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Evoking Feelings in STEM & STEAM Books

2/27/2023

2 Comments

 
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Photo by canva
By Kourtney LaFavre
I'm so happy to be back and sharing about one of my loves: STEM and STEAM books!
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. STEAM includes an “A” for Arts. STEM is the more prevalent acronym used in education.
From an author, educator, and mom perspective, my favorite STEM/STEAM books are those that make me feel something, things like wonder, excitement, curiosity, and inquisitiveness. Let's look at a few recent picture books that left me feeling "something special" after reading.

First up is Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (Author) and Daniel Minter (Illustrator). This vibrant and fascinating picture book follows the journey of the color blue through time and across the world, as it becomes the color we know today. When I read this book with my 9 year old, my teenager stopped what she was doing to join us. We had never thought about the history of certain colors and how those colors appear in our lives. We were left wondering about more colors. The book gave us the gift of thinking in a way we never have before.

In Ada and the Galaxies  by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv, illustrated by Susanna Chapman, star loving Ada leaves the city to visit her grandparents on an island in Maine. Reading this book prompted us to think about how we enjoy and connect with people while immersed in the natural world. The book also  mentioned the idea of life outside of our planet, so we were left thinking the "what if's" about life in another galaxy.

Your place in the Universe by Jason Chin had us feeling all "the things" (wonder, awe, excitement). The complex subjects of size and scale were explained and illustrated in an accessible and understandable way. And through reading this picture book we felt how physically small we are in our place in the universe and also how  HUGE that feels to be a part of the big, wide, universe.

I'll leave you, dear readers, with some questions to ponder for your own writing:
How can you make your readers care about the topics your writing about? How can you present your topic in a way that is engaging and fascinating? Are there certain feelings you want to entice in your readers? How can you weave these thoughts, ideas, or feelings  through your stories?

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Kourtney is a mom, author, and educator with a BS degree in Childhood Studies and 20+ years experience working with children and families in classrooms and other community programs. As a life-long learner she’s always questioning and  watching the world with glittering eyes, on the lookout for beautiful and amazing things. Being a SCBWI member and graduate of Children's Book Academy, helps fuel her passion for quality children's literature. She writes to inform and inspire.

Find Kourtney Here:
www.facebook.com/kourtneylafavre.writer/
https://www.instagram.com/kourtneylafavre/
https://twitter.com/KourtneyLafavre
https://kourtneylafavre.com/
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Or find my book here: 
https://kourtneylafavre.com/book/

2 Comments
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2/27/2023 02:55:47 pm

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3/14/2023 01:48:17 am

nice post

Reply



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    We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our  awesome bloggers!!

    Here's our lineup:
    1st Mondays begin with awesome multi-published former student Shirin Shamsi who will be focusing on Muslim and cultural kidlit.

    2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books.
     

    3rd Mondays will feature
    Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things.

    4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info.

    And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break

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  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Mastering Great Graphic Novels >
      • 2023 Mastering Graphic Novels Registration
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship