Everyday Superheroes- Women in STEM Careers-Book Review

Everyday Superheroes
Women in STEM Careers

This blog review is a collaboration in exchange for a copy of the book.
All ideas and opinions are my own. This blog post contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here

This year Erin Twamley visited my son’s school. I was there and able to watch her presentation. As a biology major, I was super excited for the opportunity.

Erin explained to the kids a bit about the different types of renewable energies. My son did an activity he had to create his own superhero! It was pretty cool!
She presented in such an engaging way that when my son came home, he kept talking about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and how scientists are superheroes.
I reached out to Erin, and we agreed on a collaboration. She sent me a book in exchange for an HONEST book review.
My family loves books, and I think the book would make a great addition to my library (which I also share with my students). Win, win in my book!
The book arrived, and the kids were so happy when they saw the book!

My son first pointed out that even though the book only showed women in STEM careers, men also do those jobs.
I explained to the kids that men usually hold careers in STEM and many times women do not go into STEM careers, so it is important to notice their impacts and efforts so in the future we have lots more men and women in STEM careers.

I pointed out to the kids that I have a degree in Biology, but I also work as a teacher. They asked me why wasn’t I working in a lab or in the ocean. I explained to the kids that because of daddy’s job, we have to move a lot, so mom had to make a choice, and she chose to become a teacher.
Now I can help train kids to use their STEM superpowers every day.
Even though I am not working in the field, I am training the next generation to become STEM superheroes. Ha! It was a great opportunity for me to tell my kids that I am also a Superhero! 🙂

So, we started to read the book…
We read for about one full hour before bedtime…
The first few pages explain that STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and people who work in these fields solve problems for the rest of the world. Hence they are superheroes.

Next, it explained the six STEM superpowers:

Observation
Imagination and curiosity
Problem-solving
Collaboration
Data collection and analysis
Communication

The kids quickly realized that they understood those steps, and they were able to put them into practice. We spent the rest of the time, discussing ways that they use the STEM superpowers every day.
After that, I told them that we would read more the next day…

The next day during the day, we read about each STEM superpower. It was exciting, informative and the kids asked lots of questions and gave plenty of examples about each superpower.
My son is 9, and he has a very scientific mind, and he loves everything non-fiction. My daughter is 5, and she would listen to her brother, and she would chime in with ideas of her own. It was amazing to listen to the kids and to hear how they understand the world around them.

Kids are amazing, they are absorbing everything we put out there in the world, and when you ask the right questions, you can learn a lot from their perspectives. If your kids enjoy science and are curious about the world, I would recommend this book as it gives them lots of background knowledge, science understanding, and it helps them build their scientific vocabulary. The book is rich in science vocabulary words; thus, I recommend you reading it WITH them at least the first time so you can help them fully understand.

Later that evening, we started to explore careers in STEM and the women superhero.

The book is well designed; it first hooks the readers with questions that engage imagination and wonder (it provides lots of opportunities for discussion). After that, it explains to the reader the new concept that they are learning in that page. It provides lots of examples so the reader can connect with the text.
Then, the book provides opportunities for readers to extend their thinking and communicate about what they learned. It ends with the introduction of a real-life superhero- it shows the reader a real someone that is making a difference in the world through that career field.

We are still reading the book every night exploring a new career in STEM daily and learning about different women superheroes that are changing the world.

As a mom, I highly recommend this book for the following reasons:

It expands children’s vocabulary.
It builds awareness of different career paths.
It helps children understand that careers in science are attainable.
It shows our kids that they can use their passions to change the world.
It is a fun, informational text.

Even though I am reading to the kids at night, my nine-year-old is reading it to himself during the day.
He is enjoying learning about different STEM careers.
He came to the kitchen while I was cooking and asked if I was making dinosaur for dinner.
I was like: “what?”
He replied that chickens are related to dinosaurs. Therefore chicken is a dinosaur.
I laughed… Well, he was reminded of that little fact after reading about his top career choice “Paleontology” in the book.