Welcome back to STEAM Stories! My grandson is watching with wonder at these undulating jellyfish at the aquarium. I love seeing that joy and curiosity. This week’s selections are all biographies about women in STEAM careers, many who started to learn science early in their life. I first had the idea to do biographies in general but when I got to looking, I realized a lot of recent biographies that I liked happened to be about women. Whether it is women breaking through gender barriers in past years, or women innovating in more modern times, it is important for children to see the accomplishments of women. Books like these allow children to see the curiosity and perseverance, that women especially, needed to reach their goals. Later I’ll include some men in STEAM biographies but today is a girls day.
Building Zaha: The Story of Architect Zaha Hadid
Author/Illustrator: Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Publisher/Date: Orchard Books 2020
Pages: 48 pages
Age: 6-10 Years +
Building Zaha is about an Iranian born Architect who really had unique building designs. I read another picture book biography that came out a few years before this one and I was blown away by her designs. I just found this book and again it was like a breath of fresh air seeing how she took ideas from nature and incorporated them into building structures, keeping the practical nature but enhancing the beauty. She had to overcome a lot being a woman in the field. She had a drive and determination that just would not give up. The illustrations in this book are also noteworthy. The author illustrator was able to create such motion and energy in the brightly colored illustrations I just kept studying them. One of the first spreads had this text, “sunlight streamed through windows forming shadows and shifted and rippled like water.” The illustration showed Zaha inside what I assume was a mosque and light just glows on the page. I also really liked that the author included quotes from Hadid. The back matter includes an Author’s Note, selected timeline, selected bibliography.
Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas
Author: Michelle Cusolito
Illustrator: Ellen Rooney
Publisher/Year: Charlesbridge 2025
Pages: 32
Age: 6-12 +
Living on the Irish coast, Maude Delap was curious about living things in the ocean. Though many ocean creatures interested her, she decided to take a closer look at jellyfish. During her time, people didn’t know anything about the life cycle of jellyfish. Maude really wanted to know. She caught jellyfish and observed them, seeing them go through the different stages from larvae to adulthood. Her perseverance was key as she hauled ocean water to her captive jellyfish and caught all kinds of food for them to eat. Beautiful illustrations complement the story that I hope will inspire young scientists.
Magic In A Drop Of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution
Author: Julie Winterbottom
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Publisher/Date: Rocky Pond Books, 2025
Pages: 42
Age: 6-12 yr. +
One of the first things I have to say about this book is that is has one of the best first lines I have ever read in a picture book. “When Ruth Patrick was five years old she fell in love with pond scum.” That’s not something you hear everyday! Her parents encouraged her curiosity and looking into a microscope at pond water blew her mind and kindled a love for science. Like many other women, Ruth had to prove herself in the male dominated science world but she definitely did. Her studies on water quality in rivers showed there were ways to monitor water sources to keep them safe for all the creatures that lived there and for people as well. Her father encouraged her to leave the world a better place, and that is exactly what Ruth Patrick did. This books connects to curriculum by demonstrating the nature of science and science tools and methods as well as ecosystems. Back matter
The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest
Author: Heather Lang
Illustrator: Jana Christy
Publisher/Year: Calkins Creek 2021
Pages: 48 pgs
Age: 7-10 +
This book won multiple awards and I have to say I can see why. It is a lovely biography of Meg Lowman, a scientists who pioneered actually working in the tree tops of rainforests. We get to learn about her childhood and the book includes a lot of quotes. One I thought would really resonate with some children who are shy or feel different, “It pained me if I was ever called on in class.” and “I was literally the only one in town like myself.” Meg was curious and asked a lot of questions. At the time she started to do research, people mostly studied the upper canopy of trees by looking through binoculars. This would not do for meg and she first used roped to climb up into the tree tops. Later she developed ladders and platforms that reached high up into the trees. Eventually her and others made platforms that could rest up in the tree top so they could comfortably stay in the treetops to study all the creatures that lived there. It was like a whole new world.