Women's History Month: Books for Kids and Families

Updated March 2, 2026
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Ablaze With Color : A Story of Painter Alma Thomas
Harvey, Jeanne Walker/ Wise, Loveis (ILT)
Paper Book
Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas. Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most...
I am Amelia Earhart
Meltzer, Brad
Paper Book
Groundbreaking American pilot Amelia Earhart is the 2nd hero in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8. Amelia Earhart refused to accept no for an answer; she dared to do what no one had ever done before, and became the first woman to...
I am Jane Goodall
Meltzer, Brad
Paper Book
This tenth book in the New York Times bestselling biography series profiles Jane Goodall, the scientist and conservationist who is famous for her work with chimpanzees. After receivinga stuffed animal chimpanzee for her first birthday, Jane Goodall's love of animals only...
Astronauts : women on the final frontier
Ottaviani, Jim
Paper Book
In the graphic novel Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier, Jim Ottaviani and illustrator Maris Wicks capture the great humor and incredible drive of Mary Cleave, Valentina Tereshkova, and the first women in space. The U.S. may have put the first man on the moon, but...
The belly song
Mother Moon
Paper Book
Sing along in this joyful celebration of your baby's perfect belly. Named one of the Best Books of 2024 by Chicago Public Library! "As the pages celebrate many different kinds of human bellies, they simultaneously model a wealth of loving connections...
Bloom : a story of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli
Maclear, Kyo
Paper Book
A dazzling picture book biography of one of the world's most influential designers, Elsa Schiaparelli. Elsa dared to be different, and her story will not only dazzle, it will inspire the artist and fashionista in everyone who reads it. This nonfiction picture book is an...
Born reading : 20 stories of women reading their way into history
Krull, Kathleen
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes the "action-packed...banter-filled" (School Library Journal, starred review) sequel to his groundbreaking young adult novel Miles Morales: Spider-Man about the adventures of the unassuming, everyday kid who just...
Brave girl : Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
Markel, Michelle.
Paper Book
When Clara Lemlich arrived in America, she couldn't speak English. She didn't know that young women had to go to work, that they traded an education for long hours of labor, that she was expected to grow up fast. But that did not stop Clara. She went to night school,...
Caroline's comets : a true story
McCully, Emily Arnold
Paper Book
With courage and confidence, Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) becomes the first woman professional scientist and one of the greatest astronomers who ever lived. Born the youngest daughter of a poor family in Hanover, Germany, Caroline was scarred from smallpox, stunted from typhus,...
Drum dream girl : how one girl's courage changed music
Engle, Margarita
Paper Book
Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule--until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at...
Ellen takes flight : the life of astronaut Ellen Ochoa
Rappaport, Doreen
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection, Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, and National Science Teaching Association Best STEM Book ● Celebrate the groundbreaking life of astronaut and Johnson Space Center director Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina in...
Gaga mistake day
Straub, Emma
Paper Book
When Grandma comes for a visit, silliness and creativity are guaranteed, in this funny and endearing book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub; her kids' gaga, Susan Straub; and award-winning illustrator Jessica Love. Gaga days are the best! That's when this eccentric, mischievous...
The girl who figured it out : the inspiring true story of wheelchair athlete Minda Dentler becoming an Ironman World champion
Dentler, Minda
Paper Book
Winner of the 2025 Texas Bluebonnet Award! The uplifting true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world's...
Go forth and tell : the life of Augusta Baker, librarian and master storyteller
McDaniel, Breanna J.
Paper Book
Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Kirkus Best Books of the Year Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year New York Public Library Best Books of the Year ALSC Notable Children's Books Horn Book Fanfare BolognaRazzi Award...
Gracie Wei #1: You're a Winner, Gracie Wei
Mei Chase, Kristen
Paper Book
Meet Gracie Wei--a go-getting fourth grader who's determined to win it all at her school's spelling bee competition! A charming new chapter book series for fans of Ivy and Bean or Dory Fantasmagory. Gracie Wei wants nothing more than to make it onto the Wei's...
Gracie Wei #2: You're the Boss, Gracie Wei
Mei Chase, Kristen
Paper Book
Everyone's favorite fourth grader, Gracie Wei, is back for her second chapter book adventure, and she's determined to have the most AWESOME summer ever--if only she can work up the nerve to get back on her bike--for fans of Ivy and Bean and Dory Fantasmagory. Gracie...
Helen Keller
Sheinmel, Courtney
Paper Book
Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Helen Keller! In this chapter book biography by acclaimed author...
HerStory : 50 women and girls who shook up the world
Halligan, Katherine (Children's book editor)
Paper Book
Move aside history--it's time for herstory. Celebrate fifty inspiring and powerful women who changed the world and left their mark in this lavishly illustrated biography compilation that's perfect for fans of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and She...
Hidden figures : the true story of four black women and the space race
Shetterly, Margot Lee
Paper Book
Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to...
How women won the vote : Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and their big idea
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell
Paper Book
This is how history should be told to kids--with photos, illustrations, and captivating storytelling. From Newbery Honor medalist Susan Campbell Bartoletti and in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in America comes the page-turning, stunningly illustrated, and...
Ida B. Wells, voice of truth : educator, feminist, and anti-lynching civil rights leader
Duster, Michelle
Paper Book
Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth is an inspiring picture book biography of the groundbreaking journalist and civil rights activist as told by her great-granddaughter Michelle Duster and illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award Honoree artist Laura Freeman. Ida B. Wells was...
Jane Goodall (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 1)
Kramer, Barbara
Paper Book
Get to know famous primate scientist Jane Goodall--including her life with chimpanzees, her groundbreaking contributions to animal science, and beyond--in this charming Level 1 reader perfect for kids beginning to read on their own. Nowadays, we know chimps use tools to help them...
Ketanji: Justice Jackson's Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court
Magoon, Kekla
Paper Book
From two Coretta Scott King Honor winners comes this uplifting picture book biography about Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is making history as the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance...
Ladies of liberty : the women who shaped our nation
Roberts, Cokie
Paper Book
"This collection succeeds in emphasizing that many unsung women left their mark well before the suffrage movement." --Publishers Weekly Fans of #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts, who was also a celebrated journalist for ABC and NPR, will love this stunning...
Magick Hoodoo Child
McBride, Amber
Paper Book
* FOUR STARRED REVIEWS * From Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, comes her debut picture book, a heartwarming story about one girl's magick-filled summer with her grandmother. She learns about hoodoo and rootwork...
Malala's magic pencil
Yousafzai, Malala
Paper Book
Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai's first picture book, inspired by her own childhood. "This is a wonderful read for younger students that will also provide insight and encourage discussion about the wider...
Mary wears what she wants
Negley, Keith
Paper Book
From the award-winning creator of My Dad Used to Be So Cool and Tough Guys Have Feelings Too comes a charming picture book inspired by the true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing 19th-century doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants. Once upon a time...
Milloo's mind : the story of Maryam Faruqi, trailblazer for women's education
Faruqi, Reem
Paper Book
From the author of Lailah's Lunchbox and Unsettled comes a powerful picture book biography about Maryam Faruqi, the founder of the Happy Home Schools, which provided education to thousands of girls across Pakistan at a time when girls weren't encouraged to go to school. ...
Nina : a story of Nina Simone
Todd, Traci N.
Paper Book
A 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Honoree!   This luminous, defining picture book biography illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson, tells the remarkable and inspiring story of acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her bold, defiant, and exultant legacy. ...
The oldest student how Mary Walker learned to read
Hubbard, Rita L.
Paper Book
Imagine learning to read at the age of 116! Discover the true story of Mary Walker, the nation's oldest student who did just that, in this picture book from a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and a rising star author. One of Slate's 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25...
Olga and the smelly thing from nowhere
Gravel, Elise
Paper Book
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year! Meet Olga, the amazing child scientist who LOVES animals (because they are super-cute)! Brightly put this heavily illustrated don't-miss book on their "Ultimate Summer Reading List for 9- to 12-Year-Olds." Olga and...
Planting stories the life of librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré
Denise, Anika
Paper Book
RECIPIENT OF THE PURA BELPRÉ HONOR  * A Today Show's Best Kids' Books of 2019 * Indie Next List Pick * Junior Library Guild Selection *  "An appealing tribute and successful remedy to the lack of titles about the groundbreaking librarian...a must...
The power of her pen : the story of groundbreaking journalist Ethel L. Payne
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
"A powerful story." --The Horn Book "A worthy addition to children's biography collections." --Booklist "A solid treatment of an important but little-known figure, and it may prompt kids to think about the role and composition of a free press....
Ready to fly : how Sylvia Townsend became the bookmobile ballerina
Lyon, Lea
Paper Book
Lyrical, inspiring, and affecting text paired with bright, appealing illustrations make Ready to Fly perfect for aspiring ballerinas everywhere who are ready to leap and to spread their wings! Ready to Fly is the true story of Sylvia Townsend, an African...
Rock, Rosetta, rock! Roll, Rosetta, roll! : presenting sister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of rock & roll
Bolden, Tonya
Paper Book
"A profile as bold and vivacious as the singer herself." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Terrific for all collections that want to inspire the musically inclined and highlight innovative pioneers." --ALA Booklist (starred review) "Bolden uses alliteration, assonance...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg : the case of R.B.G. vs. inequality
Winter, Jonah
Paper Book
To become the first female Jewish Supreme Court Justice, the unsinkable Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to overcome countless injustices. Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s and '40s, Ginsburg was discouraged from working by her father, who thought a woman's place was in the home. Regardless, she went to...
Seeds of Discovery : How Barbara Mcclintock Used Corn and Curiosity to Solve a Science Mystery and Win a Nobel Prize
Alexander, Lori/ Santo, Rebecca (ILT)
Paper Book
The quirky and singular Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock, a founder of modern genetics who did things her own way, is honored in this lively young STEM biography by Sibert Honor winner Lori Alexander.  Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity,...
Sharice's big voice : a native kid becomes a congresswoman
Davids, Sharice
Paper Book
This acclaimed picture book autobiography tells the triumphant story of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas. When Sharice Davids was young, she never thought she'd be in Congress....
She caught the light : Williamina Stevens Fleming, astronomer
Lasky, Kathryn
Paper Book
From Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky comes a nonfiction picture book about the stars! Lasky tells the inspiring true story of astronomer Williamina Fleming, who helped lay the foundations for modern astronomy and overcame impossible odds as an immigrant and a woman. For stargazers...
The six : the untold story of America's first women astronauts
Grush, Loren
Paper Book
Two starred reviews! The "compelling and inspiring" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) true story of America's first female astronauts hailed as "suspenseful, meticulously observed, enlightening" by Margot Lee Shetterly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of...
Spying on spies : how Elizebeth Smith Friedman broke the Nazis' secret codes
Moss, Marissa
Paper Book
Bestselling and award-winning author-illustrator Marissa Moss tells the gripping story of America's first female cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who busted Nazi spy rings. Praised for her accessible blend of narrative nonfiction with graphic novel-style chapter openers...
Stacey Abrams and the Fight to Vote
Todd, Traci N./ Freeman, Laura (ILT)
Paper Book
"A brilliant introduction to a powerful Black female politician and voting rights activist. Todd and Freeman bring this to life in their creative biography of Georgia-based politician Abrams." --Kirkus Reviews (starred reviews) "Freeman's airbrush-style digital art leans into...
A take-charge girl blazes a trail to Congress : the story of Jeannette Rankin
Woelfle, Gretchen
Paper Book
For take-charge girls in the making and fans of I Dissent and Kamala Harris- Rooted in Justice, this is the story of Jeannette Rankin, the first US congresswoman. Jeannette Rankin was always a take-charge girl. Whether taking care of horses or her little brothers...
To boldly go : how Nichelle Nichols and Star trek helped advance civil rights
Dalton, Angela
Paper Book
A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Historical People, Places, and Events selection! Perfect for fans of Hidden Figures and Mae Among the Stars! To Boldly Go tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire and recruit a new generation of...
Unbeatable Betty : the first female Olympic track & field gold medalist
Kimmel, Allison Crotzer
Paper Book
An inspiring picture book biography of the first woman to win a gold medal in track and field. Young readers intrigued by the Summer 2021 Olympics in Tokyo will be inspired by this story. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in...
When the Schools Shut Down : A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's Lost Generation and the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka Decision
Pizzoli, Tamara/ Morris, Keisha (ILT)/ Gladden, Yolanda
Paper Book
A 2023 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist An awe-inspiring autobiographical picture book about a young African American girl who lived during the shutdown of public schools in Farmville, Virginia, following the landmark civil rights case Brown vs. Board of...

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