There are so many adorable kids’ books available these days. I often catch myself admiring the shelf and smiling when visiting the bookstore. I really love the concept behind the Questioneers series from Andrea Beaty. She does a great job spotlighting children from various cultures. Each book follows a child and their dream career, many of them in STEM. There are also accompanying activity books to introduce these careers and topics beyond the main book.
Series Synopsis: The Questioneers series is a celebration of STEM, perseverance, and passion. Like its characters, Iggy Peck, Rosie Revere, and Ada Twist, every budding architect, engineer, scientist, mathematician, and leader, will become inspired to solve everyday mysteries and come to think more critically about their world. Most importantly, they will learn that despite the inevitable difficulty in achieving success, they should always continue to “Read. Question. Think.”—and never give up on their dreams.
Ada Twist, Scientist follows a young Black girl who loves science. She conducts elaborate and often times messy experiments at home. She draws equations on the wall. The illustrations were amazing showcasing her joy for science. Her family is supportive even when things go awry. Ada has beautiful natural hair and the most adorable outfits. The book encourages Ada to continue her scientific pursuits and refine her techniques.
I read this picture book during Dewey’s read-a-thon in August. I needed a book that was easy to listen to while making dinner. As a Black woman who was in the science olympiad club, I absolutely adored everything about this book. Ada embodies pure curiosity. Representation really does matter, especially when it encourages Black girls to explore STEM subjects. My mom studied biology in college. My cousin is an Astrobiologist. We are very much STEM fans in my family. And it’s always a delight to see Black protagonists featured in more and more books each year.
I highly recommend this for young children of all backgrounds. It’s all about inspiring cleverness. Sadly, my nephews (and grand nephew and niece) are too big for picture books. But the next baby a friend has is getting a book from this series!
CBR13 Bingo Square: Pandemic
Read more of my book musings on my blog, Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict.
