10 Amazing Picture Books for Women’s History Month

Have you been looking for picture books for Women’s History Month? This list provides fiction and nonfiction picture books that are perfect to read during Women’s History Month. Whether it’s a fictionalized inspirational story or a simple biography of a leader, these picture books will inspire all those who read them!

Let’s dive into some of my favorite picture books to read for Women’s History Month! There’s so many to check out.

Fiction Picture Books for Women’s History Month

Whether it’s a fictionalized moment in someone’s life or a story inspired by real-life people, these fiction picture books feature trail-blazing women.

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Bessie Stringfield is picked on by the neighborhood boys for not being “pretty enough” or “fast enough”. But Bessie knows she can be fast enough and when she falls asleep that night, she dreams of racing across the skies and space. The next day, when the boys are getting ready to bike and race, Bessie is prepared. She sets off faster than anyone and races ahead!

The end of the book provides some facts about the real-life Bessie Stringfield, and there was also a picture of her!

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It’s voting day and Lillian is ready to make her voice heard. As she walks up the hill to her voting location, she remembers many historical events that have allowed her to have the ability to vote. She also meets a few of her neighbors as she walks to her voting location, and she reminds them to take the time to vote because she remembers when that was not an option for her.

The back of the book has a very interesting information section about the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as little info bites about the various people that Lillian remembers during her walk.

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Alta is the quickest kid in Clarksville, and it doesn’t matter that her shoes have holes in them because Wilma Rudolph also came from hard times. And Wilma Rudolph will now be riding atop a parade float tomorrow. But, suddenly, there’s a new girl with new shoes challenging Alta to a race. Will Alta still be the quickest kid in Clarksville?

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Louise Belinda Bellflower lives in Rochester, New York, in 1896. She spends her days playing with her brother, Joe. But Joe gets to ride a bicycle, and Louise Belinda doesn’t. In fact, Joe issues a solemn warning: If girls ride bikes, their faces will get so scrunched up, eyes bulging from the effort of balancing, that they’ll get stuck that way FOREVER! Louise Belinda is appalled by this nonsense, so she strikes out to discover the truth about this so-called “bicycle face.”

Set against the backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement, Born to Ride is the story of one girl’s courageous quest to prove that she can do everything the boys can do, while capturing the universal freedom and accomplishment children experience when riding a bike. [from Bookshop]

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In World War II, Great Britain needed lumber to make planes, ships, and even newspapers–but there weren’t enough men to cut down the trees. Enter the fearless Lumber Jills! These young women may not have had much woodcutting experience, but they each had two hands willing to work and one stout heart, and they came together to do their part. Discover this lyrical story of home front heroism and female friendship. [from Bookshop]

Nonfiction & Biographies for Women’s History Month

Learn about the adventures and accomplishments of real-life women written in a way that even young kids can understand!

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Bessie Coleman was the first African-American to earn a pilot’s license. Coleman was born in 1892 and she was determined to become a pilot. However, at that time, the only place where she could study aviation was in France! Coleman saved enough money to study and earned her pilot’s license in 1921. She came back to the United States and participated in air shows, always letting young African-Americans know that they could “fly high” and “be somebody”.

This is a simple biography with lots of information about Bessie Coleman and her life. A great foray into nonfiction for young readers.

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Most people know about President FDR, but do you know the woman who created his groundbreaking New Deal? As a young girl, Frances Perkins was very shy and quiet. But her grandmother encouraged Frances to always challenge herself. When somebody opens a door to you, go forward. And so she did.

Frances realized she had to make her voice heard, even when speaking made her uncomfortable, and use it to fight injustice and build programs to protect people across the nation. So when newly-elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt finally asked Frances to be the first female Secretary of Labor and help pull the nation out of the Great Depression, she knew she had to walk through that open door and forward into history.

In this empowering, inspirational biography, discover how the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet led the charge to create the safety net that protects American workers and their families to this day. [from Bookshop]

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In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. At 116, she learned to read.

From Rita Lorraine Hubbard and rising star Oge More comes the inspirational story of Mary Walker, a woman whose long life spanned from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, and who–with perseverance and dedication–proved that you’re never too old to learn. [from Bookshop]

I absolutely had to include this picture book for Women’s History Month! I grew up listening to her music so I was sooo excited when I heard this picture book was coming out. It’s overdue! This book is text-heavy so definitely preview it to figure out how you want to break up your reading.

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Selena Quintanilla’s music career began at the age of nine when she started singing in her family’s band. She went from using a hairbrush as a microphone to traveling from town to town to play gigs. But Selena faced a challenge: People said that she would never make it in Tejano music, which was dominated by male performers. Selena was determined to prove them wrong.

Born and raised in Texas, Selena didn’t know how to speak Spanish, but with the help of her dad, she learned to sing it. With songs written and composed by her older brother and the fun dance steps Selena created, her band, Selena Y Los Dinos, rose to stardom!

A true trailblazer, her success in Tejano music and her crossover into mainstream American music opened the door for other Latinx entertainers, and she became an inspiration for Latina girls everywhere. [from Bookshop]

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When Bronx Zoo-keeper Fred brought home a lion cub, Helen Martini instantly embraced it. The cub’s mother lost the instinct to care for him. Just do for him what you would do with a human baby, Fred suggested…and she did. Helen named him MacArthur, and fed him milk from a bottle and cooed him to sleep in a crib.

Soon enough, MacArthur was not the only cub bathed in the tub. The couple continues to raise lion and tiger cubs as their own, until they are old enough to return them to zoos. Helen becomes the first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo, the keeper of the nursery. This is a terrific non-fiction book to read aloud while snuggling up with your cubs.

Filled with adorable baby cats, this is a story about love, dedication, and a new kind of family. Gorgeously patterned illustrations by Julie Downing detail the in-home nursery and a warm pallet creates a cozy pairing with Candace Fleming’s lovely language. Backmatter includes a short biography of Helen Martini and a selected bibliography. [from Bookshop]

More Lists

If you’re looking for more picture books to read during Women’s History Month, here’s a few more lists to check out:

I hope you enjoyed this list of great picture books to read during Women’s History Month! One of the things that I love about picture books is the use of pictures to convey important moments, specifically when learning about someone’s life. I think it just creates a more relatable view of someone’s life, especially when we’re sharing stories with kids.

One last thing, just quickly want to say that while it’s great to be able to focus on picture books about women and their journeys during Women’s History Month, we should also remember to read these books throughout the entire year!

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Picture Books for Women’s History Month.

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