Tag Archives: makerspace

A Girl Can Build Anything

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written by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller; illustrated by Keisha Morris

“It starts with a vision.” So begins an encouraging story of dreaming, building, failure, success and growth. Girls are sketching, gathering materials and creating. There are a few adults to help. But, the girls are the stars and the book shows that it can lead to bigger things, because “A girl can build anything. A girl can build everything.”

Short sentences with digital paper collage impart an empowering message to girls everywhere. Characters are diverse and the process of creating and building is realistically portrayed as something that takes work and, on occasion, failure to successfully complete. While it is a wonderful story for girls, this book is really for everyone. The process of creating is the same for all builders and the growth-mindset involved is necessary no matter who you are. Recommended.

Boxitects by Kim Smith

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Creativity. Teamwork. STEAM. These three themes make this book a hit with all readers

The story follows Meg, a boxitect, as she creates magnificent structures at Maker School. Problems arise when another boxitect enters the school and suddenly there is competition. Meg and Simone have very different styles. When the end of year showcase requires them to work together, will they let their competition and differences keep them from winning? Or can they work together to create something even more magnificent?

The book ends with instructions to make your own box creations. A perfect book for kids who have just moved and may have a plethora or boxes sitting around. Points of note: book cover is different than the jacket.