Inspiring Picture Books About Women in STEM

March is known as Women’s History Month and I’d like to share children’s books that feature women who have made important contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.) Of course, these accomplishments should be celebrated year-round and not limited to a particular month!

Innovation Press released a series entitled, Amazing Scientists that highlight 4 women that have overcome the odds. The books were written by Julia Finley Mosca and illustrated by Daniel Rieley. Each rhyming tale includes a biography and a note from the scientist.

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The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath

Dr. Patricia Bath felt that girls could do anything that boys could do. Her family’s doctor and friend inspired her to become a doctor.

Besides being poor, Dr. Bath faced other obstacles because she was Black and a girl. Dr. Bath chose ophthalmology as her focus. She became a professor and taught and trained hundreds of students ophthalmology. Dr. Bath learned about lasers and developed a laser probe that removed cataracts from patients’ eyes.

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The Girl who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

Early on, Dr. Temple Grandin’s family noticed that she was unique. They discovered that Temple had a condition called autism. When she went to school, she was bullied by the other students. Temple’s mother sent her to visit her aunt’s ranch.

She enjoyed life on the farm because she got along well with the animals, especially the cows.
Temple went to college and earned degrees in animal science. She learned that the way cows and other animals were transported caused them pain, stress, and fear. She invented devices that kept cows calm at slaughterhouses. Soon her designs were built on many farms.

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The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague

Raye Montague once saw a submarine on display and she decided to become an engineer. Black students could not take engineering courses. Instead, she studied business.

Raye found a job as a typist in the US Navy. She watched the engineers closely and learned their jobs. Eventually, Raye got a job as a computer systems analyst. The president asked the navy to build a ship. It can take up to two years to design one, but Raye completed the design in eighteen hours. She was the first person to design a ship by using a computer. As a Black woman, her White male bosses took credit for her work. Raye later became a professional engineer.

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The Astronaut with a Song for the Stars: The Story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa

Dr. Ellen Ochoa’s family often faced racism and discrimination as immigrants from Mexico. This made Dr. Ochoa work hard to succeed. As a child, Dr. Ochoa learned to play classical flute.

Dr. Ochoa earned degrees in electrical engineering. She was inspired to become an astronaut, too. In 1993, she boarded the space shuttle Discovery for her first space mission and became the first Latina in space. She even played her flute aboard the shuttle. She later became Director of the Johnson Space Center – the first Hispanic and second woman to become director.

I had the opportunity to work with Innovation Press over the past few years. They sent me these great books for free and I created resources for my TPT store. These resources are all free! Each resource includes a biography, a comprehension check, a graphic organizer, and 6 posters (3 in color, 3 in black and white). Click on the images below to grab them.