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Rosie Revere, Engineer



Last updated Monday, March 30, 2020

Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Date of Publication: 2013
ISBN: 1419708457
Grade Level: 2nd    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2014

Synopsis: Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal--to fly--Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. But when her contraption doesn't fly but rather hovers for a moment and then crashes, Rosie deems the invention a failure. On the contrary, Aunt Rose insists that Rosie's contraption was a raging success. You can only truly fail, she explains, if you quit.

Note to readers:
•  Astronaut Kathleen Rubins reading this book aloud in Space!

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What is an Engineer? (see vocabulary word below)
•  What is happening with the man's pants?
•  What kind of stuff is on the cover? Why is there such a wide variety of stuff on the cover?

Vocabulary:
•  engineer - (General Engineering) a person trained in any branch of the profession of engineering; the originator or manager of a situation, system, etc; (Mechanical Engineering) a mechanic; person who repairs or services or builds machines
•  treasures - Valuable or precious possessions of any kind.To accumulate and store away, as for future use.
•  stash - To hide or store away in a secret place.
•  eaves - (Architecture) the edge of a roof that projects beyond the wall
•  gadgets/gizmos - a small mechanical device or appliance; a mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown; a gadget.
•  inventions - A new device, method, or process developed from study and experimentation.
•  perplexed - 1. Filled with confusion or bewilderment; puzzled. 2. Full of complications or difficulty; involved.
•  dismayed - caused to lose enthusiasm; disillusioned
•  dynamo - An extremely energetic and forceful person.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  What kind of stuff does Rosie use to make gadgets & gizmos?
•  Do you have any dreams like Rosie?
•  Why does Rosie hide her inventions?
•  How was Aunt Rose's daughter different from Fred's?
•  Why did Fred laugh at Rosie's hat?

Craft ideas:
•  Make a model plane using a clothespin or tube (paper towel or roll construction paper) for the body, Popsicle sticks for the wings & scrap paper or paper clips for a propeller. It's easier if they kids draw designs & color the parts before pasting together.
•  Design and make a hat to "keep snakes away".

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!