Search our Stereotype Challenging Booklist
With a little help from the Science Communication community, Curiosity Connections has compiled a searchable list of science stereotype-challenging children’s books.
Click on the link below to open the spreadsheet, and decide whether it’s a female protagonist or a historical figure, doing wonderous engineering or fascinating microbiology, you need to inspire your class.
Why read books with diverse representation?
“You can’t be what you can’t see”
Is a famous quote from Marian Wright Edelman. And it sums up rather nicely why, in order to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers, it’s important for children to read books where they see people similar to them doing science options.
We hope this list will help teachers, parents and STEM ambassadors to open children’s eyes to the science all around them. Banish the idea that science is “not for them”. And just maybe, down the line, increase diversity in STEM, and so address the skills gap in our city.
Reading in the city
In 2019 we teamed up with local STEM Ambassadors and took these stereotype busting stories out into the city during Bristol’s Storytale Festival. Ambassadors read stories from the list at various locations, from libraries to Clifton Suspension Bridge. Read more about the event here.
Find out more about Bristol Reading City – an initiative that aims to increase children being read to, and why Curiosity Connections is connecting to them here.
Read about our upcoming event for 2022, Curious Stories for Curious Children here.
PS We know this list isn’t perfect, so if you feel like a book is missing, some details need updating or a new category should be added, please do drop us an email at curiosityconnections@uwe.ac.uk
