avon grove Library Blog

3/8/2022

March 8 is International Women's Day, and there's no better way to celebrate than by snuggling up with your daughters (and sons!) and reading some beautifully illustrated children's books about the true stories of smart, talented, brave, and influential women. Here are ten picture books about girls who made history that are available to borrow with your Avon Grove Library card.

Need a library card? Find out how to get one here!

Picture

By the 1930s Elsa Schiaparelli had captivated the fashion world in Paris, but before that, she was a little girl in Rome who didn't feel pretty at all. Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the enchanting story for young readers of how a young girl used her imagination and emerged from plain to extraordinary.

Picture

On a stormy night two hundred years ago, a young woman sat in a dark house and dreamed of her life as a writer...as she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of a man that was not a man. He was a monster.

Picture

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of our greatest writers. But before that, she was just an ordinary girl.

Picture

Elizabeth Cotten was only a little girl when she picked up a guitar for the first time. It wasn't hers (it was her big brother's), and it wasn't strung right for her (she was left-handed). But she flipped that guitar upside down and backwards and taught herself how to play it anyway. By age eleven, she'd written "Freight Train," one of the most famous folk songs of the twentieth century. And by the end of her life, people everywhere from the sunny beaches of California to the rolling hills of England knew her music.

Picture

Mary Wears What She Wants
by Keith Negley

Once upon a time (but not too long ago), girls only wore dresses. And only boys wore pants. Until one day, a young girl named Mary had a bold idea: She would wear whatever she wanted. And she wanted to wear pants! Inspired by the true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants, this fresh, charming picture book encourages readers to think for themselves while gently challenging gender and societal norms.

Picture

A tribute to lesser-known Harlem Renaissance performer Florence Mills includes coverage of her youth as a child of former slaves, her singing and dancing performances that inspired songs and entire plays, and the struggles with racism that prompted her advocacy of all-black theater and musicals.

Picture

"A fascinating look at Ada Lovelace, the pioneering computer programmer and the daughter of the poet Lord Byron." -- Provided by publisher

Picture

An introduction to the life and legacy of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan.

Picture

As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But years later when she returns home, she is shocked to see whole forests being cut down, and she knows that soon all the trees will be destroyed. So Wangari decides to do something-and starts by planting nine seedlings in her own backyard. And as they grow, so do her plans. . . . This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman's passion, vision, and determination inspired great change.

Picture

Chronicles Frida Kahlo's life-- from her childhood to her rise as one of the world's most influential painters-- capturing the beauty and strength of Frida's creative spirit, which carried her through tragedy and triumph, and the animals that inspired her along the way.

Do you have a favorite picture book about girl power that wasn't listed here? Share your recommendation below!

0 Comments