Rosie Revere, Engineer
Picture Book Read Aloud
book summary
Rosie Revere, Engineer was inspired by the fictional icon from the World War I era, Rosie the Riveter, which became widely recognized a symbol of women supporting the war effort on the home by taking on traditionally male dominated jobs in factories and on farms.
Rosie Revere had always loved to tinker with and build things. She would spend her nights up the attic building and creating. Rosie was very shy about sharing her inventions, especially after her uncle laughed at something she had made for him. Lacking in self-confidence, Rosie doubted that she would every become an engineer until one day when her Great-Great-Aunt-Rose came for a visit and encouraged Rosie to never give up on her dreams. Great-Great-Aunt-Rose shares that she has always dreamed of flying, so Rosie sets out to build a flying contraption for her. Rosie’s first attempt at the flying contraption crash lands as soon as it got of the ground. Rosie is ready to give up on inventing, but her Great-Great-Aunt-Rose convinces her that she is only a failure if she quits. The two work together to make tweaks in the design plans and the second flying contraption is a success!
Rosie’s Great-Great-Aunt Rose teaches her that failure is an unavoidable part of creating or building something, and that true defeat only comes when you give up!
suggested teaching point
On page 11, discuss with students how sometime being able to identify how a character is feeling will give clues into the problem they are facing or how they will be able to handle the problem.
When Rosie gave her uncle the invention she had made for him, he “slapped his knee and he chuckled out loud…till he wheezed and his eyes filled with tears”. How do you think Rosie felt after her uncle responded the way he did? Why do you think she felt that way? Turn to your partner, and share your thoughts. On this page, we also learn the problem in story. After her uncle’s reaction, Rosie “kept her dreams to herself”. Do you think Rosie’s response to the problem is a good one?
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