The multiplicity of the benefits of literature is further emphasized by Richard Gilliam’s new book “Diversed in Stem”, where he makes a case for young children to embrace Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
According to the author, the goal of the book is to show that some of our children’s personality traits that we deem negative can end up as a positive attribute, leading to a great outcome for the future.
The book tells stories of children from diverse backgrounds with various life challenges and how they can overcome life’s challenges using STEM as a gateway to achieve this aim.
The children discuss their personality traits using imagination as a tool to link their talents with a STEM career in the future. As an example, Dommingo, who loves to draw, imagines himself as an architect. The author has done an amazing job in this regard by introducing young children to STEM subjects early on, through his writings, and helping them to see what’s possible.
Also, seeing children with unique personality traits and how this can be harnessed into something beautiful is a joy to read. The book also does a great job of linking the various STEM careers of the children and how the careers interact with one another on a larger scale. The STEM careers word search will help young children to keep the lessons from the book and serve as a reminder of the subject areas in STEM.
A major critique of this book is that it will require proofreading and editing, as there are multiple errors identified within the book.
Apart from the issues identified above, Diversed in STEM is an eye-opener for many children who hitherto would not have heard about STEM subjects and the great career pathways within this knowledge area.