Celebrate Women’s History Month with these books about women who have done amazing things! Show your children that women have always been shaping our world. Let your daughters and sons know that nothing can stand in their way if they’re determined!
I received these books free to review; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Books celebrating women’s history
The first two books I’m sharing are Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure and A Is for Awesome. These are both written by Eva Chen and illustrated by Derek Desierto.
Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure
Written by Eva Chen
Illustrated by Derek Desierto
32 pages
ages 4-6
Instagram superstar Eva Chen is back with Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure, featuring illustrations by Derek Desierto in a story that’s equal parts fashion fairy tale and guide to girl power.
It’s school picture day and Juno Valentine is having a fashion emergency! Her mom wants her to wear fabulous florals, her dad wants her to wear rainbow ruffles, but Juno’s not sure what to choose. And just when Juno thinks her conundrum couldn’t get any more complicated, her little brother, Finn, disappears into the magical hall of shoes!
In an epic chase through time, Juno gets some help from female icons like Simone Biles, Audrey Hepburn, Annie Oakley, and Michelle Obama. Along the way, she discovers the self-confidence she needs to express herself in her own magical way.
Download the Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure projects for children to do at home and in the classroom: Juno Valentine Activity Pages
My review of Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure
Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure is such a cute book! It shows kids that it is okay to be different from your friends. You should embrace your uniqueness! I like how Juno gets the opportunity to meet several women who show her that you’ve got to be yourself. You may not look or dress like your friends and that’s okay! Kids will see that they’re special because of their differences.
A Is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
Written by Eva Chen
Illustrated by Derek Desierto
ages 1 – 3
Board book: 32 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (February 5, 2019)
Why stick with plain old A, B, C when you can have Amelia (Earhart), Malala, Tina (Turner), Ruth (Bader Ginsburg), all the way to eXtraordinary You—and the Zillion of adventures you will go on?
Instagram superstar Eva Chen, author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, is back with an alphabet board book depicting feminist icons in A Is for Awesome: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World, featuring spirited illustrations by Derek Desierto.
My review of A is for Awesome
A Is for Awesome is a book you can share with even the littlest children. It’s a sturdy board book with colorful illustrations. No, they may not remember the accomplishments of these women, but they will still love having you read it to them. And if you’ve got a child in elementary school as well as a younger child, the older one may want to share it with their sibling. It’ll give them a fun way to teach their brother or sister the alphabet while they enjoy time together seeing what the women in the book accomplished.
About Eva Chen
Eva Chen is a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in New York City. She blames her deviation from pre-med at Johns Hopkins University on a love of fashion and beauty instilled in her by her mother. Her mother’s perfect bob and lipstick made a permanent imprint on her impressionable young mind.
Eva was previously the editor in chief of Lucky. She’s also written for ELLE, Vogue, Teen Vogue,Vogue China, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. She is currently the head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, where she is guilty of the occasional duck-face selfie. Eva lives in New York City with her husband and two children. She is the author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, A Is for Awesome, and Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure.
About Derek Desierto
Derek Desierto is a Vancouver-based illustrator, designer, and overall nice guy from a nice family. His animation work has been recognized by the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the National Cartoonist Society, and 9 Story Media Group. Currently, he is living the dream as a freelance artist for animated TV shows and picture books. His ultimate goal in life is to meet Oprah and become one of her Favorite Things.
Alice Across America: The Story of the First Women’s Road Trip
Written by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Illustrated by Gilbert Ford
ages 5 – 9 years
Grade Level: Preschool – 3
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (February 4, 2020)
Writer Sarah Glenn Marsh and illustrator Gilbert Ford’s Alice Across America is a nonfiction picture book account of maverick Alice Ramsey, the first woman to drive a car across America in 1909.
When Alice Ramsey was little, she loved to ride horses. As she grew up, more people were driving cars. From the moment Alice slid behind the wheel, she was crazy about cars. So when the Maxwell-Briscoe Company challenged her to drive one of their new cars across the country as a promotional ploy to prove that even a lady could do it, Alice daringly accepted. With several women by her side, these brazen drivers sustained many hardships over the course of a remarkable two-month journey and far surpassed all expectations.
With a clever blend of women’s history, technological history, and American roading geography, this is a celebration of unstoppable women making strides in twentieth-century America.
My review of Alice Across America
I really enjoyed reading about Alice Ramsey and her friends as they traveled across America. It’s an easy biography that your young elementary aged kids will enjoy reading or hearing read aloud. Alice Across America taught me about Alice too! I’d never heard of her nor her automobile adventure. Alice and her friends will show your children that resilience pays off. It’ll show them that learning new skills is always helpful! How many of us could take care of our car’s maintenance issues while motoring across the country? I sure couldn’t. But Alice and her friends did it way back in 1909! I loved the illustrations as well as the author’s information that she provides for us grown-ups in the back of the book. This is definitely a fun book for both your child and you.
About Sarah Glenn Marsh
Sarah Glenn Marsh is the author of many books for young readers, including A Campfire Tail, Selfie Sebastian, and The Big Girl: Maria Merian’s Scientific Vision. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and their menagerie: four rescued sighthounds, a bird, and many fish.
About Gilbert Ford
Gilbert Ford holds a BFA in illustration from Pratt Institute and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author-illustrator of How the Cookie Crumbled and The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring, which is a Best STEM Book of the year, and has illustrated many New York Times-bestselling middle grade jackets, as well as the award-winning picture book Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
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