Here are four more picture books your kids might enjoy, featuring an athlete, a musician, and seamstress, and an engineer.

Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon Scholastic Press, 2003)

Using the fictional Katie Casey (immortalized in the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game), this fun picture book tells the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954). The story is not too long and shows the opposition faced by the female players until the dramatic ending when Katie hits a grand-slam home run. A detailed author’s note provides more historical information. The words to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “Victory Song” on the end papers are a nice touch. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

​Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Harper, 2023)

This is the rollicking tale of the legendary Rosetta Tharpe, who influenced the likes of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin. As her life is described the words dance across the page. “Little girl. Big guitar. Music in your air, in your hair, in your bones, wiggling your toes. Making downright mighty music, music, music. Tiny digits of your hands skipping, strumming, strolling, rolling up and down the big guitar’s fingerboard.” The illustrations are very expressive too. The author’s note addressed to an older audience gives more information about Tharpe, like her marriages, romances, and awards. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

The Spacesuit: How a Seamstress Helped Put Man on the Moon by Alison Donald, illustrated by Ariel Landy (Maverick, 2019)

I can’t say I ever thought about who designed the spacesuits for the moon landing! This book is a fun peek behind the scenes, making you think about how many people are involved in any big endeavour. It’s geared toward young kids and focuses especially on the role of Eleanor “Ellie” Foraker (1930-2011). With playful text and illustrations it describes how seamstresses and engineers at ILC Dover worked together to enter a competition to design a spacesuit. There’s also a glossary, timeline, dedication, and lots of fun facts. Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty (Roaring Book Press, 2019)

I first heard of Emily Roebling (1843-1903) last year when watching the TV show The Gilded Age set in 1880s New York City, but here’s a picture book that will introduce a much younger audience to this remarkable woman. Emily Roebling’s father-in-law was in charge of the Brooklyn Bridge project when he died and her husband Washington took over as chief engineer. However he became bedridden and Emily kept the work going. She dictated letters, read construction reports, visited the work site, studied engineering, and oversaw the completion of the bridge, keeping her husband’s sickness under wraps so the project wouldn’t be taken away from the family. This picture book does a good job narrating her life and explaining the mechanics of the bridge. The illustrations are very nice and include helpful diagrams. The author ends the book with more biographical information, a glossary of engineering terms, select bibliography, and suggestions for further reading. The end papers feature historic and contemporary photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge. Recommended for ages 8 to 12.