Celebrate Women’s History Month (March) by reading a stack of picture books about amazing women! Or, learn about the contributions of women anytime by including these great books in your regular reading cycle.
Courageous and talented women influence art, science, history, magic, protest, advocacy, engineering, ecology, literacy, and so many other areas.
The list below is a small set of their stories – many of them written and illustrated by other amazing women. There are a couple places where I have included two books for the same person. Sometimes it’s hard to pick a favorite.
Picture Books About Amazing Women: The List
There are 75 total picture books about amazing women in this post. To help look through the various names I’ve sub-divided it into four categories: creators, challengers, change-makers, and contributors.
Hopefully these are helpful, and a brief description of each category is below their initial sub-title.
I’m more hopeful that you will see that in many cases the stories of these women overlap in several categories. A creator is likely to also challenge accepted norms. A change-maker often uses creativity to reach a unique solution. A contributor pushes a field forward while challenging the status quo.
Amazing Women: Creators
See the world through new and beautiful eyes. These women created in different ways and brought fresh perspective to our world.
Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood (Musician)
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Beautiful Shades of Brown: the Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin (Artist)
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Bon Appétit: the Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland (Chef)
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Dorothea’s Eyes by Barb Rosenstock (Photographer)
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Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle (Musician)
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Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal (Fashion Designer)
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It Began with a Page by Kyo Maclear (Illustrator)
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Liberty’s Voice: The Story of Emma Lazarus by Erica Silverman (Poet)
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Lucy Maud Montgomery by Alexandra Wallner (Author)
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Mahalia Jackson: Walking with Kings and Queens by Nina Nolan (Singer)
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Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Walker Harvey (Artist)
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My Name is Gabriela by Monica Brown (Poet)
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My Name is Georgia by Jeanette Winter (Artist)
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A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe by David A. Adler (Author)
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Through Georgia’s Eyes by Rachel Rodríguez (Artist)
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The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter (Architect)
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Amazing Women: Contributors
Learn about women who were curious about their world. See women make contributions in science, preservation, discovery, and other spaces. In many cases their involvement was also a challenge to the norms of the time whether because it was a male-dominated field or because it was an issue that was not considered important.
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark (Mathematician)
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The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss (Lighthouse keeper)
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From a Small Seed: the story of Eliza Hamilton by Camille Andros (Humanitarian)
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Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley (Queen)
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The House that Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone (Humanitarian)
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Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo (Humanitarian)
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Leave it to Abigail: the Revolutionary Life of Abigail Adams by Barb Rosenstock (Politics)
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The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter (Librarian)
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Marie Curie by Demi (Scientist)
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Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt (Gardener)
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Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough (Librarian)
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Nadia: The Girl Who Couldn’t Sit Still by Karlin Gray (Gymnast)
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Nasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette Winter (Activist)
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Nothing Stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe (Mathematician)
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Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Anika Aldamuy Denise (Librarian)
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She’s Got This by Laurie Hernandez (Gymnast)
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Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh (Scientist)
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Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant by Kate Klise (Performer)
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Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning by Laurence Anholt (Scientist)
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Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper by Ann Malaspina (Track & Field athlete)
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The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter (Scientist)
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Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull (Track & Field athlete)
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Write On, Mercy! by Gretchen Woelfle (Author)
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Amazing Women: Challengers
Follow these courageous women as they take on a challenge in their area of influence. These women find innovative solutions while they fight against visible and invisible barriers.
All the Way to the Top by Annette Bay Pimentel (Activist)
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Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport (Humanitarian)
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Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone (Activist)
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The Flying Girl: How Aida de Acosta Learned to Fly by Margarita Engle (Aviator)
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Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon by Annette Bay Pimentel (Runner)
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I Could Do That: Esther Morris Gets Women to Vote by Linda Arms White (Politician)
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Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai (Activist)
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Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully (Inventor)
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Mary Walker Wears the Pants by Cheryl Harness (Doctor during U.S. Civil War)
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Miss Paul and the President by Dean Robbins (Activist)
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Molly, by Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s First Female Firefighter by Dianne Ochiltree (Firefighter)
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Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence by Gretchen Woelfle (Activist)
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Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher (Track & Field athlete)
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Pocket Full of Colors by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville (Artist)
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She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick (Baseball player and administrator)
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She Was the First: the Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown (Politician)
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Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Freedom and Equality by Suzanne Slade (Activist)
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When Grandma Gatewood Took a Hike by Michelle Houts (Inspiration)
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Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? By Tanya Lee Stone (Medicine)
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The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson (Activist)
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Amazing Women: Change-Makers
I thought about lumping this category with one of the other three. I didn’t though because I think there’s a distinction to be appreciated. The books in this group reflect women who either saw a problem and came up with a unique solution or excelled in their area and, as a result of how they handled their success, they shifted a standard or expectation.
Anything but Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann Queen of Magic by Mara Rockliff (Magician)
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Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Activist)
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Florence Nightingale by Demi (Nurse)
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The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can by Dr. Tererai Trent (Educator)
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Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin (Humanitarian)
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Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli (Activist)
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Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford (Activist)
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The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lovaine Hubbard & Oge Mora (Inspiration)
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One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of Gambia by Miranda Paul (Environmentalist)
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Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor (Scientist)
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She Sang Promise: The Story of Betty Mae Jumper, Seminole Tribal Leader by J.G. Annino (Nurse & Politician)
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Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter (Tennis Athletes)
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The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins (Scientist)
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Turning Pages by Sonia Sotomayor (Judge)
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Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter (Activist)
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Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells by Philip Dray (Journalist)
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Honor Women in March
Take the month of March to honor the women in your life. Write a note, send a flower, or call someone on the phone. Don’t just say “thank you” (although make sure to say at least thank you), but also tell them how them being in your life has shaped you.
Learn About Women Throughout the Year
March shouldn’t be the only time that women are noticed. Use these picture books about amazing women in your lesson plans throughout the year. You don’t have to make a big deal about gender every time. When you include the successes of women regularly, then you set the expectation that women participate at all levels of society.
What other titles would you add to this list? Share in the comments below!
Happy reading!
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