Black History Month is upon us, and you know we Ladies Love a good book! Everyday we celebrate and honor many pioneers who have graciously contributed much significance to U.S. history. We’ve decided to create a list of children’s books depicting some awesome representations of young kids (particularly girls), created by black women in various stem professions.
Sasha Savvy Loves to Code
Sasha Savvy Loves to Code is an early reader children’s book created by Sasha Alston. The main character, Sasha, is a super smart, 10-year old, African-American girl, who lives in Washington, DC. Sasha decides to give a summer coding camp a chance. Sasha’s mom, a Software Developer, gives her a unique formula to help her remember how to code. Despite the formula, Sasha encounters challenges with getting her code to work on the first day of camp and gets frustrated. She must use problem solving skills to figure out what to do.
Purchase HERE
Related: Author Sasha “The STEM Queen” Alston
Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons
Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons tells the story of a normal little black girl who just wants a Crayon that doesn’t break . Created by Biochemical Engineer Dr. Arlyne Simon, this book is filled with cool stem pictures like the science behind an actual crayon. A great way to introduce the concept of entrepreneurship by demonstrating how to invent your own solutions instead of buying one that someone else created.
Purchase HERE
Bella Dear the engineer
Bella Dear the engineer
Designed with engineering girls in mind. Billye Boddie created this colorful book about a little girl's confidence shining through as she explores the world of engineering and technology. Bella shows everyone that you can do anything you put your mind to.
Purchase HERE
Related: 3 Ways To Encourage Young Women To Pursue STEM Careers
Dr. H Explores the universe from from Jupiter to Uranus
Dr. H Explores the Universe from Jupiter to Uranus is a story exploring the planets in our Milky Way. The main character mirroring Dr. K. Renee Horton, travels with her buddy BB in space. They start from Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, and land on each planet to experience firsthand how different they are from their home planet, Earth! Along the way, they land in some sticky situations as they learn exciting facts about the planets and the rest of the universe in this wacky adventure series.
Purchase HERE
The Meteorologist In Me
The Meteorologist in Me created by NBC Meteorologist Brittney Shipp, is a fairly unique story being that when most think about STEM, Meteorology isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But, Meteorologists study the earths atmosphere which falls right under the science field of study. This book follows a little girl named Summer that loves studying the weather and sharing her learning experiences with her friends and family. Her big dream is to become a TV Meteorologist!
Purchase HERE
Related: Shades of STEM Queens
There’s nothing like positive representation of young girls exploring exciting careers. If you are wondering what to get for girls who are interested in STEAM, look no further! These fabulous five are perfect black history books to keep our girls inspired.
Kara Howard is the Founder and EIC of Ladies Love STEM