International Women’s Day is a great day to celebrate all women around the world. To celebrate this day, we put together a list of outstanding children’s books about great women that have changed our history.
Georgia O’Keeffe
O’Keefe know as the “Mother of American modernism” known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes.
Written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Bethanne Andersen
Growing up on a Wisconsin farm, Georgia O’Keeffe began gathering all sorts of objects — sticks and stones, flowers and bones. Although she was teased for her interest in unique shapes and sizes, young Georgia declared: “Someday, I’m going to be an artist” — and that is exactly what she became.
Eva’s Story: A Holocaust Survivor’s Tale by the Stepsister of Anne Frank
Written by Eva Schloss
People around the world know the tragic story of Anne Frank, the teenage girl who lost her life in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. But most people don’t know about Eva Schloss, Anne’s playmate and posthumous stepsister. Though Eva, like Anne, was imprisoned in Auschwitz at the age of 15, her story did not end there. Together with her mother, Eva endured daily degradation and countless miseries at the hands of the Nazis. She was freed in 1945, but it would be decades before Eva was able to share her survivor’s tale with the world.
Concluding with new discussion questions and a revealing interview with Eva, this moving memoir recounts—without bitterness or hatred—the horrors of war, the love between mother and daughter, and the strength and determination that helped a family overcome danger and tragedy.
Margaret Wise Brown
Margaret Wise Brown was a children’s book author born in Brooklyn, New York. Some of her books include Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd.
Only Margaret: A Story about Margaret Wise Brown
Written by Candice Ransom
Illustrated by Nan Lawson
When Halley’s comet arrived in 1910, so did an extraordinary person: Margaret Wise Brown. Margaret had a boundless imagination and a gift for spinning stories. Most grown-ups thought children’s books were frivolous and silly, but Margaret didn’t agree. Could writing stories for children be important work—a incredible way to share truth, beauty, and wonder?
Other people might call Margaret strange, and sometimes her own worries and doubts felt overwhelming. But only Margaret and her original ideas could lead to Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and other classics beloved by children around the world.
From smuggling rabbits onto trains, to scribbling stories about island whispers, Margaret embraced adventure in life and on the page. This whimsically illustrated biography shares how an independent, fun-loving woman became a trailblazing pioneer of the picture-book form.
Maria Mitchell
Maria Mitchell was the first female astronomer in the United States and the first American scientist to discover a comet. Additionally, she was an early advocate for science and math education for girls and the first female astronomy professor.
Maria Mitchell: The Soul of an Astronomer
By Beatrice Gormley
In the mid-1800s, a turbulent time when women were often thought to be unworthy of higher education, Maria Mitchell rose above the prejudices of the day to become America’s first professional woman astronomer. This exciting biography tells the story of Maria Mitchell’s life, her amazing achievements, and her faith that saw God’s handiwork in the heavens.
Eva Schloss
Eva Schloss is a Holocaust survivor, memoirist and stepdaughter of Otto Frank. Schloss speaks widely of her family’s experiences during the Holocaust.
Princess Ka’iulani
Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn better know as Princess Ka’iulani was the daughter of niece of Princess Miriam Likelike, and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Princess Ka’iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People
By Sharon Linnea
On March 1, 1893, Princess Ka’iulani, the seventeen-year-old crown princess of Hawaii, stepped onto the pier at New York City. She was greeted by a crowd of reporters and onlookers who knew that, in many ways, she stood at a crossroads in history. Fully aware of the significance of her visit, she prayed that she could help persuade the American government to return her beautiful islands to the Hawaiian people.
This biography tells the fascinating–and little-known–story of Princess Ka’iulani’s life and courageous fight for Hawaiian independence. Using many newly translated journals and letters, Sharon Linnéa introduces young readers to the most beloved figure in Hawaiian history, and one of America’s most overlooked Christian heroines.
Photo credits:
O’Keeffe in 1918, photograph by Alfred Stieglitz
Maria Mitchell, painting by H. Dasell, 1852
Kaʻiulani, 1897, Wikipedia
