Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd ; Hard Cover, Picture Book ; Recommended

Nerdycorn by Andrew Root

Fern isn’t like other unicorns. She’s not interested in glitter, rainbows, or parties. She would much rather spend her day laboratory working on math, chemistry, engineering, or programming. She is always willing to help others but even while she went out of her way to do things for others, they teased her and called her names. Finally, she had enough and decided to no longer fix things for all the unicorns who had been unkind. She feels justified in her decision, but eventually decides to step in to save the Sparkle Dance because being smart, a good friend, and helping others is more important than holding a grudge. The other unicorns were so impressed they apologized for their teasing and asked Fern to teach them.

Nerdycorn features a strong female character who enjoys and excels in math and science. Fern demonstrates a willingness to be true to herself even in the face of teasing and as a result is able to accomplish much. Through Fern’s perseverance, the other unicorns come to appreciate the benefits of STEM learning.