These Children’s Biographies About Great Women Will Inspire & Educate

Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom tells the story of Wy Chien Shiung, who was born in China at the time when girls did not attend school. Because her parents had big plans for her anyway, her name actually means “Courageous Hero.” She was the first woman hired as an instructor at Princeton, the first woman elected president of the American Physical Society, and the first scientist to have an asteroid named after her while she was still alive.

Mae Jemison was the first African American Woman to travel in space, and Mae Among the Stars begins with her childhood, where she dreamed of “dancing in the stars,” and ends with how she became a hero and trailblazer for Black women everywhere.

As the country’s first South Asian American, Black, and female vice president, this beautiful autobiography is a must-read. You’ll be inspired, awe-struck, and simply proud to know Kamala’s story of how she ended up the Second in Command in one of the most powerful countries in the world.

Maya Lin is the artist and architect who designed the striking Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and this picture book tells her story of her journey to making the incredible piece of art, and why it was so important for her to do so.

Elizabeth Cotton picked up her brother’s guitar for the first time when she was a little girl. And because it wasn’t strung right for her — she was left-handed — she taught herself how to play it upside down and backward. She wrote the most famous folk songs of the 20th century when she was just 11 years old. Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotton tells her fascinating story.

Award-winning Japanese-American sculptor, activist, and influential woman Ruth Asawa was a beloved artist in the Bay area. Her beautiful journey is showcased in A Life Made by Hand and it tells the story of how her creative journey started on her family’s farm, and how she ended up at Black Mountain College, where she was surrounded by avant-garde artists.

Melba Doretta Liston was a pioneering jazz virtuoso, who played trombone, was a composer, and she arranged music at a time where there were very few women who played brass instruments and were part of the jazz scene. Her gift for music, passion, and intelligence led her to the world of jazz, and she overcame obstacles related to gender and race. An inspiration for sure, and her story is beautifully told and illustrated in this book.

Anna May Wong was the very first Chinese-American movie star. Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story tells her story from her humble beginnings working in her parents’ laundry in Chinatown Los Angeles to becoming a legend.

Being born into slavery in 1848, Mary Walker learned to read when she was 116 years old. She was the nation’s oldest student, and living proof that it’s never too late to go after your dreams. Her life also spanned from the Civil War to the Civil Rights era, and her story is a lovely one to share with your children.

The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee is a picture book biography about Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military in WWII. Lee’s story is an incredible one about barrier-shattering bravery and skill.

Beverly Cleary is a beloved children’s book author, and is well-known for many of her series, including the Ramona books. In this picture book biography, readers will learn that she struggled to learn to read as a child because she found children’s books boring, and longed for books about other children just like her. I’d say she succeeded in making her dreams a reality.

RBG always disagreed with the status quo throughout her lifetime, like going against inequality and unfair treatment of people. Rest in peace to this incredible, smart, powerful pioneer. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark tells RBG's from the beginning, and the beautiful illustrations really capture her life.

Eugenie Clark is an ichthyologist who loved sharks from a very young age after seeing them for the first time at an aquarium. She wanted to prove that sharks could be beautiful, and that women can be successful scientists, too. Eugenie proved that women can do anything they set their minds to, and really pioneered the act of scuba diving for research, and that sharks may not be so scary and ugly after all.

This Misty Copeland biography is a Ready-to-Read level book, and it’s perfect for level three readers. Part of a series titled “You Should Meet,” this book tells the story of the first African-American woman to become a principal ballerina with the American Ballet Theater in 2015.

Who says girls can’t enjoy playing in the dirt and looking at bugs? Evelyn Cheesman was interested in both of these things way back in 1881, during a time when girls were expected to be prim, proper, and definitely clean. Instead of growing up and starting a family like other girls, she took over the London Zoo insect house. She also went on eight solo expeditions to distant islands to collect 70,000 insect specimens. Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist not only tells Cheesman’s incredible story, but it also inspires children to forge their own path and blaze their own trails.

This Amelia Earhart biography is perfect for third through seventh graders who are interested in learning about the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. It’s presented like a graphic novel and has full-color illustrations highlighting Earhart’s adventures, her courage, and her story.

Wilma Rudolph overcame childhood polio to become an Olympian. Though her left leg was paralyzed as a child, she worked and worked and became the first woman to ever earn three gold medals in a single Olympiad. Once told she’d never walk again, she proved everyone wrong and she ran. Fast. Her story is an incredible one about perseverance, courage, and strength.

Ada Lovelace is recognized as the very first computer programmer in history, as she imagined them 100 years before they even existed. A girl with a wild imagination who both a mathematician and a philosopher, her story is an inspiration.

Before She Was Harriet not only tells the incredible story of Harriet Tubman’s bravery, heroism, and courage when she was an undercover spy during the Civil War, but it gives readers a look at her childhood and her time as a slave, too. It’s an incredibly important piece of American history, and her story is definitely one to share with children.

The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid was a Washington Post Best Children’s Book of 2017, and it tells the story of a woman who grew up in Baghdad, Iraq and followed her dreams to become an architect after studying in London. She opened her own studio and designed many buildings all over the world, all while dealing with the obstacles she faced because of being a Muslim woman.

Rosa Parks was a freedom fighter long before she sat in the front of the bus that day. This special adaptation of her story is written for readers ages 12 and up, and it won an NAACP Image award. It’s a must-read for every tween. Not only does it share her courageous past and historical moment on the bus, but it follows her to Detroit where she continued to fight for equality.

“Human Computer” Katherine Johnson broke gender and racial barriers when she attended college at 15 years old. She became a mathematician, joined NASA, and helped launch the first manned flight into space. This biography is another Ready-to-Read story, and it’s a great way to introduce your kids to Katherine Johnson, NASA, and how women broke glass ceilings.

Written for children ages 6 to 9, this biography of Simone Biles is a fascinating look into the life of the greatest gymnast of all time, winning five Olympic and 25 World Champion medals by the time she was 22 years old.

In the 1830s, women were supposed to be wives and mothers, but Elizabeth Blackwell had other plans. She wanted to be a doctor, and after a lot of opposition and barriers, she graduated from medical school and had a long career as the first female doctor.

Every baby needs to learn about Oprah, and this particular board book highlights all of her most motivational moments. The book even ends with a mirror — which is perfect for a baby or toddler — highlighting that everyone should be themselves and be proud.

Mary Wears What She Wants is a picture book inspired by the true story about a young girl named Mary who would later grow up to become Mary Edwards Walker, a doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants back in the 19th century.

The famous Brooklyn Bridge was actually designed by a woman engineer. And Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge tells Emily Roebling’s story of how she saved the day during the construction of this spectacular landmark.

Gloria Steinem was the leader of the women’s liberation movement, and Gloria's Voice: The Story of Gloria Steinem — Feminist, Activist, Leader beautifully tells her story. The illustrations are really something else.

Malala's Magic Pencil, tells young readers in a kid-friendly way about Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai’s story — the story of how she spoke publicly about a girl’s right to learn, and how she was shot for those beliefs, but came through to become an activist and establish her own charity.

Written in both Spanish and English, Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx/La juez que creció en el Bronx tells the first Latina Supreme Court judge’s story of courage and overcoming hardships to achieve her success.