Rosie Revere, Engineer

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty is a beloved picture book that tells the inspiring story of a quiet young girl with a passion for building inventions from everyday objects. With lyrical rhyming text and charming illustrations by David Roberts, the book follows Rosie as she overcomes her fear of failure and learns that the only true failure is giving up — a powerful lesson in perseverance, creativity, and the engineering design process.

The story begins with young Rosie secretly building brilliant contraptions from recycled materials, too shy to show anyone her creations after being laughed at as a toddler. When her great-great-aunt Rose, a retired riveter who once built airplanes during World War II, comes to visit and shares her unfulfilled dream of flying, Rosie is inspired to build a flying machine. Her first attempt crashes spectacularly — but instead of seeing failure, her aunt sees a brilliant first try, teaching Rosie that engineering is all about learning from what doesn't work and trying again.

For homeschool families, Rosie Revere, Engineer is a gateway to hands-on STEM education. The story naturally leads to engineering challenges where children can design, build, test, and redesign their own inventions using household materials. Parents can use the book to introduce the engineering design process, discuss famous women engineers, or launch maker projects that develop problem-solving skills and spatial reasoning. The growth mindset message — that mistakes are learning opportunities, not reasons to quit — applies well beyond engineering to every area of learning.

As part of Andrea Beaty's Questioneers series, Rosie Revere has become a cultural touchstone for encouraging girls in STEM fields. The book has inspired a Netflix series, classroom engineering programs, and countless maker activities. It is an essential resource for homeschool families who want to build confidence, creativity, and engineering thinking in their preschool through elementary-age children.