Engaging Biographies About Courageous Women

A quality classroom library includes a wide variety of genres for students to choose from. This Biography collection provides a convenient and cost effective way to provide your students with a selection of engaging titles focused on inspirational women.

Lately, someone named Jim Crow has been making trouble for folks in Vacherie. Aunt Bea and Uncle Ed have already moved away. When Thelma's best friend also has to leave, Thelma wonders, who is Jim Crow and why does he have to be so mean? Will he make trouble for Pop, too?

Discover the rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson, from a young girl growing up in Florida to the first Black woman to be confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.

Stand Up! tells the story of ten historic female figures who changed the world by standing up for what's right, including legendary Civil Rights activists like Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks and spanning to contemporary role models like Bree Newsome, who removed the confederate flag from the South Carolina state house grounds, and Mari Copeny, a youth activist who fought for clean water in Flint, Michigan.

Monica Clark-Robinson's lyrical text encourages young girls to learn about the powerful and trailblazing women who laid the path for their own lives and empowers them to become role models themselves. 

The city of Baghdad was full of thinkers, artists, and scientists, the littlest among them Zaha Hadid. Zaha knew from a young age that she wanted to be an architect. 

Using a unique mix of first-person narrative, hilarious comic panels, and essential facts, Dean Robbins introduces young readers to an American trailblazer. The first book in an exciting new nonfiction series, You Are a Star, Ruth Bader Ginsburg focuses on Ruth's lifelong mission to bring equality and justice to all. Sarah Green's spot-on comic illustrations bring this icon to life, and engaging back matter instructs readers on how to be more like Ruth!

Meet Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn her international pilot s license. And she did so against great odds. No one in America was willing to teach a Black woman to fly. Still, Bessie never gave up on her dream of becoming a world-famous aviator.

Born into slavery, Belle had to endure the cruelty of several masters before she escaped to freedom. But she knew she wouldn't really be free unless she was helping to end injustice.

From the time she was five years old, Serena played tennis. Her accomplishments aren't limited to the tennis court, though. She is also a successful entrepreneur and a dedicated philanthropist.

Learn about Jane Goodall and her work with chimpanzees.

Little Mae is a girl with big dreams, a supportive loving family, unbounded passion, and all the right stuff to dance among the stars. Against all odds, she will overcome any obstacle to become an astronaut one day.

A poetic reflection brimming with hope where Ruby Bridges tells her own story of that pivotal day in Civil Rights history.

 She spent her whole life standing up for fair treatment. Find out how this ordinary woman became a civil rights hero!

Unearth the true story of green-thumbed pioneer and activist Kate Sessions, who helped San Diego grow from a dry desert town into a lush, leafy city known for its gorgeous parks and gardens.

This beautiful picture book, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award-illustrator George Ford, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles, tells the true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges.

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra, is based on the life of one of the world's most influential painters, Frida Kahlo, and the animals that inspired her art and life.

Amelia Earhart, known as the world's greatest female flier, lived a life full of adventure.

Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt were birds of a feather. Not only were they two of the most admired and respected women of all time, they were also good friends. Illuminated here for the first time in picture book form is the true story of a thrilling night when they made history together.

No one expected this autistic girl to speak, but Temple did and demonstrated her talent for visual thinking that's made a lasting impact on farm management.

 Fun, informative, and on level, readers are introduced to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this beginning biography.

Packed with fin-tastic facts, the inspiring biography of a persistent scientist as unafraid of sharks as she was of defying norms. “[An] eloquent profile.” -Kirkus

 No one expected this autistic girl to speak, but Temple did and demonstrated her talent for visual thinking that's made a lasting impact on farm management.

 As a girl coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement, Patricia Bath made it her mission to become a doctor despite obstacles like racism, poverty, and sexism.

Get to know some of the many people who have changed history with books featuring the biographies of people "you should meet". Learning about historical figures has never been so much fun!

This graceful portrait of a vivacious American icon radiates the essence of Eleanor, a model for kindness and purpose, in her time and in ours.

Rising stars Traci N. Todd, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Nina: A Story of Nina Simone, and Shannon Wright, co-creator of the bestselling graphic novel Twins, have crafted a gorgeous and heartfelt tribute to the indelible legacy of Jackie Ormes, whose life and work still influences illustrators and cartoonists today.

Born Sarah Breedlove near Delta, Louisiana, in 1867, Madam C. J. Walker was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America. Among her many accomplishments, she invented a Black hair care method, known as the "Walker system," as a treatment for scalp disorders like alopecia, along with many other Black hair care products. It is time to remember how Madam C. J. Walker's inventions and her contributions changed our society... and our world!

This fascinating picture book biography tells the childhood story of Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hidatsa Indian born around 1839. Through her true story, readers will learn what it was like to be part of this Native American community that lived along the Missouri River in the Dakotas, a society that depended more on agriculture for food and survival than on hunting.

A brand-new biography series featuring some of the most important people from history and today. 

For six years Sophie Germain used her love of math and her undeniable determination to test equations that would predict patterns of vibrations. She eventually became the first woman to win a grand prize from France's prestigious Academy of Sciences for her formula, which laid the groundwork for much of modern architecture (and can be seen in the book's illustrations).

With a forward-thinking attitude, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and risked her life countless times to help free 70 others. Kids will be inspired by this icon's tireless work to create a better America.  

The story of a young girl in the 1700s who enlists in the Continental army, disguised as a man.

Before Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took her seat in our nation's highest court, she was just a little girl in the South Bronx.

I am only sixteen years old as I trek across the country with my infant son strapped to my back. I have a river, two lakes, and four mountain peaks named after me. I am featured on the U.S golden dollar. I am Sacagawea.

Who was Grace Hopper? A software tester, workplace jester, cherished mentor, ace inventor, avid reader, naval leader-AND rule breaker, chance taker, and troublemaker. Acclaimed picture book author Laurie Wallmark (Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine) once again tells the riveting story of a trailblazing woman. Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug” and taught computers to “speak English.”

Singer, dancer, actress, and independent dame, Josephine Baker felt life was a performance. She lived by her own rules and helped to shake up the status quo with wild costumes and a you-can't-tell-me-no attitude that made her famous. From bestselling children's biographer Winter and two-time Caldecott Honoree Priceman comes a story of a woman the stage could barely contain.

A mother, widow, sculptor, entrepreneur and spy! This inspiring biography of a woman of the American Revolution is a brilliant celebration of fortitude, passion and courage.

At a time when being a woman and an African American limited what a mathematician might achieve, meet women who helped NASA win the space race. “An important story” -Kirkus

Rachel was a girl who loved science and the sea, books and writing, and all the creatures of the world. Rachel was quiet, a listener by nature. But when she saw problems, she could not remain silent. Some people thought girls shouldn't be scientists. They thought girls shouldn't use their voices to question or challenge, even to protect all the creatures of the world. Luckily Rachel didn't listen to them.

In January of 1963, Sharon Robinson turned 13 the night before George Wallace declared on national television "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" in his inauguration for governor of Alabama. That was the start of a year that would become one of the most pivotal years in the history of America.

Learn about Malala's incredible recovery, and her journey to becoming a world-famous advocate of girls' rights and education, as well as the youngest-ever Nobel Prize winner.

An inspiring account of an event that shaped American history.

Long before boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, Ida B. Wells was hard at work to better the lives of African Americans.

In this abbreviated edition, you will find tales about the activism and bravery of twenty inspiring leaders illustrated by female artists from around the world.

Inspirational stories of women in the past and present devoted their lives to discovering, exploring, and caring for the Earth.

This is the story of a pivotal event in history as Ruby Bridges saw it unfold around her.

Based on the play by Lauren Tarshis.

In this accessible "keep-it-real" guide, Marley explores activism, social justice, volunteerism, equity and inclusion, and using social media for good. Drawing from her experience, Marley shows kids how they can galvanize their strengths to make positive changes in their communities.  

 A fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the original First Family, and an in-depth look at their enslaved maid, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation's Founding Fathers.

An A–Z of some of the most influential women in history, including artists, scientists, suffragettes, and activists.

The first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure, skillfully weaving Claudette Colvin's dramatic story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history.

Author Da Chen weaves a deeply moving account of his resolute older sister and their childhood growing up together during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.