Rosie Revere, Engineer

I love this book on so many different levels. For one, I am an engineer. However, even when I started college, I had no idea what an engineer actually did. This book illustrates engineering beautifully. Secondly, I really want my kids to become comfortable with failure. This book encourages that mindset. It also is simply a pleasure to read.

Title: Rosie Revere, Engineer
Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publication Year: 2013
Website: www.andreabeaty.com
Age Group: Preschool, Kindergarten, Early Elementary
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Comments: When I started college, I thought I wanted to be an astronomer. I didn’t know what engineers did other than drive trains. It wasn’t until I realized that engineers applied science and math (both of which I love) to solve real world problems that I decided to pursue engineering.

After nearly a decade studying engineering and another decade working as an engineer, what I’ve learned is that engineering takes a lot more creativity than people probably expect. Rosie is the perfect example of an engineer. The illustrations and text show a little girl who uses odds and ends to invent gadgets straight out of her imagination. She is the epitome of a creative spirit using her unique ideas to solve problems.

In addition to explaining the overarching job description of engineers, what I love even more about this book is the way it celebrates failure. Especially after having just finished the book, Grit, I know that what my kids need in order to succeed in life is the ability to view failure as success. With help, Rosie is ultimately able to overcome her fear of failure, a fear which I’m sure many kids share (including one of my own). As the book tells the listeners, “Life might have failures, but this was not it. The only true failure can come if you quit.”

Lastly, this was just a really sweet, fun story. The rhyming, sing-song text makes it the perfect read-aloud for kids of all ages. All 3 of my big kids (ages 2, 5, 7) enjoyed listening to the story multiple times. The message is so good I’m thinking about reading it to the 9 through 15 year olds I’m teaching in our homeschool co-op. This is truly a book I think everyone can enjoy.

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