MARRYING STEM AND SEL TO CREATE BOOKS THAT SOAR

By Maria Marianayagam

STEM and SEL are often designated as two separate categories when authors consider what type of book they want to write. (For those who aren’t familiar, STEM refers to “science, technology, engineering, and math,” and SEL is short for “social-emotional learning.”) When we think of SEL books, we may think of titles like Lisa Katzenberger’s EVERYTHING WILL BE OK and Cori Doerrfeld’s THE RABBIT LISTENED. When brainstorming STEM titles, books like Melissa Stewart’s WHALE FALL or Rebecca E. Hirch’s RISE TO THE SKY: HOW THE WORLD'S TALLEST TREES GROW UP may come to mind. Today I want to talk about a different category: one that marries SEL and STEM into powerful stories for young readers.

Before we do that, I want to touch on how important SEL is in STEM careers. As someone who worked as an engineer for a decade, the ability to collaborate with others, deal with frustration, persevere through challenges, and listen to other people’s opinions, were all critical parts to success. These are skills any scientist or science-enthusiast needs to hone and I believe introducing these skills from the start can set kids up for success. So, by combining social emotional learning with STEM themes in children's books, we can not only create engaging narratives that spark curiosity about science, technology, engineering, and math but also delve into the complexities of human emotions and relationships. 

I find that this is already done quite well in picture book biographies. Often, those stories share the accomplishments of an individual, but the main story grapples with the journey and the tools these characters used to overcome obstacles. I believe the same can be true for other science-themed books. For example, in my debut picture book, THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS (releasing in June with Sourcebooks eXplore), I wanted to explain the forces of physics—gravity, buoyancy, magnetism, etc. to young readers. But I also wanted girls to feel empowered to pursue a STEM career since it’s still a very male-dominated field. So, I personified each girl as a force and I used the text to doubly explain what the forces do while showcasing the powerful characteristics of a girl. An example below.

In my next STEM/SEL picture book, WAIT TILL YOU'RE OLDER, releasing with Sourcebooks eXplore in 2025, I introduced STEM into what felt like more of an SEL story about a younger sibling wanting to play with her older brother’s big toy and being to told to wait till she’s older. Her reaction? Try to build a time machine. And throughout the story, she tries a variety of time-travel theories to accomplish this, including: trying to travel faster than light, looking for wormholes, etc.

Other great examples that incorporate SEL concepts into STEM themes:

• EXCEPT ANTARCTICA  by Todd Surgell
• THE VERY IMPATIENT CATERPILLAR by Ross Burach
• FUSSY FLAMINGO  by Shelley Vaughan James and illustrated by Matthew Rivera
• PLUTO GETS THE CALL by Adam Rex and illustrated by Laurie Keller
• THE QUESTIONEERS  series by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts
• THE FIRE OF STARS  by Kirsten Larson and illustrated by Katherine Roy
• CODING TO KINDNESS  by Valerie Sousa and illustrated by Jennifer Leban
• FAIRY SCIENCE  by Ashely Spires
• COUNT ON ME  by Miguel Tanco
• DO TREES HAVE MOTHERS? by Charles Bongers

As an author, I love creating stories that intertwine the wonders of science and the nuances of human emotions. I hope this post helps you consider incorporating SEL elements into your NF stories.

 

About the Author:             

Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian children's book author. She was born in India and grew up in Nigeria and four provinces across Canada.  Maria is a former chemical engineer who fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). Maria enjoys writing lyrical picture books centered on STEM, faith, and South Asian culture, as well as high concept middle-grade grounded in culture. The first two installments of her debut board book series, BABY HOPE and BABY COURAGE (WorthyKids/Hachette), and her debut picture book THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS (Sourcebooks eXplore) release in 2024.