Women's History Month

Who Runs the World: Celebrating Women in March with Books for Kids & Teens

Civil rights activist Ella Baker (standing third from right) with a group of young and teenage girls at a fair
Civil rights activist Ella Baker (standing third from right) with a group of young and teenage girls at a fair sponsored by the NAACP, circa 1950s. NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 5582303

"I am a woman / Phenomenally / Phenomenal woman / That's me." Maya Angelou

In 1981 Congress passed Public Law 97-28, proclaiming the week of March 7th, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 Congress passed Public Law 100-9, which designated March 1987 “Women’s History Month.” Congress passed additional resolutions which request and authorize the President to proclaim each March as Women’s History Month

The month of March celebrates contributions women have made to the United States and recognize achievements women have made throughout the course of American History in various fields. This booklist highlights many amazing women and their accomplishments. Educators, parents and students will be able to dive into these stories and share new knowledge with each other. 

These stories will have students perform on stage with the Supremes and Selena Quintanilla, take a journey into space with Sally Ride and Mae C. Jemison, stand in the courtroom with Dovey Johnson Roundtree, create sculptures with Edmonia Lewis and learn about so many other truly amazing women!

Kids

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Baseball's Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues by Andrea Williams

 

 

 

 

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Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama

 

 

 

 

 

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Claudette Colvin by Lesa Cline-Ransome; illustrated by Gillian Flint

 

 

 

 

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Dr. Mae Jemison: Brave Rocketeer by Heather Alexander and Jennifer Bricking

 

 

 

 

 

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Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight by Amy Shira Teitel

 

 

 

 

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Game, Set, Sisters!: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Jay Leslie; illustrated by Ebony Glenn

 

 

 

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I am Frida Kahlo by Brad Meltzer; illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos

 

 

 

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Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia D. Williams; illustrated by Jacqueline Alcaantara

 

 

 

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June Almeida, Virus Detective!: The Woman who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus by Suzanne Slade; illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

 

 

 

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Latinitas: Celebrating Big Dreamers in History! by Juliet Menaendez

 

 

 

 

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One Step Further: My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Life-Long Mission by Katherine Johnson; with her daughters Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore; illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

 

 

 

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Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard; illustrated by Keith Mallett

 

 

 

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Sally Ride by Atia Abawi; illustrated by Gillian Flint

 

 

 

 

 

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She Persisted: Virginia Apgar by Dr. Sayantani DasGupta; interior illustrations by Gillian Flint

 

 

 

 

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Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla by Diana Laopez; illustrations by Teresa Martainez

 

 

 

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Standing on Her Shoulders: A Celebration of Women by Monica Clark-Robinson; art by Laura Freeman

 

 

 

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The Story of Movie Star: Anna May Wong by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Lin Wang

 

 

 

 

 

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Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History by Joy Michael Ellison and Teshika Silver; illustrated by Teshika Silver

 

 

 

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Superheroes Are Everywhere by Kamala Harris; illustrated by Mechal Renee Roe

 

 

 

 

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Try It!: How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff; illustrated by Giselle Potter

 

 

 

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We Are the Supremes by Zoë Tucker; illustrated by Salini Perera

 

 

 

 

Teens

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Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha 

 

 

 

 

 

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Atomic Women: The Untold Stories of the Scientists who Helped Create the Nuclear Bomb by Roseanne Montillo

 

 

 

 

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Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada; artist, Ko Hyung-Ju

 

 

 

 

 

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The Book of Gutsy Women by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton

(Adult title with teen appeal)

 

 

 

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Bookish Broads: Women who Wrote Themselves into History by Lauren Marino; illustrations by Alexandra Kilburn

(Adult title with teen appeal)

 

 

 

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Fly Like a Girl: One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front by Mary Jennings Hegar

 

 

 

 

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Just as I Am : A Memoir by Cicely Tyson

(Adult title with teen appeal)

 

 

 

 

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Mighty Justice: The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe; adapted by Jabari Asim

 

 

 

 

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Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life by Winifred Conkling

 

 

 

 

 

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Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women's Voices (A Cookbook With More Than 50 Recipes) by Kathy Gunst and Katherine Alford; photography by Jerelle Guy

 

 

 

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The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Young Readers Edition) by Jeanne Theoharis

 

 

 

 

 

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Sarah Bernhardt: The Divine and Dazzling Life of the World's First Superstar by Catherine Reef

 

 

 

 

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Seen. Edmonia Lewis by Jasmine Walls; illustrated by Bex Glendining; colored by Kieran Quigley; lettered by DC Hopkins

 

 

 

 

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Sylvie by Sylvie Kantorovitz

 

 

 

 

 

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The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (Young Readers Edition) by Kamala Harris

 

 

 

 

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With Her Fist Raised: Dorothy Pitman Hughes and the Transformative Power of Black Community Activism by Laura L Lovett

(Adult title with teen appeal)

 

 

 

 

Database Resources

External Resource

Women’s History Month - The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. (Description taken from the website)

Exhibitions (Check out Culture Pass for tickets to specific museums!)