Skip to main content

Women Picture Book Biographies

October always brings a magic to me. In preparation for Halloween, I start thinking about all the people I can choose to become for just one night. In this case, the magic fades until the next year when I do it all over again, but here are some books about Women who made their dreams come true and influenced history by proving that they could be anyone they wanted to be for more than just one night a year.


By: Brooke Hartman
Page Street Kids, 2020. Picture Biography

Lotte Reiniger influenced cinema history with her paper puppets. They were building blocks in the first cinematic films, using shadows and still motion photography to create visual fairy tales. The illustrations in the book are true to her work and bring magic to the page as you learn her story.



By: Camille Andros
Henry Holt and Company, 2019. Picture Biography

Eliza Hamilton is probably best known for her marriage to Alexander Hamilton, but she also accomplished incredible things in her life. Learn more about her inspiration and execution to create an orphanage and welfare system for those who needed it. 




By: Laura Gehl
Albert Whitman & Company, 2019. Picture Biography
Although Nancy moved all around the country growing up, the stars were a constant in her life and helped her to develop a love for astronomy. She pushed on past others disapproval that a woman should pursue an advanced degree and ended up going on to make a lot of new discoveries and headway in the field.



By: Michelle Meadows
Henry Holt & Company, 2020. Picture Biography
In rhyming verses, this book follows Simone Biles' life from foster care as a child to an award winning champion. In perfect terms for young children to follow, it balances words with pictures to create a stunning performance. 




By: Laurie Wallmark
Abrams Books For Young Readers, 2021. Picture Biography.
Written for older readers, this book follows how Elizebeth Friedman became a cryptographer in WWI and on. With her personal quotes on each page, it shows her skill in code breaking and how she influenced the future of cryptography. The back includes an explanation of ciphers and codes to practice cracking. 



By: Katie Munday Williams
Beaming Books, 2021. Picture Biography
Although in her day women were not allowed to be writers, Anne loved to read and learn. She immigrated from England to America  and during hardship turned to poetry for comfort. Rebelling against acceptable culture, Anne wrote her poetry down and eventually her works were published, inspiring many.




Comments

Unknown said…
Thanks for including my CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER: HOW ELIZEBETH FRIEDMAN CHANGED THE COURSE OF TWO WORLD WARS. Educators and parents can download activity and teacher guides from my website: www.lauriewallmark.com

Popular posts from this blog

Five Faves: WWII Spies and Codebreakers

I can't help but assume I'm not the only kid who grew up playing spies. As a child, my imaginative playtime was filled with covert espionage largely derived from the Spy Kids movies. As an adult, my interest in spycraft has never wavered. In fact, the older I get, the more I am intrigued by spies, ciphers, and codes. Combine that with a love of rich historical settings and untold stories of people from history, there are few things I find as satisfying as a historical spy story. If you're anything like me, you'll love this list of stories -- real and fictional -- starring spies, codebreakers, and cryptanalysts. Max in the House of Spies By Adam Gidwitz New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2024. Fiction. 320 pages. After Kristallnacht, Max Bretzfeld's German Jewish parents decide to send him to England via the Kindertransport. Now accompanied by two invisible-to-all-but-him spirts -- a dybbuk and a kobold -- Max is desperate to return home to Berlin. As Max adjusts

Review: The Color of Sound

The Color of Sound Written by Emily Barth Isler Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. 2024. 326 pages. Rosie is a 12-year-old musical prodigy who has a remarkable brain that allows her to remember every piece of music she has ever heard or played. She also has the unique ability to hear sounds and her brain turns all of these sounds into colors that she can see, feel, and taste. This full sensory ability is called synesthesia and sometimes Rosie loves what her brain can do and sometimes she is overwhelmed because she can never get away from all the sounds and colors that surround her constantly. Since she was little Rosie has loved the violin, but lately she feels like she has lost her identity and is only known as "the girl with the violin," so she goes on a music strike. She tells her teachers and her mother that she is not playing the violin anymore. Her mother is very upset with her decision, and so she decides to take Rosie with her to spend the summer at her grandparents h

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San