March is Women's History Month – commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society.
There are so many beautifully written and illustrated books that highlight these contributions.
It was difficult to narrow this list list down to ten, but here are my favorites:
Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist by Barbara Herkert
Harriet Powers learned to sew and quilt as a young slave girl on a Georgia plantation. She lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and eventually owned a cotton farm with her family, using her talents as a seamstress to support her family.
She then went on to create the most beautiful pictorial quilts, using each square to illustrate Bible stories and local legends. She displayed her quilts at lots of local cotton fairs in Georgia, and they are now wonderful examples of African American folk art.
The author has a special teacher section of her website with several great activities for extending this book. Find it here.
I love this read-aloud version on YouTube and I'm thinking about doing the African animal collage activity I found here.
A great book to read and compare with Sewing Stories is Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee Bend Quilt. Find a read-aloud version here.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick and Don Tate
This picture book is based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, and tell the true and incredibly inspiring story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space.
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were exceptionally good at math. They participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes, and at a time when being black and also a woman limited what they could do.
There are free downloadable activities for students here on this site and a read-aloud by the illustrator here on this link.
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton
In this book, Chelsea Clinton celebrates thirteen American women who made a difference by persisting, and shows us that no matter what obstacles are in our way, we should never give up on our dreams.
She Persisted features Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, Florence Griffith Joyner, Oprah Winfrey, and Sonia Sotomayor.
After reading this book, have each student research other women in history who have been influential, and choose one to write their own biography about.
Here is one popular read-aloud version from YouTube.
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx By Jonah Winter
Sonia Sotomayor rose up from a childhood of poverty and prejudice to become the first Latino to be nominated to the US Supreme Court. The book shows how before taking her seat in our nation’s highest court, she was just a little girl in the South Bronx. Although she didn’t have a lot growing up, she had her mother’s love, determination, and a willingness to learn.
There are many resources for teachers here on this site and here it is as a read-aloud.
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood
This book of poetry and amazing artwork teaches us about Ruby Bridges, Molly Williams, Annette Kellerman, Nellie Bly, Pura Belpre, Frido Kahlo, Jacqueline and Eileen Nearne, Francis Moore Lappe, Mae Jemison, Angela Zhang, and Malala Yousafzai. The entire collection of poetry was written, illustrated, edited, and designed by women.
Find a great lesson plan called Acrostics for Everyone here and I love this read-aloud version by the author.
I am Helen Keller (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer
My students have always loved this series of comic-book style biographies and I especially love this one. Helen Keller got a rare disease when she was very young, which made her deaf and blind. Because she couldn’t see or hear it was impossible for her to communicate with anyone. When she was six years old she met Ann Sullivan, a teacher who changed her life forever. Helen learned how to speak sign language and read Braille, and became a social activist.
I like this lesson plan for grades 3-5, and I do believe these resources can be adapted for younger students.
Brad Meltzer does an amazing job with all his YouTube read-alouds, and here is the link for I am Helen Keller.
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough
When many people believed that children should be silent in libraries and should not be able to touch or check out the books, Miss Moore “thought otherwise.” She planned and opened the first children’s room in the New York Public Library, where children could go to read and listen to stories.
There are lots of resources for grades 1-5 here on this site and this is a very well done read-aloud version.
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone
In the 1830s, when Elizabeth Blackwell was growing up, woman were supposed to be wives and mothers. Some women could be teachers or seamstresses, but there really weren’t a lot of career options. There were definitely not any women doctors. This inspiring story shows how one brave woman, Elizabeth Blackwell, led the way for all the female doctors to come.
There are lots of resources and lesson ideas here on this site and here is a read-aloud version.
Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter
As Lillian, a 100 year old African American woman, makes a “long haul up a steep hill” to her polling place, she thinks about her family’s history and “sees” the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment and her great-grandfather voting for the first time.
Find lots of suggestions for lessons and activities for grades 1-4 here on this site and a really well done read-aloud version here.
Thank you so much for visiting the blog today. I hope you found this post worthwhile.
If you would like to connect further, please feel free to leave me a comment, email, or message on any one if my social media channels. I will be sure to get back to you in a timely manner.
Yours truly,
Jennifer
“A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”
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