Reading time with my kids is my favorite time of day. I hope they never get sick of cuddling on the couch and reading with me! We love picture books and especially STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) focused picture books.
Once I read the description of Just Like You, by Keosha Sath, illustrated by Yasushi Matsuoka, and published by Mascot Books (2018), I was immediately excited to share this book about discovering careers with my kids.
The book is about a little girl who asks her mommy questions about everyday life and learns about many careers along the way. It focuses heavily on STEAM and other often male-dominated careers and on leadership roles. I love how it is teaching children that diversity, including ethnicity and gender, are not barriers to achieving their career goals. Our daughters and sons can be anything they want to be when they grow up!
I thought this book was also a great way for me to introduce my kids to new careers that they had never heard of before. My kids got a kick out of the bee keeper career page. My daughter especially loved the astronaut career page because after visiting NASA she has talked non-stop about becoming an astronaut when she grows up.
Of course, being an engineer myself, I loved the page that talked about engineering as a career (and how awesome is it that they were exercising on that page? I love fitness too, so this really hit all the marks for me!).
Just Like You was written in a way that was fun for me to read – I would point to the mommy for her lines and point to the daughter for her lines – and my kids could easily follow and understand. We loved seeing the little girl and her mommy go through their day and dream about careers in the book though the beautiful and vibrant illustrations. The adorably illustrated main characters engaged my kids throughout the book.
This is great book for anyone with inquisitive children (basically, most kids two years and older), and anyone who wants to introduce their children to a wide range of career fields across all industries and specialties. Both my two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son were engaged and interested throughout the whole book.
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My kids and I really enjoyed Just Like You, and it has already been added to our regular reading rotation. I hope you consider checking it out from your local library, looking for it at your bookstore or buy it online.
Is this a book you’d be interested in reading to your kids? Let me know if you’ve read it and what you think in the comments below!
