Gutsy Girls Go for Science: With Stem Projects for Kids | Book Series Review

Dr. Anna Iacovetta | The Children’s Book Review

A Book Series Teaching and Inspiring Girls About Science

Gutsy Girls Go for Science is a new 4 book Science series that highlights the careers of five famous female scientists and trailblazers in the fields of engineering, space, programming, and paleontology.  Each book begins with a basic introduction for each field explaining its history, introducing key vocabulary, and what to expect when reading further in the book.

Each biography begins with the woman’s picture, a timeline displaying key life events and accomplishments. and what they are known for in the science world.  The 18 pages devoted to each woman include easy-to-read stories of their works and contributions, photographs, and inserts of engaging critical questions. At the end of each section, readers are presented with “field assignments” that include ideas of how they can continue the legacy of that particular woman along with hands-on STEM projects that take the ideas one step further.

Each book ends with an informative resource page and glossary.  The books in this series are excellent primary resources and would be worthwhile additions to not only the personal library for future scientists but for classroom libraries as well.

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts: With Stem Projects for Kids

Written by Alicia Z. Klepeis

Illustrated by Shululu

Publisher’s Synopsis: Hands-on space science projects help launch kids ages 8 to 11 into learning about fearless female astronauts who broke barriers across space and gender in this full-color book full of real-world connections!

Do you dream of going into space? Do you wonder what it’s like on the moon? In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 through 11 explore the lives of some of the world’s most amazing female astronauts, including Bonnie Dunbar, Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Sunita Williams, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor―all pioneers in the field of space exploration. Their hard work and dedication to science and experimentation gave the world much new knowledge about space, biology, and more. These brave women took risks and pushed the limits of what we know about life in space.

• Through hands-on STEM projects such as designing and building space rovers, rockets, and even a model of the International Space Station using inexpensive and easy-to-find supplies, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in space.

• Essential questions, cool facts about female scientists, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning.

• Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers’ creative thinking skills.

Buy the Book

Ages 8-11 | Publisher: Nomad Press | September 24, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1619307780

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Engineers: With Stem Projects for Kids

Written by Diane C. Taylor

Illustrated by Shululu

Publisher’s Synopsis: Hands-on STEM projects shine a light into the world of engineering and encourage kids ages 8 to 11 to learn about five female engineers who changed the way things work in this full-color book that teaches critical and creative thinking.

Have you crossed over a bridge today? Have you ridden an elevator to a top floor? Have you opened up a carton of milk? All of these things were made possible through engineering! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Engineers with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female engineers who revolutionized the role of women in engineering, including Ellen Swallow Richards, Emily Warren Roebling, Kate Gleason, Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and Mary Jackson. Short sidebars highlight the accomplishments of contemporary female engineers and reveal the ways that women are finding success in engineering today, pointing the way for young people to imagine their place in engineering in the future.

• Through hands-on STEM projects such as researching organizational psychology, conducting a virtual tour of a model bridge, and creating a presentation about processed food, kids gain the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in engineering.

• Essential questions, cool facts about female engineers, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning.

• Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers’ creative thinking skills.

Buy the Book

Ages 8-11 | Publisher: Nomad Press | September 24, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1619307858

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Paleontologists: With Stem Projects for Kids

Written by Karen Bush Gibson

Illustrated by Shululu

Publisher’s Synopsis: Hands-on science projects pair up with inspiring biographies of female paleontologists in a full-color book for ages 8 to 11 that will have kids digging in their own backyards and making real-world learning connections!

Who were the first people to walk upright? What kind of life existed millions of years ago? How have organisms changed through the eons? These are the kinds of questions that keep paleontologists awake at night! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Paleontologists with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female paleontologists who made breakthrough discoveries of ancient life from millions of years ago, including Mary Anning, Mignon Talbot, Tilly Edinger, Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, and Mary Leakey. These women all led fascinating lives while working in the field and in the lab, often facing challenges because of their gender and race.

• Through hands-on STEM projects such as creating a paleontology diorama, modeling an excavation, preparing specimens and finding clues in teeth, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in the field.

• Essential questions, cool facts about female scientists, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning.

• Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers’ creative thinking skills.

Buy the Book

Ages 8-11 | Publisher: Nomad Press | September 24, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1619307902

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers: With Stem Projects for Kids

Written by Karen Bush Gibson

Illustrated by Shululu

Publisher’s Synopsis: Real-world technology projects pair up with inspiring biographies of female computer scientists to make a full-color book that will have kids ages 8 to 11 eager to develop their own apps!

Do you like solving problems? Are you dying to automate even the simplest of processes? Do you always need to know how things work? Programming is the process of breaking down complex tasks into a set of instructions. This is what programmers do when they write code that will make your computer do what you tell it to! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female programmers who made revolutionary discoveries and inventions that changed the way people used technology! Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, the ENIAC women, Dorothy Vaughan, and Margaret Hamilton all broke through barriers of both gender and race to succeed in a field they loved.

• Through hands-on STEM projects such as designing a web page, creating a prototype, and learning about variables, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in the field.

• Essential questions, cool facts about female programmers, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning.

• Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers’ creative thinking skills.

Buy the Book

Ages 8-11 | Publisher: Nomad Press | September 24, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1619307865

Gutsy Girls Go for Science was reviewed by Anna Iacovetta, Ph.D. Discover more books like the Gutsy Girls Go for Science series by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Library, Monsters, Picture Book, and School.