Book Review: She Can STEM

March is Women’s History Month, so it’s a great time for kids and adults alike to learn more about women in history that we should already know about.

Talking about women in STEM is popular because it’s a field that’s only going to continue to grow and girls aren’t always exposed to it as a career option for them, or they don’t see stories about women in STEM they can aspire to.

The book She Can STEM by Liz Lee Heinecke introduces readers to 50 women in science from throughout history to show that women have always been a part of biology, chemistry, ecology and physics.

Each person highlighted is given a two-page spread, with a full-page illustration and a page long biography exploring their role in science, where they lived and how scientists do similar work today. There’s also a STEM related idea for readers to try.

For example the first woman in the book, Tapputi-Belaktikallim, was the manager of a royal household in ancient Mesopotamia, who also made perfume for the royal family, making her the world’s first known chemical engineer. The experiment asks readers to crush flowers to release their essential oils, which would have been done to make ancient perfumes.

Some of these scientists are people you’ve probably heard of, like Marie Curie, Rachel Carson and Rosalind Franklin, but most of them are names you probably don’t know (unless you’re a scientist). To name a few chosen at random:

Mary Agnes Chase, an expert in grasses who traveled the world and documented more than 20,000 species of grass
Ruby Payne Scott, an Australian radar expert whose research on sunspots and radio astronomy helped scientists discover black holes and understand the effect solar storms have on earth
Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, the first woman to lead the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, she’s also the person who has walked deepest in the ocean while untethered
Valerie L. Thomas, whose illusion transmitter was the forerunner of today’s 3-D technology
Aparajita Datta, an Indian ecologist whose work showed that hornbill birds were largely responsible for seed dispersion within their habitats, which has led to efforts to protect the birds
Raychelle Burks, a chemist who developed a chemical sensor similar to the fictional tricorders used on Star Trek

While the biographies of each scientist are brief, they give readers a jumping off point for further learning and scientific experimentation of their own. They might also open up your mind to areas of scientific inquiry you didn’t even know existed, like olfactory chemistry, crystallography and the study of termites.

About the book: 112 pages, hardcover, published 2024 by Quarto Books, suggested retail price $19.99.

Learn about Women Artists

Next Plan Idea:

Learning about Women in STEM

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply