Awesome women's history books for kids of every age

Women’s History Month in March is a useful reminder that kids of any gender can benefit from learning about a variety of different women and girls as pioneers, heroes, and changemakers throughout history. This can help build kids’ empathy and confidence, and connect them in new ways to whichever subject they’re interested in. Plus, it gives them a fuller understanding of why things are the way they are today.

Women’s history, just like any area of history, doesn’t have to be boring! When kids learn about important leaders and trailblazers through exciting stories that include the historical figures’ relatable childhood and teenage experiences, they’ll absorb more of the information and have fun doing it.

Check out these captivating women’s history book recommendations for kids of every age, highlighting remarkable women and girls in sports, STEM, the arts, civil rights and more!

Picture books for preschool age (and beyond)

These stories are told and illustrated so beautifully and simply, that even the youngest kids can feel inspired by these brave and gritty main characters, who are all based on real female heroes.

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed

Curious kids will enjoy learning about astronaut Mae Jemison’s childhood dreams and how they led her eventually all the way to space.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle

This musical book, inspired by the true story of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, captures a Cuban girl’s determination to break out of traditional roles and follow her passion to be a drummer.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion by Ashima Shiraishi

This young female rock climber may not be a household name for most, but her unique take on ways to overcome challenges is really powerful for kids — and adults!

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Books for elementary school age

All of the books in the section above will still appeal to younger elementary-aged kids, who will be able to have deeper discussions about them than preschoolers. And add on these slightly more complicated stories for kids aged 6-8.

Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now! by Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose

This picture book memoir puts into relatable terms what it was like living through segregation on buses and other public spaces in the South — and what one brave Black teenage girl, along with fellow women and men of the Civil Rights Era, did to improve the system for all.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez by Belen Medina

This champion long-distance runner from a very remote area of Mexico does not fit the mold of other athletes you see on TV, and her story is striking and unforgettable.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating

Kids will love this adventurous tale of a female zoologist who defied expectations by working with sharks, one of the most feared sea animals.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Books for tweens/middle school age

When kids are ready for more advanced (but still kid-friendly) content about women’s history, the books below for 8- to 12-year-olds should fit the bill.

How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

With fascinating photos and illustrations to draw young readers in, this book tells the story of two bold suffragists who met in jail and successfully fought for women’s right to vote.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks

This funny graphic novel tells the incredible true story of Mary Cleave and Valentina Tereshkova, the first women in space.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

This short but truly inspiring account by the famous student who integrated an all-white school in New Orleans goes beyond that time in her life, and into her more recent work with young people around the country.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Books for teens/high school age

There are so many incredible women that teens and young adults can read about in YA books, but here are some standouts.

Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince

This ballet dancer has a unique story as an adoptee from warn-torn Sierra Leone who also has the skin condition vitiligo. Her memoir geared toward young people addresses how she turned those struggles into success.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble

Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team by Andrew Maraniss

This origin story of the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team will excite young readers while educating them on the history of sexism and racism in the sport.

Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble