Diverse Books to Celebrate National STEM/STEAM Day
Guest post by Author Sponsor Tonya Duncan Ellis
November 8 is National STEM/STEAM Day. It’s a great time to celebrate science, technology, engineering, math and the arts. National STEM/STEAM Day was founded in 2015 by toy and entertainment company, MGA Entertainment, to expose students, and in particular girls and minorities, to STEM fields and careers. Underrepresentation and limited exposure make many in these groups feel that there is no place for them in ever-growing STEM fields.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics, STEM jobs are expected to increase 7.4 percent through 2035, compared to a 3.5% projected growth of other career fields. STEM jobs are generally higher paid than jobs in other fields. In 2025, the median annual salary for STEM jobs was $106,360 versus $49,050 for non-STEM jobs.
Studies by the National Science Board show that kids exposed to STEM early on are more likely to take science and math courses in high school, score higher on standardized tests and work at jobs in science and technology fields.
Reading diverse picture and board books from Charlesbridge Publishing’s STEAMWORKS series shows kids that STEAM is part of their everyday world, STEAM is fun, and STEAM is for everyone!
Cupcake Chemistry
By Tonya Duncan Ellis; Illustrated by Tiffany Rose (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
Rihanna and Andre love helping their dad make barbecue sauce by adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Baking cupcakes to help Grandma Jean should be the same—right? But when their treats turn out misshapen and way too sweet, the siblings learn that while cooking is an art, baking is a science that requires precision.
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about chemistry and measurement and fun STEAM activities.
Releases March 30, 2027
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Sounds of Trash
By Tina Athaide; Illustrated by Neha Rawat (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
When Pran and his friends learn that the neighborhood block party is moved to the park where it won’t have music, they are determined to find a way for it to be part of the celebration. After some trial and error, and more than a few prototypes made from recyclables, they are ready to engineer their way to a jazzy, bhangra-filled day!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about sound and the engineering design process and fun STEAM activities.
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Ramp It Up
By Katrina Tangen; Illustrated by Wendy Wen (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
Time to party! Zoe is planning a pool party on the roof of her newly constructed toy house. There is just one problem—some of her toys use wheels to get around, and there is no accessible way to the pool! Zoe knows how that feels, so she’s determined to figure out a safe solution for everyone to have fun. After some trial & error and a trip outside to look at her own ramp for inspiration, Zoe and the toys are ready to ramp up the fun!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about simple machines and fun STEAM activities.
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Talking to Worms
By Sara Levine; Illustrated by Duc Huy An (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
When Jane and Niko gather worms to populate their outdoor worm house, they design a series of experiments to ensure their worm habitat is exactly what the worms want: Dirt or no dirt? Light or no light? Art or no art? Through observation and note-taking, the siblings “talk” to their worms and learn how to make the optimal habitat.
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about experimental design and animal behavior and fun STEAM activities.
Releases February 9, 2027
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June’s Solar Oven
By Jen Malia; Illustrated by Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
June is determined to have the best day—building the best solar oven to cook the best pizza crackers. But when science club suddenly changes locations, June freezes. She hates new places. Still, science is her superpower, and she knows she needs to show up. With a few deep breaths and her noise-canceling headphones, she’s ready.
At the club, June and her friends troubleshoot their solar pizza oven, experimenting with the best way to layer the toppings so the sun can melt the cheese just right. Can they harness solar energy to make the perfect pizza cracker?
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about solar energy and experimentation and fun STEAM activities
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Sisters All the Time
By Angela Quezada Padron (Picture Book, ages 4-7)
Mari and Luz are a special kind of sister: half-sisters! They share the same Papi but have different moms, so they spend only weekends together. When Luz’s mom is running late, the girls are determined to make the most of their extra time—planning their activities, estimating how long each will take, and diving in. But time runs out too soon, and Mari feels sad. Luz reminds her that they’re sisters ALL the time, even if they can only be together some of the time.
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about telling time and fun STEAM activities.
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Chloe’s Community Garden
Written by Valerie Bolling; Illustrated by Felicia Whaley (Board Book, ages 0-3)
Plant and pluck. Weed and water. Chloe likes to help Daddy in the community garden, but she wonders What do plants need to help them grow? With the help of other members of her community, Chloe learns that plants need sunlight, food, water, time, and more to grow―just like her!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about plant science and fun STEAM activities.
Releases February 9, 2027
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Sort, Wash, Roar
By Songju Ma Daemicke; Illustrated by Sian James (Board Book, ages 0-3)
Our narrator and her twin brother, Anton, love to help Auntie Kate with laundry at the laundromat. They start by sorting the laundry into piles of lights and darks. But what about items that are multicolored, like the kids’ hooded unicorn and dinosaur towels? Those get their own machine!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about sorting and classification and fun STEAM activities.
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Moon Chef
By Delia Ruiz; Illustrated by Nomar Perez (Board Book, ages 0-3)
Hello, Moon! Follow along as Gaby fills her plate (and belly!) with foods that match the shape of the moon she sees in the sky. From a crescent plantain to a gibbous guava, the food shapes wax and wane as the month goes on, just like lunar phases.
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about lunar phases and fun STEAM activities.
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A Party of Colors
By Aya Khalil; Illustrated by Olivia Aserr (Board Book, ages 0-3)
It’s Salem’s first car wash with Baba! As they move from the prewash rinse to the windy dryer, Salem excitedly watches colors mix—red and blue bubbles turn purple, and yellow and blue foam turns green. The car wash is a party of colors!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about sequencing, color mixing and fun STEAM activities.
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Tule Discovery
By Leah Mata Fragua, Alexis Bunten and Aria Naficy; Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Board Book, ages 0-3)
“We all depend on tule.” Mono and Momma are off to the pond to spend the afternoon. While Momma gathers tule, a reed like plant that grows in wetland ecosystems, for a project, Mono explores the wildlife he sees. As he jumps like a frog, flies like a blackbird, and hides like a turtle, he ultimately learns how both the animals and his family depend on tule every day.
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Manny Matches the Weather
By Jenny Lacika; Illustrated by Antonieta Munoz Estrada (Board Book, ages 0-3)
Manny has style! But sometimes, Manny’s style does not match the weather. Can Manny learn to observe both the temperature and the weather to build outfits with fashion and function in mind? Perfect for parents and caregivers of independent toddlers exploring the world of dressing themselves.
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about temperature and weather and fun STEAM activities.
About STEAMWORKS
STEAMWORKS features children of all backgrounds and abilities using scientific and mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems and answer questions that matter to them. Playful stories and extension activities ignite excitement for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and empower children as thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators.
STEAMWORKS picture and board books are also available in Spanish.
TONYA DUNCAN ELLIS is author of SCBWI Crystal Kite Honor picture book, They Built Me for Freedom: The Story of Juneteenth and Houston’s Emancipation Park (HarperCollins, 2024), Cupcake Chemistry (Charlesbridge, 2027), novel-in-verse, Knowledge’s Crown (Peachtree, 2028), and the 13-book Sophie Washington chapter series. She lives in Houston, Texas
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