Women's History Past & Present: Books for Kids

Books for kids , both fiction and nonfiction that chronicle the lives of extraordinary women, examine historical movements, and address feminist issues.

Updated February 12, 2026
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LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Happy Valley Library
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Women's History Past & Present: Books for Kids

Books for kids , both fiction and nonfiction that chronicle the lives of extraordinary women, examine historical movements, and address feminist issues.

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Phenomenal Aoc : The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-cortez
Denise, Anika Aldamuy/ Lora, Loris (ILT)
Paper Book
A 2023 Pura Belpré Honor Book (Illustrations) An inspiring biography of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from Pura Belpré Honor-winning creators Anika Aldamuy Denise and Loris Lora! In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman in America....
Holding her own : the exceptional life of Jackie Ormes
Todd, Traci N.
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book * Robert F. Sibert Honor Book An evocative picture book biography about the prolific life of Jackie Ormes, whose groundbreaking cartoons became some of the first empowering depictions of Black women in America! Jackie Ormes made...
Shirley Chisholm dared : the story of the first black woman in congress
Williams, Alicia R.
Paper Book
Discover the inspiring story of the first black woman elected to Congress and to run for president in this picture book biography from a Newbery Honor-winning author and a Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning illustrator. Meet Shirley, a little girl who asks...
A Life of Service : The Story of Senator Tammy Duckworth
Soontornvat, Christina/ Phumiruk, Dow (ILT)
Paper Book
Thai American creators portray the inspirational and barrier-breaking life of Senator Tammy Duckworth in a picture-book tribute to an extraordinary woman. Senator Tammy Duckworth has logged a long list of "firsts" during her tenure as the first Thai American woman elected to...
Junko Tabei masters the mountains
Ohlin, Nancy
Paper Book
From the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical novel based on the life of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Mount Everest. Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then...
Grasping mysteries : girls who loved math
Atkins, Jeannine
Paper Book
Learn about seven groundbreaking women in math and science in this gorgeously written biographical novel-in-verse, a companion to the "original and memorable" (Booklist, starred review) Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science. After a...
Sonia Sotomayor
Medina, Meg
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! In this chapter book biography by Meg Medina, the award-winning author of...
Malala Yousafzai
Saeed, Aisha
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 spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Malala Yousafzai! Growing up as a girl in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai had to...
Temple Grandin
Miller-Lachmann, Lyn
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 spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Temple Grandin! In this chapter book biography by beloved author Lyn Miller...
A kids book about : feminism
Mcilroy, Emma
Paper Book
This is an unapologetic take on feminism as a thing that everyone can embrace, no matter their gender. It tackles ideas around equality, bias, and discrimination because of gender. It also empowers young girls and boys to embrace feminism and show up for others when they're being treated unfairly.
Remembering Rosalind Franklin : Rosalind Franklin & the Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA
Stone, Tanya Lee/ Powers, Gretchen Ellen (ILT)
Paper Book
A CBC-NSTA Editors' Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2025 * An inspiring picture book biography about Rosalind Franklin, the groundbreaking chemist who helped discover the structure of DNA, by the award-winning, bestselling author of Who Says Women Can't Be...
Fall down seven times, stand up eight : Patsy Takemoto Mink and the fight for Title IX
Bryant, Jen
Paper Book
The only picture book biography about unsung hero Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. From a young age, Patsy Takemoto Mink learned that striving for goals came with challenges. But she also learned to never give up. As the Japanese...
Latinitas : celebrating 40 big dreamers
Menéndez, Juliet
Paper Book
Dream big with the Latinitas in Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers. Discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! In this collection of short biographies from all over Latin America and across the United States, Juliet Menéndez explores the...
All rise : the story of Ketanji Brown Jackson
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Paper Book
CHILDREN'S LITERATURE LEGACY AWARD WINNER * Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, is an inspiration and role model to children of all ages. Award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford tells her story of perseverance, dignity, and honor in this uplifting...
Deb Haaland
Goodluck, Laurel
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 spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Deb Haaland! A 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book! ...
Ida B. Wells marches for the vote
Johnson, Dinah
Paper Book
"Ida B. Wells is featured in this picture-book biography for another one of her passionate causes: women's suffrage." --Booklist "A tribute to a tireless African American journalist and crusader for social justice​." --Kirkus Reviews
Determined dreamer : the story of Marie Curie
Hopkinson, Deborah
Paper Book
This is a comprehensive and accessible picture book biography of Marie Curie, the groundbreaking scientist and two-time Nobel Prize winner, from an acclaimed author and illustrator duo. Before Marie Curie was the first woman in France to earn the highest degree in physics,<...
One big open sky
Cline-Ransome, Lesa
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor Book Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free--or cost them everything they have--in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer...
The ABCs of women's history
Cortez, Rio
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling creative team behind The ABCs of Black History comes a statement-making follow-up that celebrates women, their history, and their future by centering the diversity of the disruptors who blazed a path forward for...
The Black Mambas : the world's first all-woman anti-poaching unit
Crull, Kelly
Head out on patrol with the Black Mambas, South Africa's first women-led anti-poaching unit. This anti-poaching team is unlike any other: they carry no weapons. Instead, they keep animals safe with frequent patrols and a keen eye for footprints, snares, and other clues that poachers are...
Up periscope! : how engineer Raye Montague revolutionized shipbuilding
Swanson, Jennifer
Paper Book
Discover the hidden figure who created the first comprehensive computer program to design ships for the US Navy.   Girls like Raye Montague weren't supposed to like math or science, or go to engineering school. But tenacious Raye had a plan, one that eventually...
Green promises : girls who loved the earth
Atkins, Jeannine
Paper Book
"A love letter to the power of individuals to bring about change and uplift others." --Kirkus Reviews Meet three remarkable women who followed their dreams and paved a path for women in science in this gorgeously written biographical novel in verse from acclaimed author...
This skirt won't work! : how women athletes changed their clothes and changed the game
Cooper, Jennifer
Imagine trying to play tennis in a long dress, or swimming laps wearing heavy petticoats! That's how it used to be for girls and women in sports... until a few found a better way! See how women like cyclist Kittie Knox, swimmer Annette Kellerman, and Albertine LePensee and her Canadian...
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...
The unexpected lives of ordinary girls
Coats, J. Anderson
A child of immigrants feels caught between two worlds and two selves in this "nuanced and inspiring" (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade historical novel about self-determination, community, and what it means to belong--perfect for fans of Esperanza Rising and Katherine...
Botticelli's apprentice
Husted, Ursula Murray
Paper Book
This funny, empowering graphic novel from rising star Ursula Murray Husted is a gorgeously illustrated glimpse into the forgotten history of Renaissance Italy, following an ambitious young girl's quest to become an apprentice to the famous Sandro Botticelli.  Life as a...
The ribbon skirt
Mukwa, Cameron
Paper Book
American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book A joyful coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel by debut Indigenous creator Cameron Mukwa about the journey of a two-spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow. Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a...
One crazy summer : the graphic novel
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
"I wish I didn't know that I was marching my sisters into a boiling pot of trouble cooking in Oakland..." Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a...
At last she stood : how Joey Guerrero spied, survived, and fought for freedom
Kelly, Erin Entrada
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Honor Book An ALA Notable Book Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Chicago Public Library Best Book ...
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