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#Kidlit: Women In STEM

November 26, 2018 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Today we have some more of the fantastic nonfiction childrenâ€™s books that have been nominated for 2018 Cybils awards.

The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague (Amazing Scientists) by Julia Finley Mosca and illustrated by Daniel Rieley tells the story of a woman who was denied the opportunity to become an engineer and went ahead and became one anyway.

Raye Montague wanted to design ships, but the college she went to wouldn’t allow women into the engineering program. After studying business instead, she landed a job typing for the Navy. Working hard, she learned about computers and devised a program that could design a ship in much less time. Eventually she became an official engineer and took over as head of the department where she had started as a typist.

The rhyming text tells Montague’s life story simply and effectively. Eight pages of back matter fill in many details and reveal Montague’s “can do” philosophy in the face of a multitude of barriers. The back matter also includes a timeline with historical photographs and illustrations.

The Girl With a Mind for Math is a picture book biography of an upbeat and inspiring woman. Pick up a copy for reluctant readers and they might just catch Raye Montague’s infectious spunk.

Age Range: 5 – 10 years
Publisher: The Innovation Press (September 4, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1943147426
ISBN-13: 978-1943147427

Because of the recent popular movie, you might be more familiar with the women featured in Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrated by Laura Freeman.

Author Margot Lee Shetterly wrote the original bestselling book, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, for adults. In this picture book for children, she gives a brief summary of each woman’s career, interweaving their stories and at the same time emphasizing their similar struggles as human computers for NASA.

“Dorthy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math. Really good.”

In the back Shetterly reveals that that she met many of the women when she was growing up in Hampton, Virginia.

Hidden Figures is a good introduction to these amazing women. It would be a great book to have on hand for both Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 16, 2018)
ISBN-10: 0062742469
ISBN-13: 978-0062742469

Want to read more? Check our growing list of children’s books about women mathematicians at Science Books for Kids.

Disclosure: These books were provided by our local library. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

STEM Friday #Kidlit Rodent Rascals

November 23, 2018 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Letâ€™s explore another of the fantastic nonfiction childrenâ€™s books that have been nominated for 2018 Cybils awards.

Someone must have squirreled away Rodent Rascals:Â From Tiny to Tremendous — 21 Clever Creatures at Their Actual Size by Roxie Munro because it took a long time to get it at the library. The good news is it was worth the wait.

What are rodents? Munro lets the reader know right in the Introduction. Named for the Latin verb rodere = to gnaw, members of the order Rodentia are furry mammals that are defined by having a single pair of long incisors on their upper and lower jaws that continue to grow throughout their lifetimes.

The rest of the book goes on to explore rodent diversity. The author/illustrator features examples ranging from the tiny pygmy jerboa to the large dog-sized capybara, all of which are drawn with India inks and colored acrylic inks at life size. Accompanying each illustration is a detailed discussion of the history and biology of each kind of rodent. Although this looks like a picture book, the text is written at a high level and Rodent Rascals has been placed in the middle grade category for the Cybils contest.

People have a divided relationship with rodents. One of my relatives hates both mice and squirrels because they steal bird food and chew wiring. He spends his free time devising traps and barriers to exclude them. Our family is on the opposite end of the spectrum because we’ve enjoyed having several different kinds of rodents as pets. Rodent Rascals is likely to enthrall children who already appreciate rodents and possibly entice a few more skeptical readers to join their ranks. Scurry on out and get a copy today!

Activity Suggestions:

1. Explore the diversity of rodents

Research the life styles of different rodents, both those kept as pets and those in the wild.

Some rodents live in dry environments like the Mongolian gerbil, which is the ancestor of the gerbils now kept as pets.

Other rodents live in and around water all their lives, like the muskrat or the beaver.

Photo by Steve at Wikimedia

(See our previous beaver science post for information and activities)

Although we think of rodents as being small, some can be large.

Capybaras can reach 100 pounds or more.

We also think of rodents as solitary creatures, but capybaras, beavers, and others are quite social.

Guinea pigs are close relatives of capybaras. They thrive better if you keep more than one. (See our previous post of activity suggestions with pet guinea pigs.)