2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The [Institution] has analyzed eight years worth of the best STEM books as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. From these lists, the best engineering books were selected on three criteria related to building an engineering identity: Engineering Habits of Mind, The Engineering Design Process, and Understanding an Engineering Career. Based on the analysis, a rubric was developed to help teachers select high quality engineering picture books that could be used in the classroom to help young readers learn about engineering practices. In this resource exchange article the top three books will be discussed for use in the classroom. These include Lion Lights written by Richard Turere, Izzy Gizmo written by Pip Jones, and Blast Off written by Suzanne Slade. Lion Lights depicts how the use of the design process can help an individual tackle a problem in their community. In this activity, students have to design where to best place lights to illuminate an enclosed area. Izzy Gizmo is inspirational in helping students understand how they can use everyday materials to design an iterative solution. In this activity, students will design a prototype to help an injured animal. Blast Off allows students to see how the connection to chemical engineering helped in the development of rockets. A rocket water balloon design challenge will be introduced in this activity. Lesson plans will be available for each book and a recommended guide will be provided so teachers can select engineering books and create their own activities for the classroom.