9 Feminist Children’s Books About Powerful Women

How can we empower little girls of today? With books that fill their heads full of stories about inspiring women. Women that were once little girls just like them, women that refused to give up, like Rosa Parks, women that pioneered aviation, like Amelia Earhart, women that co-founded the Women’s Rights Project, like Ruth Ginsburg, and so many other women that we need to remember, to inspire other little women to dream, and dream big.

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An empowering book about strong women is a great gift idea for girls of all ages, from toddlers learning to read to preteens flying through young adult chapter books. Also, I think it’s important to note here that books about powerful women in science, leadership, sports, and other industries doesn’t have to be gifted from someone who considers themselves to be a feminist, or only from women, for that matter. Books about powerful women are simply a good type of book to help tell the niece, granddaughter, daughter, or friends daughter in your life that women just like them can be whoever they want to be, and make positive change in today’s world.

So here is a list of feminist children’s books, many that are beautifully illustrated to go along with the powerful stories of brave women of the past and present. This feminist book list is in order of age, starting with a little feminist board book set that is designed for toddler girls, moving up in age to feminist books for tweens.

Side note: The books in this list are also wonderful for little boys, too! Although I wrote this article more so for little girls and young women, all of these books are also wonderful for little boys and young men as well. Everyone should learn about the amazing contributions of the women whose stories are told within the pages of these beautiful books. So if your a feminist, father, uncle, or grandpa looking for the perfect children’s book about a large number of truly  remarkable women for the little boy in your life – this list is still a great resource for you – read on!

1. Little Feminist Board Book Set

For children ages 0-5 years old.
Size: 4 x 4 x 4 inches
Page count: 32 pages
Author: Emily Kleinman
Illustrator: Lydia Ortiz

This “Little Feminist Board Book Set” is written for wee little girls, from babies to 5 year olds. This set of four board books features illustrations by Lydia Ortiz and words by Emily Kleinman. It introduces childrens to important women in history through fun, animated portraits and a basic summary that small children can easily understand how these women made changes in the world. For example, “Harriet Tubman rescued many people and said freedom now!” Is paired with an illustration of Harriet with a lantern. The four board books in the set feature Female Artists, Pioneers, Leaders, and Activists. This book set introduces young readers to 16 inspirational women of the past.
See inside Little Feminist Board Book Set + our gift pairing idea through this link.

2. This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer

For children ages 3-5 years old.
Book size: 6 x 0.6 x 6 inches
Page count: 26 pages
Author: Joan Holub
Illustrator: Daniel Roode

This board book is designed for children preschool to kindergarten aged. It is similar to the first book in this list in that it introduces children to inspirational women, but a level up in terms of containing more full, descriptive content. It dives a bit deeper into 10 inspirational women of the world, with a peek into more admirable ladies on the final pages. “This Little Trailblazer” is written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Daniel Roode. It contains a total of 26 pages.

Take a look inside This Little Trailblazer.

3. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

For children ages 4-8 years old.
Book size: 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches
Page count: 40 pages
Author: Debbie Levy
Illustrator: Elizabeth Baddeley

This hardcover book is designed for children in preschool up to third grade. It tells the story of Ruth Ginsburg, the second female justice on the Supreme Court, who still serves to this day. The Supreme Court is the highest level of the United States Court system. “I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark” tells the story of life from the perspective of a young girl growing up in the 1930s, while also outlining the judicial system of the United States. This book is a fantastic read, written by Debbie Levy and illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. It contains a total of 40 pages.

Click the link to see inside I Dissent.

4. She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World

For children ages 4-8 years old.
Book size:  9.4 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
Page count: 32 pages
Author: Chelsea Clinton
Illustrator: Alexandra Boiger

“She Persisted” is a hardcover book that tells the story of 13 inspirational American women who don’t take no for an answer, they persisted. This artfully illustrated children’s book tells 13 short stories through detailed, artful illustrations and story-like text that emphasizes to never give up on your dreams and persist. The book is 32 pages long.

Click to see some of the inner pages of She Persisted.

5. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World

For children ages 6-9 years old.
Book size: 7.7 x 0.4 x 7.8 inches
Page count: 32 pages
Author and Illustrator: Kate Pankhurst

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is a hardcover children’s book that introduces young readers to 13 inspirational women. What makes this collection of fantastic women different is the sketch-like style of the illustrations and factoids within. The book is 32 pages long.

Click here to take a peek at some of the inner pages of the book and see the activity book we recommend pairing with the book to create an easy gift set.

6. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

For children ages 7-10 years old.
Book Size: 7.8 x 0.6 x 9.3 inches
Page count: 128 pages
Author and Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World is a hardcover children’s book that introduces young readers to 50 astounding women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Each woman has her own two-page spread with 2-3 paragraphs about her life, hurdles she overcame, and the major accomplishments she achieved, as well as an illustration of her encircled by interesting factoids and graphics about her.

View some of the inner pages of the book and see the puzzle we recommend pairing it with to make a lovely gift on the Women in Science product page.

7. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (Gift Set)

For children ages 7-10 years old.
Book Size: 10.3 x 2 x 7.6 inches
Page count: 224 pages
Authors: Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo.
Illustrated by 70 female artists from all over the world.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Gift Set is a set of two books that each contain 100 stories of inspirational women around the world that have done or are doing amazing things. The unique characteristic of this book is that it features illustrations from over 70 female artists from around the world. Each women featured gets a two-page spread: one page shows a full page illustration of the woman along with her name and the dates in which she was born and died (if not still alive), along with a one-page story on the other side, that shares some insight into her life, including where she was born, her passions, her friendships, her turning points, what she is most well-known for, and her achievements.

View some of the inner pages of the book and learn more about some of the women featured on its pages on our Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Book page.

8. Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World

For children ages 8-12 years old.
Book Size: 10 x 0.7 x 11.5 inches
Page count: 112 pages
Author: Katherina Halligan, Illustrator: Sarah Walsh

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World is a collage-style, oversized, hardcover children’s book that shares women like Elizabeth I and Joan of Arc’s stories with help from photographs, quotes, and illustrations. Each woman is featured on a two-page biographical spread that tells a considerably robust story of the woman’s life and major accomplishments.
Take a peek at some of the inner pages of Herstory on our Herstory page.

9. Rad American Women A-Z

For children’s ages 8-14 years old.
Book Size: 7 x 0.2 x 9 inches
Page count: 126 pages
Author: Kate Schatz
Illustrator: Miriam Klein Stahl

Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! Is a hardcover children’s book that shares 26 American women in alphabetical order, that have made or are making history. Each woman is featured on two pages: one page features a block-print style image of the woman next to their letter and name, i.e. “B is for Billie Jean”, next to another page that is text only, with 5-6 paragraphs that tells her story – where and when she was born, what life was like when she was growing up, her passions, what she did or is doing to make change, and more information that tells each woman’s story and what makes her exceptional.

See inside of Rad American Women A-Z now.

After putting this list of feminist books for kids together, I’ve realized how many truly remarkable books about powerful women are out there as of 2019! WOW. It makes me happy to know that there are so many high-quality books available for the children of today sharing so many different stories about inspiring women.

The books shared in this collection are feminist children’s books about powerful women. After curating this collection, I realized that I would love to read all of these stories about powerful women! What I’m trying to say is that although these books are designed for kids, I think that they would make a great read for parents, too, as many of the women featured in these books (especially books 6 through 9 in the list above), were new to me so I assume they will likely be new to other adults as well. Now I want to gift these feminist books so I can take a closer look at them before I gift them, hahaha (seriously though). I love that these books will be interesting for children, and also interesting to their parents and guardians.

On a serious note, though, it is so important that children understand that they can do whatever they want, no matter their gender, ethnicity, disability, or economic status. These books do that for girls, helping them see that their options in today’s world as a girl and women, are limitless, making any one of these books invaluable gift for the little girl or young lady in your life.

Bonus Book: Franny’s Father is a Feminist

For children ages 3-7 years old.
Page count: 32 pages
Book dimensions: 7.9 x 0.5 x 10.3 inches
Author: Rhonda Leet
Illustrator: Megan Walker

I’ve included one last book to this list that’s a bit different than the other books listed here. It’s about a girl named Franny’s father, who is a feminist. We’ve included this book because it helps people understand what it means to be a feminist, and how male feminism plays an important role in the empowerment of young women.

Learn more about Franny’s Father is a Feminist.

Have an empowering book you’d like to share?

Send an email to hello@happylittletadpole.com so we can add your book suggests to the shop and share more empowering titles for children!