It is never too late in the year or too early in your child’s life to introduce them to important women throughout world history! Here are some of the board books I have enjoyed with my toddler in celebration of Women’s History Month. We will continue to return to these books throughout this year and many years to come, and I hope you will, too!
Image by Abbie Descoteaux
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: Baby’s First Book of Extraordinary Women
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls offers intriguing introductions to a diverse selection of influential women across the globe who have made their mark in social justice, education, music, art, science, sports, and more. Each woman is illustrated in a unique style which highlights her personality and keeps readers curious about what will come next. I love the versatility of this book; each page is short enough to keep the attention of a younger toddler, yet packed with enough excitement to entice children through kindergarten and beyond. The wide variety of women featured packs a punch, teaching readers that extraordinary women are not a rarity, but rather a substantial force in the forward motion of human development. This book is a call to action to little girls — to dive deeper into women’s history, to dare to dream big, and to rebel against anyone who tries to hold them back.
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World
Another collection of brief profiles, this board book focuses on American women who have persevered through hardships to help others and do what is right. Each page tells the story of a prominent woman in history in a few powerful sentences alongside whimsical illustrations and an important quote from her life. One of the best things about reading this book with my toddler is that, as she gets older, we can expand on what she has learned through the growing array of She Persisted chapter books available for elementary-aged children. Each one dives deeper into the life of an inspiring woman such as Dolores Huerta, Naomi Osaka, Deb Haaland, and many others.
Image by Abbie Descoteaux
Who Was…? Board Books
This year, we have pursued deeper studies of five extraordinary women through Lisbeth Kaiser’s Who Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg?, Who Was Celia Cruz?, Who is Greta Thunberg?, Who is Malala Yousafzai?, and Who is Jane Goodall?. I love that these board books bring the reader back to who each woman was as a young child, and how their experiences and choices in life led up to them becoming who they are and accomplishing great things. Some of the featured women like Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg even made their mark on the world as teenagers! Seeing this invites children to dream big for their own lives, and to imagine themselves accomplishing their goals both in their future and in their present. Each woman’s story recounts their struggles and their persistence despite others’ opinions about what they could not or should not do. At the back of the books are real photos of their title characters along with additional information and resources to extend learning about the woman’s life and the cause for which they worked. I am excited to see what other historical figures may be added to this series in coming years!
While reading these books with my daughter, I encountered many familiar figures in women’s history, but I also learned new things about each one and encountered names I had never heard before. I came away from our reading sessions together inspired to find out more, and to act on my own dreams and passions. Even though Women’s History Month is over, I have been reminded that the value of this subject permeates each day of my daughter’s life and my own. I hope that you will find your own knowledge and empowerment in these titles, and others. From one Geek Mom to another, Happy (belated) Women’s History Month!
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GeekMom received samples of some of these products for review purposes.
