Happy Wednesday! It’s time to join with Kid Lit Frenzy to celebrate the wonderful world of children’s nonfiction, and once again we’re celebrating strong female role models. Last week I shared five feisty females who shaped the arts, and this week we’re looking at five feisty females who made an impact in the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Once again I had the wonderful problem have having too many picture books to choose from, and it was a real challenge to narrow this list down to only five titles.
Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark
As a young girl, Eugenie Clark was absolutely fascinated by sharks. She refused to accept the common belief that sharks were simply mindless eating and killing machines, and pursued her passion into a career as a respected scientist. Curious and spirited, Japanese-American Eugenie triumphed against sexism and racism, and her pioneering work earned her the nickname of “Shark Lady” whose discoveries helped change society’s views towards sharks.
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor
Like Eugenie Clark, Marie Tharp was drawn to the sea. Her supportive mapmaker father encouraged her to be curious and to follow her dreams, and Marie certainly dreamed big. She was determined to map the poorly understood ocean floor – no small task for any scientist, let alone a woman in an age in which women were often turned away from ships for being “bad luck”. Marie persevered against sexism and social expectations, and eventually made pioneering discoveries that would help prove the theory of plate tectonics.
As a young girl, Mae Jemison knew she wanted to be an astronaut, but her teachers encouraged her to pursue a more socially acceptable career, such as nursing or teaching. Still, Mae never lost sight of her dream, and refused to let anything stand her way. She went on to graduate from medical school, serve in the Peace Corps, and eventually become the first African-American female astronaut. Jemison continues to be an inspiration for young people around the world.
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
Creative, imaginative, passionate and brilliant, Ada Byron Lovelace was a woman ahead of her time. Nicknamed the Enchantress of Numbers by Charles Babbage, the father of the mechanical calculating machine, Lovelace had a keen mind for numbers and has been credited as the creator of the first computer program. This beautifully illustrated picture books introduces this pioneering woman to new generations of budding scientists and engineers, and celebrates her contributions to science and technology.
Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science
Maria Merian, Mary Anning and Maria Mitchell lived centuries and worlds apart, but each spirited, creative woman fought against the sexist restrictions of her age to follow her passions for learning and discovery. Merian studied the development of caterpillars into butterflies, Anning was a fossil hunting specialist, while Mitchell turned her eyes to the stars. This beautiful collection uses poetry to share these lesser known female pioneers with the world, and to celebrate their individual accomplishments and achievements.
I really love Swimming With Sharks. It was such a hit with my Mock Sibert groups, I put it in our book brackets – we do ours in April
That’s awesome! I’ve always loved sharks, and I think a lot of kids share that fascination, and it’s always thrilling to read stories about kids who pursued their passions into successful careers, especially when the odds seemed to be stacked against them!
I’ve read them all except the Mae Jemison, & have Swimming with Sharks, need to read it! I enjoyed the others very much, especially Finding Wonders. People who persist against great odds to pursue their passions are amazing to hear about. Thanks for this list too, Jane!
I couldn’t agree more! There’s something so wonderful about these stories – these women didn’t set out to change the world, they set out to be their true selves and follow their dreams and passions, but by doing that they helped shape the future for generations to come. Sometimes just being your true self can be the greatest act of rebellion!
I’m a sucker for the gorgeous art in so many of these. It’s wonderful to see STEM titles created with such artistry.
Absolutely! It used to feel like fiction books could be beautiful, but nonfiction had to be “serious”, which meant boring photographs, stilted illustrations and dry text. It’s so amazing to see the incredible quality, artistry and variety in nonfiction that’s been coming out recently!
What a beautiful collection of books! My little sister is deeply fond of science & has her sights set on becoming a marine biologist when she’s older, so I think these would be gorgeous choices for upcoming birthday & Christmas presents – how very inspiring & lovely for young girls everywhere. Thank you so much for sharing, friend. Badass STEM girls ftw. <3
Topaz (Six Impossible Things)
YES! Any of these books would make for amazing presents! I’m always so excited to hear about young women who dream of careers that would have been unthinkable in our grandmothers’ days. There’s a lot of progress still to do, but thankfully we’ve come along way! I really love that these books show that there are a lot of ways to be a tough chick – being strong and badass doesn’t necessarily have to mean being physically tough or strong, it can mean being intellectually tough, too, and challenging the status quo with your brain!
All love all these books! I am all into Girl Power. I especially like Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science!
Me too! When I was growing up, my dad used to get me to repeat “I am woman, hear me roar!” to help me become a strong, independent woman.
What a great selection of books! I don’t remember reading books about women in science when I was a kid. I think its wonderful that there are so many books available now for young girls to learn more about them and to learn to follow their passion along the way.
I’ve heard of some of these women but not all, and I want to learn more. The artwork is definitely an extra attraction. Finding Wonders sounds especially interesting – it’s even in verse as well!
Wow! What a great list of books! Non-fiction picture books about courageous women are my favorite. I once reviewed “Bessie, Queen of the Sky” with my youngest daughter and couldn’t stop sharing about it on my blog. She was the first female American pilot. She had to learn French and study to become a pilot in France, because they wouldn’t let her in the States. Such a brave young lady who wouldn’t give up on her dream despite huge obstacles – money, gender, and race (she was an African American who grew up on a cotton plantation). I’m visiting from Booknificent Thursdays. I’m now following on Twitter.
You have a few here I need to get to. I really love that Ada Byron Lovelace is getting so much attention lately. There are three different picture book biographies now. This version is the one I experienced first and I really like it.