Were you a fan of STEM subjects in school? Despite the fact that my parents told me that I could do anything, I remember being told by teachers at school that I couldn’t do things because I was a girl. Because of this, it means even more to me that I surround my daughter with some of the amazing children’s books about girls in STEM, so that she won’t be lead to believe that “it’s only for the boys”. I love that there are so many amazing resources available now to get kids interested in science, computing and engineering from an early age. So I decided to gather a list of amazing picture books and chapter books that feature girls in STEM!

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The Beedog: An Insect Discovery in Portugal was written by Addie Broussard and illustrated by Joyeeta Neogi. Join a young girl named Cora and her friend Manny as they discover a new bug during their day on the beach and decide to learn more about it. This book is a great introduction to the research process, showing how it can be a fractured journey, but lead to truly interesting discoveries. This is also a great way to get kids excited for inquiry based learning. Check out my interview with the author here!

Overcoming fears can help you accomplish great things!

Rosie Revere, Engineer was written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. This rhyming story follows Rosie, a little girl who loves to create and build. When her great great aunt Rose comes to stay, she shares that she has always had a dream to fly. Rosie must learn to overcome her fear of sharing her inventions in order to help. Her aunt teaches her an important lesson about not giving up, while Rosie gains confidence in her abilities.

Ada Twist, Scientist was written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. In this rhyming tale, curious little Ada has questions about everything. When a horrible smell invades her house, she goes on a mission to discover the source. She learns along the way that questions sometimes lead to more questions, and that experiments can sometimes go very wrong! Kids will love watching Ada as her curiosity and determination get her into trouble, all in the name of science!

Don’t forget to check out these books on women who changed the world of science too!

Doll-E 1.0 was written by Shanda McCloskey. Charlotte is a little girl who knows all about technology and loves to tinker and create. When her mother gives her a toy doll to play with, she doesn’t know what to do with it. With her trusty (and adorable) dog by her side, she finds a new way to play. This book brings together old fashioned play and modern toys and technology while celebrating the universal spirit of play and imagination!

Baby Code! (Girls Who Code) was written by Sandra Horning and illustrated by Melissa Crowton. This brightly colored board book introduces coding to young kids using items and activities in their every day lives. The young girl in the illustrations performs actions that will be familiar to little readers, while the simple text shows how code helps computers to do the same actions. (Releasing July 17!)

Addy-matic and the Toasterrific was written by Curtis Mark Williams and illustrated by Pascale Lafond. When Addy wakes up in the morning, she doesn’t want to be bothered with making breakfast. So she decides to create a system that will make toast for her! This rhyming story shows how this simple idea blooms into a complicated plan. Kids will love watching Addy improve her machine and use her smarts to solve an every day problem.

The path to greatness can be full of struggle!

The Most Magnificent Thing was written and illustrated by Ashley Spires. This story is a great tale of perseverance and dedication for young builders and inventors. When the little girl in the story decides to try to build the Most Magnificent Thing, she struggles to make it exactly as she wants it. With help from her dog, she learns to work through the feelings of frustration and disappointment on the path to creating something wonderful.

Violet the Pilot was written by Steve Breen. Violet is a little girl who loves tinkering, tools and mechanics. Unlike other little girls around her, she prefers building machines and contraptions to playing with dolls. She decides to fly one of her own contraptions in the local Air Show, in the hopes of showing everyone what she loves. But when she is sidetracked by a group of Boy Scouts in trouble, she finds a new way to use her amazing creation.

These stories show that sometimes the best plans can get out of hand!

Mary Had a Little Lab was written by Sue Fliess and illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis. This hilarious rhyming tale follows a young inventor named Mary as she creates a friend to keep her company in her lab. When her sheep machine starts to malfunction, can she use her problem solving skills to save the day? The colorful illustrations are lots of fun, pairing well with the clever twist on the classic nursery rhyme.

Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World was written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Dan Santat. When the young girl at the center of this story realizes that her science project is destroying the world around her, she comes up with a plan to bring it down. The incredible illustrations in this book pair well with the simple text, telling a great story with very few words. Kids will love the funny ending to this one!

Even the smallest inventors can make a difference!

Cleonardo, The Little Inventor was written by Mary GrandPré. Cleonardo is an inventor, just like her father and grandfather before her. When her father doesn’t take her advice in the workshop, she decides to show him what a great inventor she can be by creating a project for the Grand Festival of Inventions. What will happen when father and daughter go against each other in the big invention contest? The illustrations in this story are incredibly detailed, while the story is a great one for showing that even the smallest inventors can have great ideas.

How to Code a Sandcastle was written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Sara Palacios. This brightly colored story follows a young girl named Pearl as she attempts to teach her robot Pascal to build a sandcastle using code. This introduction to simple coding concepts uses situations that kids can recognize, helping them to better understand how code works. The characters are a lot of fun, and the story is full of funny situations that will keep kids reading it over and over all summer long.

Check out the fun activities and coding games that we paired with the book here!

Chapter Books Starring Girls in STEM

Ellie, Engineer was written by Jackson Pearce. Ellie is a young girl who loves to invent and create. With her best friend’s birthday approaching, Ellie decides to build an incredible gift for her. As her plans grow more elaborate, she needs help from the other kids in the neighborhood. This sweet story of friendship and imagination is accompanied by illustrations that include Ellie’s various plans and sketches. Find out more about Ellie, Engineer here, and try out these fun activities inspired by the story!

Dragons and Marshmallows (Zoey and Sassafras) was written by Asia Citro and illustrated by Marion Lindsay. This fun series of chapter books follows a young girl named Zoey as she and her cat Sassafras help a variety of magical creatures in trouble. In this first book of the series, Zoey and Sassafras have to help a sick baby dragon. The black and white illustrations throughout show Zoey and Sassafras as they investigate and experiment their way to a solution. The book also includes a glossary of terms to help kids dive deeper into the scientific parts of the story. My friend Kate over at Homebound But Hopeful used the book to create this fun activity!

A love of STEM can lead to great friendships!

Ada Lace, on the Case (An Ada Lace Adventure) was written by Emily Calandrelli with Tamson Weston, and illustrated by Renee Kurilla. Ada Lace is a young girl who loves science and technology. When her neighbor’s dog goes missing, she must use her problem solving skills to solve the mystery. With lots of fun characters and cute illustrations, this first book in the series will definitely have kids wanting to go on more adventures with Ada and her new friend Nina.

The Friendship Code 1 (Girls Who Code) was written by Stacia Deutsch. This book is the first in a series of books about a group of friends and their coding club. Lucy is so excited to join the coding club at school, but her first day doesn’t go exactly as planned. Soon, however, the girls have to work together to solve code based mystery clues, and learn that working together and sharing a love of code can lead to great friendships. The fun mystery format of the story gives kids a chance to learn about simple coding concepts in an exciting way.

These girls show how STEM can be fun!

Sasha Savvy Loves to Code was written by Sasha Ariel Alston and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. When Sasha Savvy has to choose a class for summer camp, she doesn’t think that coding camp is going to be any fun. However, with a little help from her mom, she soon finds herself immersed in the world of computer code and problem solving.

Goldie Blox Rules the School! was written by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by Lissy Marlin. This book is the first in a series based on the popular Goldie Blox toys. Goldie is a young girl who loves to build and experiment. When she “accidentally” blows the second story off of her school, she has to attend a new school and try to find a place for herself. This funny tale features lots of smart girls, while the retro style illustrations sprinkled throughout are full of detail.

Ruby Goldberg’s Bright Idea was written by Anna Humphrey and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Ruby is a ten year old girl who is determined to win the science fair at her school this year. She eventually comes up with an idea that she is sure will help her to win, and also cheer up her grandfather, who is mourning the loss of his dog. However, her idea soon spirals out of control and starts to take over her life. This is a great tale of friendship, collaboration and invention, perfect for young inventors with big plans. (I love that the characters in the book use sign language to communicate sometimes as well!)

Do your kids have any favorite stories that feature girls in STEM? Share them below so I can add to our bookshelf!

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