Evoking Feelings in STEM & STEAM Books

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 you're 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?

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:
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Or find my book here: 
https://kourtneylafavre.com/book/