So many incredible women have dedicated their lives to becoming trailblazers for other women and girls around the world. Our Women’s History Section is full of extraordinary true stories about both historic and contemporary heroes who have paved the way in education, the arts, athletics, human rights, and countless other spheres.
We chose nine books to help you introduce your students to women and girls who have made an impact throughout history.
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos
This story recounts Frida’s beloved pets—two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn—and playfully considers how Frida embodied the many wonderful characteristics of each animal.
(Ages 4-9)
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles
In April 1916, Nell Richardson and Alice Burke set out from New York City in a little yellow car, embarking on a bumpy, muddy, unmapped journey ten thousand miles long. They took with them a teeny typewriter, a tiny sewing machine, a wee black kitten, and a message for Americans all across the country: Votes for Women!
(Ages 4-9)
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams
Venus and Serena Williams are two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Some say they’re two of the greatest athletes of all time. Before they were world famous, they were little girls with big dreams.
(Ages 4-9)
What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan
Congresswoman Barbara Jordan had a big, bold, confident voice—and she knew how to use it! Learn all about her amazing career in this illuminating and inspiring picture book biography of the lawyer, educator, politician, and civil rights leader.
(Ages 4-9)
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura’s legacy.
(Ages 4-9)
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Featuring forty trailblazing black women in American history, this book educates and inspires as it relates true stories of breaking boundaries and achieving beyond expectations. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn’t always accept them.
(Ages 7-12)
Who Was Sacagawea?
Sacagawea was only sixteen when she made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history, traveling 4500 miles by foot, canoe, and horse—all while carrying a baby on her back! Without her, the Lewis and Clark expedition might have failed. Through this engaging book, kids will understand the reasons that today, 200 years later, she is still remembered.
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
Malala’s powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles, and the possibility that one person—one young person—can inspire change in her community and beyond.
(Ages 10-18)
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of formidable female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison, or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, their stories are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.
(Ages 13-18)
Grand Theft Horse: A Graphic Novel
A story of Gail Ruffu, who stole a racehorse in order to save it, and ended up taking on the whole racing industry to fight for the humane treatment of animals.
(Ages 13-18)
Celebrate inspirational women all year long with books from the Empowering Stories About Women and Girls section of the First Book Marketplace! A mix of fiction and nonfiction books, this section is packed with female characters of diverse backgrounds who use their smarts, charisma, and courage to change their own lives or the lives of others.