Do you spend time learning about Women’s History Month in your classroom? There are so many incredible women to learn about and topics to explore! Come along to see my favorite way to introduce young students to Women’s History Month… picture books!
Exploring Women’s History Month in the Classroom
Women’s History Month is in March each year and it’s such a fun topic to add to your lesson plans! One of my favorite things about exploring Women’s History Month in the classroom is the diversity of the stories. Women throughout history have done amazing things in a variety of fields including science, math, human rights, sports, engineering, and more!
Introduce your students to a world of great women and their accomplishments through books. Keep reading for my favorite books to use during Women’s History Month or any time of the year.
Picture Books for Women’s History Month
It’s no secret that I absolutely adore children’s picture books. I have a huge collection to go along with many different thematic teaching themes and I’m always on the hunt for new favorites. Over the years, I have found a lot of fun books that others are less familiar with. Women’s History Month is one of those topics that not everyone has explored in their classroom before. If you haven’t, you might be missing out on some incredible books to learn about this topic! If you’re brand new to this topic, or just looking for some new ways to teach it – I know you’ll love this list of favorites!
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
The story of Ruby Bridges is a shocking and inspirational tale that your students will love. This book gives the full history of her story and explains that when her family moved from Mississippi to New Orleans, she was required to go to an all-white school. Ruby faced extreme adversity, angry parents, and mean children. This amazing story will help your students understand the struggles of the past in a gentle, hopeful way.
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome
One of the best things about Women’s History Month is the vast array of topics to explore. Women in history have done incredible things in many fields! This book is for all the sports fans out there! Venus and Serena Williams are sisters who became two of the greatest tennis players of all time. This book explores their story and what led them to be the women they are today.
The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
Teach your students about Jane Goodall with this beautiful picture book. Students will learn about her childhood in London, her years in the African forests of Tanzania, her time observing chimps, and more. She led such an interesting life and this one will be an especially big hit for the animal lovers in your classroom!
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca
This next recommendation for Women’s History Month is one of my favorites! It’s wonderful to help students who might feel alone, or different, and also teach compassion for others. Dr. Temple Grandin is a scientific hero who was diagnosed with autism at a young age. No one expected her to ever speak, let alone become the scientist that she did! This book is great for taking a close look at her life and includes a full biography, fun facts, a timeline, and even a personal note from Temple. Students will love this read!
Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty
Do you know the real story of the Brooklyn Bridge? If not, you’ll get a kick out of this book! Inside you and your students will learn about Emily Roebling and how she came to help oversee the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Her husband was the lead engineer on the project, which used a dangerous new technique for construction. She wanted to learn everything, even though it wasn’t typical for women to learn math, science, or engineering at the time. When her husband became sick, she took over the supervision of the project because he wasn’t able to leave his bed. This is such an interesting story and an absolute must to add to your list for Women’s History Month!
When Sue Found Sue: Sue Hendrickson Discovers Her T. Rex by Toni Buzzeo
If you’ve got dinosaur lovers in the crowd, I know they will absolutely love this book! This book follows the lifelong story of Sue Hendrickson. She was a very curious child and was always finding hidden “treasures” all over the place. This curious spirit eventually led her to a career in paleontology. In 1990 at a dig site in South Dakota, Sue made her biggest discovery to date, the largest and most complete T. Rex skeleton ever discovered! Students will love the colorful pictures and fun story of how Sue found her best discovery!
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Do you have any students in your class that are interested in space exploration? If so, I know this book will be a hit as you introduce Women’s History Month! This book is all about the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. Students will follow along as they learn about her life as a child, her dreams of exploring space, and how they came to life. I especially love this book because it teaches perseverance toward your dreams, no matter how impossible they might seem! All along the way, Mae’s mother encouraged her to keep going and to work hard. This is such a positive message to bring to your classroom!
A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade
Last on my list of excellent picture books for Women’s History Month is a story about the brilliant mathematician, Katherine Johnson. She was made famous for counting and computing her way to working at NASA and eventually helped to put a man on the moon! Katherine’s story is incredible. She started college at age 15 and excelled in everything she did! She was often referred to as a “computer” due to her ability to make incredible mathematical calculations. This book is a fun way to help students understand all that goes into space travel. Every voyage must be carefully calculated for success!
More Books to Learn About Women’s History Month
Which of these is your favorite? I know, it’s so hard to choose! Luckily, you don’t have to! There are so many amazing women to learn about throughout history, so why not explore them over the course of the month of March? I know you and your class will have so much fun! And, if you need some more inspiration, I’ve got even more favorites over on Amazon. Have fun learning with your students!
Looking for More Picture Books?
I’ve got tons of blog posts that share my favorite picture books! Here’s a few to check out next.
Save These Women’s History Month Books
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