Tag Archives: Engineering

Leena Mo, CEO

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Written by Deena Shakir and illustrated by Nez Riaz

Leena had to shovel snow and she really didn’t like that job. So, She dreamed, brainstormed, investigated and eventually built a duck-like robot to do the job for her. Her neighbors noticed how great her new snow removal device, aka Helmy (Arabic for “my dream”) and the orders started pouring in. Leena asks her two friends to join her business – Olivia (a robotics whiz) and Lily (a successful lemonade stand entrepreneur). Leena’s only remaining problem was Helmy parts procurement. How would she pay for them? Her nice neighbor, Miss Irma, offered to invest in Leena’s venture. Her business was ready to go! The girls got right to work with production, They sold all the Helmys they produced and business grew. Leena was a CEO! The story ends with a tv interview, which a man and his granddaughter watch in Leena’s mom’s hometown in Iraq. That little girl saw her future dreams in Leena’s story. Anything is possible!

This is an inspiring STEM related story that will resonate with young girls, who may not even realize that their interest in one area might turn into something even bigger. Characters are culturally diverse and the community seems to be positive and supportive of the young CEO. The illustrations are colorful and complement the storyline. Buy this for your library and share it with your young scientists. What if a child read this and said “I can do this, too!”? How cool would that be?

The Great Stink, How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem. Colleen Paeff and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

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This is a humorous and informative picture book which tells the story of Joseph Bazalgette, a 19th century engineer who designed London’s first sewage system. This greatly reduced the Cholera breakout and subsequent deaths caused by the open sewers of the city. He is credited with being one of the most effective engineers connected with the country of England, while changing the course of history. This book would make a nice addition to an elementary library.

Examining Bridge Collapses

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Right off the bat I am intrigued by this book and it’s theme of engineering. This book is all about exploring why bridges collapse and how different types of bridges are better than others in certain situations. I personally like this book, the way they explain things make engineering sound fun and exciting. I would definitely suggest this book to a civil engineer needing a quick refresh on bridge terms and vocabulary. Also if you are in middle school wanting to try engineering this would be perfect to get you started. This book is an informational book and I would have to give it 4 out of 5 stars.

-Z.L.

Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of engineering with 25 projects (Build it yourself series)

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Summary:  Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate feats of Engineering with 25 projects by Donna Latham, is the latest edition of the excellent (Build it yourself series), which includes such titles as Backyard Biology: Investigate habitats outside your door with 25 projects and Robotics: discover the science and technology of the future with 20 projects by Kathy Ceceri.  “Bridges and Tunnels” explains in simple terms the social, scientific, natural and artistic forces behind the creation of bridges and tunnels.  Words that may be unfamiliar to young readers are highlighted and defined in boxes on the page they are discussed.  Several chapters cover the science (physics) of building bridges and tunnels and several cover well-known bridge and tunnel disasters and why they happened.   Each chapter offers clear instructions for experiments to demonstrate principles discussed in the chapter and instructions for a “build it yourself” project.  The volume is completed with a glossary, index and list of resources.  The author, Donna Latham has great credentials.  She is an award-winning author and playwright and the author of Amazing Biome Projects You Can Build Yourself, Deciduous Forests, Deserts, Garbage, Norah Jones, Oceans, Respiration and Photosynthesis, and Tundra.  She is also a librarian at the Schulz Graphic Novel Library, a muralist at Dartmouth College, and a staff writer for the comics journalism website The Beat (www.comicsbeat.com).

What I like about it:   Purchase this for the simple, explanatory writing style and the many project ideas it offers your students.  It was written for 4th through 6th grade students, but would work well in a middle school library.   As a basic text for understanding the physics and engineering behind building structures, this is an excellent introduction.  I loved the “build it yourself “ activities which extend the science in the book.  Students can enjoy building “Newton’s Rocket mobile,” or a “Craft stick beam bridge.”

Who I recommend it for:   Public libraries, school libraries, students in upper elementary and lower middle school, science teachers, science clubs for youth, boy scouts and girl scouts.   Excellent!