Looking for ways to foster a STEAM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) mindset at home? After your child signs up for your local library’s summer reading program, encourage them to check out some STEAM books! STEAM books not only improve literacy skills in children, they can also boost your child’s innate curiosity and will expose them to the vast, exciting world of science. Let your child’s interests lead the way!
Our family loves checking out STEAM books. Below are some of our favorites, because they inspire skills like problem solving, growth mindset, creativity, imagination, and logical thinking. All these skills help children become lifelong learners, which results in high success in life.
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts
One of my favorite quotes from the book is “The only true failure can come if you quit.” This book encourages creativity and reinforces a growth mindset to help us all become lifelong learners.
After the Fall: How Humpty DumptyGot Back Up Again
by Dan Santat
Who doesn’t know the story of Humpty Dumpty? But do you know the story of what
happened to him ‘after the fall’? Our failures don’t define us. Humpty Dumpty shows us that those who get back up after their failures and find the courage to try again can challenge themselves to be more than they ever imagined.
The Most Magnificent Thing
by Ashley Spires
This is an adorable book about a young girl and her best friend, her dog. She wants to create the “most magnificent thing.” In the end, she learns about the satisfaction of perseverance.
Ordinary People Change the World Book Series
by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
This book series is about ordinary people who follow their dreams, beliefs, and ambitions to change the world. The stories are about the challenges they faced and how they persevered through them. The PBS Kids show ‘Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum’ is also based on this series of books.
If I Built Series
by Chris Van Dusen
If I built a school, a car, and a house is a book series based on the incredibly playful imagination of a boy named Jack. There is no limit to his imagination or creativity.
What do you do with an idea?
by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom
Sometimes our ideas are brilliant and work out just as we planned. But sometimes they don’t, and we learn from them. This book explores the story of a child with a brilliant idea and how it was brought into the world.
What do you do with a problem?
by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom
Our world is full of problems that need solutions. Sometimes a problem can seem so big that we don’t know how to solve it. This story is about a boy who encounters just that. We learn about what happens as he avoids it, and the result of his courage once he faces it.
Beautiful Oops
by Barney Saltzberg
This book is absolutely beautifully illustrated for children, and it teaches them that every mistake is an opportunity to be more inventive and creative.