{"id":12636,"date":"2026-02-19T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/?p=12636"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:05:06","slug":"10-childrens-books-featuring-black-stem-pioneers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/blog\/10-childrens-books-featuring-black-stem-pioneers\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Children’s Books Featuring Black STEM Pioneers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In celebration of Black History Month, Wonder Workshop is delighted to share a collection of books that shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements of African American innovators in various science and technology fields. Perfect for readers ages 6\u201312, these engaging titles not only spark curiosity about STEM but also encourage young learners to dream big, stay creative, and work hard. We hope this list inspires meaningful conversations at home and in the classroom, and helps readers understand how determination and imagination can lead to amazing accomplishments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Work It, Girl: Blast Off Into Space Like Mae Jemison<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0by Caroline Moss, illustrated by Sinem Erkas.<\/span><\/p>

The illustrated biography from the\u00a0Work It, Girl<\/span>\u00a0series tells the story of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, and her journey from a curious child to a trailblazing astronaut. Through 10 key lessons and self-reflection prompts, readers learn how to apply her resilience and ambition to their own lives.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Kimberly Brown Pellum, Ph.D.<\/span><\/p>

This collection of short biographies profiles 15 extraordinary Black women who made lasting impacts in STEM. From Bessie Coleman soaring as a pioneering aviator to Jane Cooke Wright revolutionizing cancer treatment, readers ages 9-12 will uncover stories of innovation and resilience.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13<\/strong><\/a><\/span>\u00a0by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Katherine Johnson\u2019s love for numbers and curiosity about the universe led her to become one of NASA\u2019s most remarkable mathematicians, playing a key role in the safe return of Apollo 13. This engaging biography follows her journey from a gifted child to a history-making scientist whose work changed the course of space exploration.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Black Inventors: 15 Inventions that Changed the World<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Kathy Trusty.<\/span><\/p>

Explore the remarkable achievements of 15 Black inventors whose innovations shaped the world. From Marie Van Brittan Brown\u2019s creation of the home security system to Lisa Gelobter\u2019s development of web animation technology, each story highlights creativity and perseverance. This book celebrates the inventors’ lasting legacies and the impact of their groundbreaking work.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver <\/span><\/a><\/strong>by Gene\u00a0Barretta, illustrated by Frank Morrison.<\/span><\/p>

This beautifully illustrated picture book explores George Washington Carver\u2019s childhood, where his secret garden nurtured his love for plants and nature. It follows his path from a boy born into slavery to a renowned scientist and botanist whose agricultural innovations transformed farming practices. Through vivid storytelling, this book highlights Carver\u2019s curiosity, resourcefulness, and enduring impact on the environment and society.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0by Gwendolyn Hooks, illustrated by Colin Bootman.<\/span><\/p>

Tiny Stitches<\/span>\u00a0tells the story of Vivien Thomas, a self-taught surgeon who, despite facing racism and never attending medical school, became a key figure in the development of the procedure used in the first successful pediatric open heart surgery. Though his contributions were left unrecognized in the official report, Vivien\u2019s groundbreaking work changed the future of pediatric surgery.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Hero<\/a><\/strong> by Joan DiCicco, illustrated by Ebony Glenn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This story follows the inspiring journey of an Garret Morgan, the son of freed slaves and inventive African American entrepreneur who turned his creative ideas into life-saving innovations. In addition to creating the prototype for the three way traffic signal we use today, Morgan designed a gas mask that would later play a critical role in a rescue operation following a deadly tunnel collapse. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Flying Free: How Bessie Coleman\u2019s Dreams Took Flight<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Karyn Parsons, illustrated by Gregory Christie<\/span><\/p>

Denied entry to U.S. flight schools due to her race and gender, the legendary Bessie Coleman traveled to France to earn her pilot’s license and become the first Black woman and Native American aviator. Upon returning to the U.S., she thrilled audiences with her daring air show performances, standing firm in her commitment to equality by refusing to perform for segregated crowds.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Sweet Dreams, Sarah <\/a><\/strong>by Vivian Kirkfield, illustrated by Chris Ewald<\/span><\/p>

This illustrated biography tells the story of Sarah Goode, a creative inventor who was one of the first known Black women to receive a patent in the United States. In 1885, Sarah invented a revolutionary folding cabinet bed, providing a smart solution for people struggling with limited space in their apartments.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner<\/a><\/strong> by Janice Harrington, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III<\/span><\/p>

This engaging picture book introduces young readers to Charles Henry Turner, the first Black entomologist whose curiosity about the natural world led to incredible discoveries about insects. From exploring how ants navigate to whether spiders can learn, Turner\u2019s curious questions and experiments pushed the boundaries of science, even when he was confronted with prejudice.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Black History Month, Wonder Workshop is delighted to share a collection of books that shine a spotlight on the incredible achievements of African American innovators in various science and technology fields. Perfect for readers ages 6\u201312, these engaging titles not only spark curiosity about STEM but also encourage young learners to dream […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,32,28],"tags":[205,24,54,21,203,31,20],"class_list":["post-12636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-at-home","category-community","category-in-the-classroom","tag-black-history-month","tag-computer-science","tag-elementary","tag-engineering","tag-math","tag-steam","tag-stem"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}