By Janine M. Schall, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
With increasing emphasis on nonfiction in the classroom, we must remember to seek out nonfiction that features people from diverse backgrounds. Representation matters in nonfiction as much as it does in fiction! Yet, while 25% of U.S. children have Latin American heritage it remains difficult to find quality nonfiction featuring Latinx characters, settings, or experiences.
Biography and autobiography is a form of nonfiction that allows children to understand history and significant events by stepping into another person’s shoes. It allows children to experience, through text, the contributions others have made to the world and the resilience, persistence and courage needed to do so. By incorporating biographies of Latinx people in STEM into the curriculum, both Latinx and non-Latinx children learn that Latinx people belong in STEM and have a long history of successful STEM engagement. According to the Pew Research Center, across all employment categories Latinx people take up 17% of the jobs but in STEM fields are just 8%. National Science Foundation data shows a similarly severe under-representation of Latinx in STEM fields. While the reasons behind this under-representation are complex, incorporating literature featuring Latinx people in STEM careers into the curriculum can be one small part of addressing this challenge.
This collection of children’s books contains 12 picturebook biographies of Latinx/e and Latin American people involved in STEM activities and careers.
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Luis Alvarez: Wild Idea Man by Mike Venezia, 978-0531237038, Children’s Press, 2010.
During his career as an experimental physicist Luis Alvarez developed and tested many important theories about the universe.
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The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle & Aliona Bereghici (il.), 9781477826331, Two Lions, 2015.
Born in 1874, Louis Fuertes’ interest in birds turned into a lifelong passion for painting birds in their natural habitats.
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The Flying Girl: How Aída de Acosta Learned to Soar by Margarita Engle & Sara Palacios (il.), Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018.
Aída de Acosta became the first woman to fly a mechanized aircraft in 1903 when she piloted an airship.
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Galápagos girl/Galapagueña by Marsha Diane Arnold & Angela Dominguez (il.), 9780892394135, Children’s Book Press, 2018.
Valentina’s love for animals on Galápagos leads her to a career as a biologist and a lifetime of working to protect the island.
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The astronaut with a Song for the Stars: The Story of Dr. Ellen Ochoa by Julia Finley Mosca & Daniel Rieley (il.), 9781943147632, Innovation Press, 2019.
Racism and sexism can’t stop Ellen Ochoa from becoming the first Latina astronaut and then Director of the Johnson Space Center.
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Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet by Elizabeth Rusch & Teresa Martínez (il.), 9781580895811, Charlesbridge, 2019.
Thanks to Mario Molina’s discovery of chlorofluorocarbons, countries around the globe banned CFCs and the ozone layer above the earth is slowly recovering. (US)
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The Boy who Touched the Stars/El Niño que Alcanzó las Estrellas by José M. Hernandez, Steven James Petruccio (il.), & Gabriela Baeza Ventura (trans.), 9781558858824, Arte Público Press, 2019.
A child of migrant farmworkers, Jose M. Hernandez achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut through years of focused hard work.
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Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown, Elisa Chavarri (il.) & Adriana Dominguez (trans.), 980892394234, Children’s Book Press, 2020.
Scholar Sharuko explored pre-conquest Peruvian history and proved that great indigenous cultures existed thousands of years before the Spanish arrived.
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Just Wild Enough: Mireya Mayor, Primatologist by Marta Magellan & Clémentine Rocheron (il.), 9780807540855, Albert Whitman & Co., 2022.
Despite being told she didn’t look like a scientist, Mireya forges a career as a primatologist and wildlife reporter.
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How to Hear the Universe: Gaby González and the Search for Einstein’s Ripples in Space-Time by Patricia Valdez & Sara Palacios (il.), 9781984894595, Alfred A. Knopf, 2022.
In order to answer her questions about the universe Gaby joins the team of physicists who discover gravitational waves.
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Queen of Leaves: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia by Stephen Briseño & Isabel Muñoz (il.), 9781959244011, Innovation Press, 2023.
Mexican-American Ynes Mexia overcomes a lonely childhood to become a self-taught botanist and adventurer.
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Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa by Doreen Rappaport & Oliver Dominguez (il.), 9780759554948, Little, Brown, & Company, 2023.
A life-long love of learning and a fascination with space drives Ochoa to success as a scientist and astronaut.
WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen. Use the printer icon in the upper left corner of this post to print or save this list as a PDF.
- Themes: Adriana Dominguez, Aliona Bereghici, Angela Dominguez, Astronaut with a Song for the Stars, Boy who Touched the Stars/El Niño que Alcanzó las Estrellas, Clémentine Rocheron, Daniel Rieley, Doreen Rappaport, Elisa Chavarri, Elizabeth Rusch, Ellen Takes Flight, Flying Girl, Gabriela Baeza Ventura, Galápagos girl/Galapagueña, How to Hear the Universe, Isabel Munoz, Janine Schall, José M. Hernandez, Julia Finley Mosca, Just Wild Enough, Luis Alvarez: Wild Idea Man, Margarita Engle, Mario and the Hole In the Sky, Marsha Diane Arnold, Marta Magellan, Mike Venezia, Monica Brown, Oliver Dominguez, Patricia Valdez, Queen of Leaves, Sara Palacios, Sharuko, Sky Painter, Stephen Briseno, Steven James Petruccio, Teresa Martínez
- Descriptors: WOW Dozen