@ignotofsky Does It Again. THE HISTORY OF THE COMPUTER Published By @TenSpeedPress. So Thrilled To Have Her in the @WritingProject Fold

Last night, Tanya Baker and I pre-recorded an interview of NY Times Best-Selling Author Rachel Ignotofsky, which we'll air on The Write Time in the upcoming weeks. This was a reunion show as Rachel hinted at The History of the Computer, when NWP teacher Soñia Galaviz interviewed her in 2021 to celebrate What's Inside a Flower. I've been raving about The History of the Computer with all the educators I know - it is a museum of incredible knowledge, history, insight, trivia, and connectivity. Yes, it is written for younger readers, but it's a text that should be in everyone's home. Every page is an exploration of history, insight, trivia, and facts. The artwork is amazing, as always.

I was lucky to conduct the interview this time around and I knew it was going to be tremendous fun. Rachel Ignotofsky has a pro-teacher, pro-education, and pro-reader way about her, and the enthusiasm is contagious. I laughed through the 80s portion of the book, especially seeing the Nintendo finger controls as they taught me young that I am far from being a gamer. That was my little sister. I have a brain to figure out games, but not the hand/eye coordination necessary to overcome them. I'm much more of the pencil inside a cassette roll-up boy. On second thought, I believe that is a digital doodle pad. And ah, the synthesizer. Somewhere in my mother's house is the one we bought her - one she brings out at Christmas time to play her carols.

Computers are artifacts of who we are as a species (and have been) and leave it to the historical illustrator and master story-teller, Rachel Ignotofsky, to script/scribe/illuminate/showcase all the knowledge one needs to know about our digital machines throughout history: the people, the stories, the vocabulary, and always the women behind much of it all. 

I can't wait until this interview airs, as I really predict this will be a book in every school very soon. It should be. I'm coming into this Friday with absolute bliss for having last night's opportunity to interview her.