She Can STEM

50 Trailblazing Women in Science from Ancient History to Today – Includes hands-on activities exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

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Pub Date 13 Feb 2024 | Archive Date 26 Sep 2024

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Description

Inspire young scientists with the biographies of 50 fascinating women in science past and present, each paired with a hands-on experiment that brings the history and principles of science to life.
 
Women have been involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for thousands of years. While many have faced obstacles because of their gender, things are changing for the better, and today there are more women than ever working in these disciplines.
 
By examining the moments that inspired successful women to pursue STEM fields, delving into their adventures and struggles, and exploring their interests outside of science and engineering, She Can STEM gives kids a rare glimpse into the fascinating personalities behind the lab coats.

Just a few of the many curious, creative, and persevering women introduced:
 
  • Physicist Dr. Nadya Mason – Dr. Mason studies how electrons move through materials like carbon and graphene. She ran track in high school and was a gymnast on the United States National Team.
  • Ecologist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer – When she was a young girl, Dr. Kimmerer loved to pick wild strawberries and nature helped her reconnect with her Potawatomi heritage. Eventually, her love of the outdoors led to a successful career as a plant ecologist and author.
  • Physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein – As a kid, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. She attended a performing arts school where she trained as a dancer before going on to study astronomy and theoretical physics.
  • Chemist Dr. Raychelle Burks – Dr. Burks has loved Agatha Christie mysteries and Star Trek since she was young. Today, she works to create hand-held sensing systems that can identify chemical clues tied to crimes.
  • Microbiologist Dr. Esther Lederberg – Dr. Lederberg was a child during the Great Depression and was often hungry. Although she enjoyed literature, music, and French, she eventually chose biochemistry as her field of study and went on to make many important discoveries.

Whether you’re passionate about science, math, history, art, music, or sports, the relatable role models in She Can STEM demonstrate that with curiosity and hard work, anyone can pursue a bright future in STEM.

Dig into even more incredible science history from The Kitchen Pantry Scientist series with: Physics for Kids, Chemistry for KidsBiology for KidsMath for Kids, and Ecology for Kids.
Inspire young scientists with the biographies of 50 fascinating women in science past and present, each paired with a hands-on experiment that brings the history and principles of science to life.
 
...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780760386064
PRICE US$19.99 (USD)
PAGES 112

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Average rating from 25 members


Featured Reviews

This book should be on the shelf of every school library. How many women scientists can you name without having to look it up on Google? In any case, you will find something, or rather someone, new in this book. Vivid illustrations and simple presentation of information enhance the overall impression. The book is perfect for children, teenagers, and even adults who want to learn more about women in STEM.

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A great book for the classroom. Information about female scientists and their impact. Easily accessible information and great illustrations.

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She Can STEM is a wonderful non-fiction book about women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) from ancient history to today, written for a younger audience of about 9-12 years.

This is the perfect book to read for a child who has just surpassed the age where they want to be read fiction to, as it encourages the child’s own thinking as well as opens for conversation with adults. The book discusses women’s rights, the hardships of Black and Indigenous people primarily in the USA, as well as the climate crisis. This makes the book both contemporary and educational, but encourages conversations about these topics in order to understand and learn more about the world and women’s history. This would be a great book to read to one’s child, maybe one biography a day, and then discuss.

She Can STEM is a great book for those children with curious, inquisitive minds who are always asking questions about the world. Instead of discouraging curiosity, this book celebrates it and makes the science accessible, without patronising the reader. All 50 biographies include information about how these women’s discoveries are still important today, which makes it clear to the reader that an interest in science is a good thing, which can eventually develop into an ability to save thousands of lives. Every biography also includes a simple experiment that the child (in company of an adult) can do from home in order to understand exactly what it is that these scientists discovered.

The art in this book is very beautiful as well. Colourful, happy, yet not too immature. Incredibly visually pleasing and beautiful. Besides art of the scientists, there are drawings and doodles of their discoveries, which alongside the text makes the science more comprehensible.

All in all, a very well thought-out, interesting, and beautiful read!

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I love this book! As a mom and a teacher I will absolutely be getting a copy!

My daughter is 5 and very interested in Math and Science and I just know she will enjoy learning about all of these amazing women. I also really appreciate the diversity in the women featured - it’s a wonderful opportunity to explore the idea of intersecting identities.

For my middle school students as well, this will be a great resource to show all student some of the many great accomplishments of women in the area of STEM.

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I am so impressed with this compilation as well as how the different women from different backgrounds/countries have made a big impact in the world of science!

The cover, the content, the illustrations as well as the information give enough depth about the different personalities along with their achievements in different fields of science and research.

Amazing work to the publishing team.

Thank you, Quarry Books, for the advance reading copy.

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Fantastic!! A wonderful, informative read that is perfect for bedtime stories or for casual reading. It takes me back to that moment in college when I first found out about Rosalind Franklin and how contributors like her are grossly ignored and taken for granted. This book showcases the diversity of women who carry torches in their respective disciplines. The 'try this at home' section is simple, yet promotes creativity and curiosity. Illustrations are apt and easy on the eye. Will recommend to future nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

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I read this book with the little girl I babysit and she loved it just as much as me, It’s clear the author was thorough in her research and pays great attention to detail. This book taught me about women I’ve never heard of but were instrumental in shaping our current future as well as more detailed information about more well known women in STEM. The illustrations were beautiful and I felt like they represented each woman and her personality. Whether you’re 6 or 60 this book is one you’ll want to put on your list to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this beautiful piece of art.

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She Can STEM is an absolute must have for any discerning school classroom or library and we can't wait to get it into ours.

We are ashamed to admit that before reading this book, we only knew about a handful of these truly amazing women, and we are so pleased that we can now tell you all about their work and their contribution to modern day life as we know it.

She Can Stem tells the back history and achievements of 50 prominent female scientists, all trailblazers in their own right. Their work, which has had huge impacts on our lives, is summarised in easy to read, accessible paragraphs and at the end of each page, a 'Try This At Home' activity, relevant to the science, is given to engage and secure the information in busy brains.

We were wowed by the role of Dr Rosalind Franklin in the discovery of DNA's double helix structure as sadly, her work was never properly credited in her lifetime, and it is sad to say that many female STEM trailblazers have had similar treatment in the past. This book is righting the wrongs of previous generations and singing praise loudly for all to hear so that credit is given where it is due. Books like this are essential for future generations, and are especially inspiring for young girls considering a future in STEM.

We recommend this book for children age 7+

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for sending us this eBook for review. All opinions are our own.

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A wonderfully informative book about 50 brilliant trailblazing women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. It takes the reader on a journey from ancient times to modern times with short biographical essays about these scientists.
With a field that has been dominated by men, due to exposure, not actual scientists, it is brilliant that this book highlights women’s achievements.
Great sketches throughout the book which works well with the chronological information.

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An outstanding volume for young people, She Can STEM features colorful, informative short biographical essays about the achievements of 50 women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. While targeted for elementary and middle-school ages, the informative character sketches interested me as an adult. I think this title would be popular and useful as a multi-age reference. The book is beautifully designed, organized chronologically. Information on each woman is accompanied by a simple hands-on activity suggestion related to her achievement. Those interested in STEM history will enjoy this book.

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In case you ever had any doubts, this book is proof that women really can do it all!
This collection of 50 outstanding women in STEM of the past decades tells their stories and celebrates their achievments. It’s completed by beautiful illustrations and little “try at home” nuggets that make you wanna become a scientist yourself! I enjoyed this a lot and can imagine how brilliant and inspiring it must be to read this with a child! Great collection!

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She Can STEM features short bios 50 female contributors to the sciences, past and present. Each woman has their own two page spread, with one featuring a portrait of the woman with aspects of her life and scientific expertise, and the other detailing a few hundred words of their life, their scientific role and other things they have done with their lives. A common theme for many is the hurdles they've faced for being women (including their credit being stolen) and that this book is to help change the image of STEM from just being men, and that women from all backgrounds and personalities can be scientists too. Even as a full grown adult, I was surprised by some of the contributions by women in STEM throughout history, and some, still working in the present day. Each segment contains an activity that can be done by children with some to no adult supervision required that helps reinforce the works each of the women contributed to their field of study. This is a perfect read for grade school kids (6-12), and can even appeal to those slightly (or much) older.

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In a Nutshell: An inspiring collection of 50 bios of women pioneers in the STEM fields. Great content, great page design, great illustrations. Highly recommended.

Note: The content of this book was earlier published in ‘The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Biology for Kids’ in 2021.

When we say the word ‘scientist’, many of us (almost all of us?) would picture Einstein or Hawking or even Newton. How many of us would first think of Marie Curie or Rosalind Franklin?

The STEM fields have always been dominated by men, but this is obviously not due to a lack of feminine propensity towards STEM topics but due to the lack of opportunities and encouragement. Thankfully, there have been at least a few women in history who shattered their shackles and went on to have an illustrious career in a STEM field, even though they didn’t always win plaudits for their minds and their work. (I am sure there have been many more women contributors in the STEM subjects over the ages, but their names have been lost in the annals of history, which, as we all know, has been written by men.)

This amazing book brings forth the biographies of 50 such women pioneers from across time and cultures. Women who were sometimes but not always supported by the men in their lives. Women who left an indelible mark in their field of expertise but whose contributions were still not acknowledged most of the times. These 50 trailblazers come from the four fields of biology, chemistry, physics, and ecology. I liked how there is a colour-coded tag about their field in the index and on their biography page, thus making it easier for children to flip through their favourite scientists subject-wise.

The introduction at the start of the book is inspiring as well as infuriating. When you see how much injustice has been doled out to many of these women in terms of recognition and acceptance, you will find their journeys even more admirable.

The structure of the book is somewhat similar to that of the Rebel Girls books. On one side, we have a sketch of the scientist, and on the other side, we have the biography. The bio is divided into even-sized text blocks, each with its own heading. The content thus becomes very easy to focus upon and to assimilate.

Every page also has a special “Try This at Home” section, with a simple activity related to that scientist’s specialty. Most of these are easy for children to do by themselves, or with minor adult supervision.

While there were some popular names herein, many of these women were totally unknown to me. The diversity of the included bios proves how intelligence and capability has nothing to do with gender.

A common theme you will notice across many of the bios is how many of these women didn’t get credit for their creation/discovery, which were attributed to a male scientist who either partnered with them or used their research later. History has never been fair to women, and this book proves it in chunks!

The illustrations complement the bios well. Because they are all drawn by the same illustrator (unlike in Rebel Girls), there is a consistency to the quality of the graphics. At the same time, illustrator Kelly Dalton imbues each sketch with the distinct personality and field of the women scientist in focus, making each graphic appear distinct.

Much recommended to every child (girl or boy or other) who is interested in or wants to be inspired towards the STEM fields. The book is aimed at ages 7-12, but it can work for younger teens as well.

4.5 stars.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for the DRC of “She Can STEM : 50 Trailblazing Women in Science from Ancient History to Today”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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This is the first I've read in the science history from The Kitchen Pantry Scientist series: Physics for Kids, Chemistry for Kids, Biology for Kids, Math for Kids, and Ecology for Kids., and I'm glad that there are to be more in series. Each known woman from a wide assortment of time and place gets a full-page story and full-page portrait as it presents the biography along with why her research, findings and inventions are still important. And then there is the paragraph that invites the reader to "Try this at home."
The instructions are colorfully and delightfully illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age, great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a temporary electronic copy on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry, Quarry Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
While the out-of-state grands stayed here over the end of year holidays, our 10 y/o girl made off with my laptop to absorb this one!

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There are 50 inspiring biographies of women in science past and present in this book. Women have been involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for several years. Many women faced obstacles due to their gender. In the present time, more women are working in these fields. I found the women fascinating learning about them. I learned facts about their work including how their curiousity and hard work made them successful. At the end of the biography, there is a “hands on” project that can be done. One of my favorite women was Microbiologist Dr. Esther Lederberg. This is a book I would recommend anyone to read. Indeed, it is a fascinating book to read.

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This amazing book introduces readers 7 to 12 to "50 trailblazing women in science from ancient history to today." What a terrific book to encourage girls to consider STEM careers! The illustrations are gorgeous, the brief bios are fascinating, and there are ideas for experiments related to each woman's work, plus an index. Highly recommended!

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Such an awesome book for all ages. Very inspiring and easy to read stories of women in STEM. Lot's I'm ashamed I never heard of. A must read!

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