informed us that she would not call our daughter by her nickname. Furthermore,
she said, books with imaginary characters were frowned upon and were not
allowed in the classroom.
This philosophy came to mind when reading The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and
Babbage by Sydney Padua for my reading challenge this week. As the book
mentions, Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord and Lady Byron, was “conditioned away
from dangerous poetical practices.” Her nurse was warned not to tell her any “nonsensical
stories” for fear of flaming the fires of her father’s poetic madness.
Since most of the book takes place in a “pocket universe,”
it may not have been the best pick for this challenge - read a nonfiction book
about science - but it was an informative and fun read. Laid out as a graphic
novel, this book traces the relationship of Babbage, an inventor, and Lovelace,
a mathematician, and the development of the precursor to modern computers, the
Analytical Engine. Even though the illustrations are most delightful, the
end notes are what drive the reader forward. They contain the intriguing trivia,
excerpts from correspondence, and the author’s own wry commentary on which the
illustrations are based.
Despite her formative years of education, I’m happy to
report that my daughter’s imagination remains intact, and she still quite enjoys
a good nonsensical story. I’ll save this one for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment