Hello fellow STEM Sparkers! It's back to school time here in Phoenix, so we're loading up on fish. Oh wait, not a school of fish, school that teaches students, K-12. Now that the pun is out of the way, we'll be doing some back to school book reviews of various STEM children books during the whole month of August. Stick us through the end of the month because we plan to raffle of an Amazon gift card so that one lucky STEM Sparker can buy one of these cool STEM books that we're reviewing.
Our first book up for review is Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers. We heard of this book through Kickstarter, and then one of the authors Erin Twamley reached out to us about reviewing the book. We did receive an e-copy of Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers in exchange for our honest opinion of the book.
Will your kids like it and/or will you hate it?
Well, this book is right up my alley. STEM, check. Fun illustrations, check. A mission to have parity in the STEM field, check. I think it's a well written book that not only tells interesting facts and stories about real STEM workers, but it's a great activity book. Lots of pages asking children to fill out answers to questions or brainstorm ideas, connecting STEM principles to the activities.
I want to note that I didn't read this book to Jack, as Amazon notes that the book is aimed at 3rd to 4th grades (Jack is still in Pre-K). But I did show him some of the pictures of the heroes, and he said he liked it. I do think this book is great for older elementary students, possibly even middle school. I think a teacher, librarian, parent, all educations, can easily use this book as a teaching guide or aid from grades 2nd to 7th.
How long will it keep them entertained?
I think this book will keep older kids entertained for hours. There's different people to read about (the book is 80 something pages!) as well as activities/exercises for the kids to fill out (on their own or with adult guidance).
Are they a good value?
I think it's priced fairly, currently $15.95 for the hardback on Amazon, but if you're a educator looking to buy multiples, that will add up fast! The authors have been responsive and nice via our emails, and they did mention that "we work with schools, sponsors, librarians and anyone who is interested in bulk orders of the book to share the diverse faces of STEM. We are open to partners (non-profits) reselling the books for fundraising purposes or supporting their STEM programming efforts."
Ninja-like STEM Skills
They're super obvious throughout the book.
My overall rating (based on the Amazon five star system) is 4 out of 5 stars! It's a great educational book, teaching STEM concepts, perfect for older kids-- Jack's just not quite there yet, but you bet I'm holding on to this one so he can use it in a few years!
Happy STEM'ing everyone! And make sure to keep checking the Back to School Book Reviews this month for your chance at an Amazon gift card (so that you can buy one of these lovely STEM books)! Make sure to note each book's name this month, as you'll be asked which one you'd love to read as part of the raffle question!