She Can STEM: 50 Trailblazing Women in Science from Ancient History to Today – Includes hands-on activities exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (The Kitchen Pantry Scientist) Hardcover – Import, 13 February 2024

Note: The content of this book was earlier published in ‘The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Biology for Kids’ in 2021.This amazing book brings forth the biographies of 50 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.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.Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

She Can Stem is a gem of a book! I have been interested in science since I was a child. Growing up, STEM was not a thing. On top of that, any scientist I heard about was often male, and it was often the same few names mentioned. I wonder what would have piqued my interest had I known about other STEM field job/research options. This book features a diverse group of women from the past to the present with an engaging layout and motif. I love the Table of Contents and how they did it; it features a woman in STEM in a color-coded square divided into different STEM fields. Not only does each bio feature the scientist's life and history, but a box in the corner inspires your little one to go a step further with the " Try it at Home" section.

This is a wonderful book about the women in the STEM space. Great for little girls to believe they too can achieve success in STEM fields, and great for little boys to know that girls are amazing too! I love that the biographies are written in snippets that are easy to digest and keep things interesting. The little activities are great too.

This book aims to introduce children to fifty women who were/are trailblazers in science, technology, engineering, and math.Each entry lists their name and what they are known for at the top of the page. Underneath, which makes up the majority of the page, are around 6-9 paragraphs that detail their life and work. What the bottom of the page, underneath the last paragraph, is a yellow insert box that describes a simple experiment the reader can perform. On the page opposite of the entry is an illustration of the entry's subject.This is a good book to introduce people to women who have made an impact in STEM. I was also surprised by the diversity of the subjects. Other books of this type that I have read in the past tend to be more homogenous when comes to the subjects.

This book is definitely best for strong readers, as it has a ton of writing. It is well-written and very interesting, featuring a lot of really interesting women in STEM!

This book shares brief biographies of fifty diverse female scientists who made a difference in their fields. The author's selections are genuinely global in scope, stretch across a long period of time, and include all kinds of different accomplishments.Each biographical section involves a double-page spread, with an illustration of the woman on one side and a short biographical summary on the other. The writing is well-organized and uses subject headings, briefly explaining that woman's personal background, early interest in science, education, and accomplishments. The author also includes short descriptions of some scientific concepts, helping readers understand the work these women did.Unfortunately, the biographical sketches are cramped and hard to read, with double columns and super small font. I think that the information should have been printed in a larger font over more than one page, and even though that would disrupt the flow of each illustration and sketch facing each other, it would make the book far easier and more comfortable to read. The font is way too tiny, even though the book is absolutely worth the trouble.Each biographical sketch also includes a short blurb about an activity kids can try at home. The activities vary in difficulty, and although most of them have a clear connection to that woman's field of science and career accomplishments, some of them are a bit of a stretch. Also, there aren't any instructions included, just a super short summary of an activity or experiment idea. These suggestions would be far more practical and usable if the author had explained more.This book will inspire people who are interested in learning more about female and minority scientists, and the author writes frankly about the discrimination and challenges that some of these women faced without using a negative, bitter tone. She's direct and honest about sexism without making that the whole focus, and she highlights what these women accomplished in spite of the odds.This edition is a well-bound hardcover with nice, thick pages. The book itself is really nice quality, and because the author shares lots of great information without majorly simplifying things or talking down to the reader, this is great for a wide age range. The writing is at an older elementary or middle school reading level, but someone can also read this aloud to younger children, and this can also appeal to adults.