THE GIRL WHO COULD FIX ANYTHING: BEATRICE SHILLING, WORLD WAR II ENGINEER, by Mara Rockliff and Daniel Duncan, Candlewick, Sept. 28, 2021, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 5-9)
The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer tells the story of a woman engineer from Great Britain.
Beatrice Shilling wasn’t quite like other children. She could make anything. She could fix anything. And when she took a thing apart, she put it back together better than before.
When Beatrice left home to study engineering, she knew that as a girl she wouldn’t be quite like the other engineers — and she wasn’t. She was better. Still, it took hard work and perseverance to persuade the Royal Aircraft Establishment to give her a chance. But when World War II broke out and British fighter pilots took to the skies in a desperate struggle for survival against Hitler’s bombers, it was clearly time for new ideas. Could Beatrice solve an engine puzzle and help Britain win the war? —Synopsis provided by Candlewick
In The Girl Who Could Fix Anything author Mara Rockliff and illustrator Daniel Duncan tell the story of a woman who would not let societal norms stop her from following her dreams.
As an American, I had never heard of Beatrice Shilling, which is too bad, because she was an inspiration.
The Girl Who Could Fix Anything focuses on Beatrice’s life through WWII. What she accomplished during that part of her life is beyond impressive. And though the book focuses on what she’s most famous for (her achievements during the war), back matter explains accomplishments after.
This fascinating picture books will not only entrance young readers but their parents as well.
