Winter Reading 2024: Great Reads for Women's History Month

The awesome crew at Calkins Creek have released a half dozen picture book biographies perfect for read-alouds or lessons on Women's History Month. Look these over and choose one (or more) that are the perfect fit for a reader you know or a class unit that needs a little something special.

Ask anyone who was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic and there would probably be numerous hands raised to give the answer. But what about the first woman to cycle around the world? Crickets... So take young readers on a trip back to 1894 and the wager of two rich businessmen "to pay ten thousand dollars to the first woman who pedaled around the world." Annie took up the challenge after only taking two riding lessons! 

Alison Jay's alkyd oil paintings with their crackled varnish finish give the illustrations an antique feel that matches the time period of the story. Clothing, architecture, and quotes from Annie in speech bubbles help to build the setting and the sense of Annie's personality. Kirkfield's text captures important details about the many obstacles Annie overcame along the course of her journey and also those who helped and cheered her on. Back matter includes an author's note, photos of Annie and her faithful bicycle, a timeline of "Landmark Laws for Women's Suffrage, Bicycle Milestones, and Annie's Journey," an image of a promotional poster about Annie's trip, and an extensive bibliography.

Maybe you have readers who prefer nature to cycling adventures. No problem - share this book about Minerva Hoyt and her work to establish the Joshua Tree National Park. The story begins with a spread showing Minerva waiting at a train station with her luggage and "prickly plants and twisted trees, stuffed jackrabbits, woodpeckers, and coyotes." Rather than explaining what all those odd items were for, it then flashes back to her childhood enjoying the outdoors in Mississippi, throwing garden parties in Pasadena as a young wife, and escaping the city to enjoy the wonder of the Mojave Desert. And then it reaches the 1928 International Flower Show in New York and Minerva creating an amazing display with all her curious objects to show others what she found so wonderful about the desert wildlife.

Lori Alexander's text traces Minerva's relentless efforts to awaken public knowledge of the value of the desert and the danger it was in of being destroyed and lost completely. Jenn Ely's illustrations of gouache and colored pencil use a touch of collage to give them a feeling similar to the exhibits that Minerva so painstakingly created. Quotations from Minerva and sprinkled throughout the text to bring her personality onto the page. Back matter includes more about Minerva; photos of Minerva, Joshua trees, and a desert tortoise; a description of wildlife in the park; information on national parks; and an author's note; tips for environmental activists; and a selected bibliography. If you can't fit this in during Women's History Month, maybe you can use it for Earth Day instead.

Another great story of a woman who loved nature is this biography of Gene Stratton-Porter "Just a curious farm girl who fell in love with birds and watched and wondered." The narrative traces Geneva "Gene" Stratton from her time as a child on the family farm watching and tending to birds, the family's move to the city, and into her adulthood when she began writing magazine stories and learning to take her own photographs. Readers will see that Gene's curiosity and drive never change and even as an adult "Who cares if her skirt tears or her face and hands get scratched up?"

Rebecca Gibbon's illustrations of acrylic ink and colored pencil capture the charm of the family farm, the conservatory in her married home with its special hatches so her "feathered friends can fly in and out as they please," and even Gene hanging "upside down over a muddy bank to peek into a kingfisher's" nest. Back matter includes photos of Gene as a girl and as a woman, and author's note, more about Gene Stratton-Porter, one of her photos of a barn owl, a bibliography, and a selected list of some of Gene's own written works.

Sydney Taylor, author of All-of-a-Kind Family, is the subject of this biography. Born Sarah Brenner, the book takes readers through her childhood in New York's Lower East Side, school days, early career, and marriage. Along the way she noticed many instances of unfairness, so when her daughter pointed out that it was unfair there were no families like theirs in children's books, Sydney understood. That conversation prompted her to write stories that reflected her own experiences in a immigrant Jewish family and, after years when the publishers were not interested, her book won a contest and was finally published.

Illustrations help readers see the changing times as pushcart peddlers give way to yellow taxi cabs, women win the right to vote, and children check out Sydney's books at the library. Back matter includes an afterword about Sydney and her books, her husband, her daughter Jo, archival photos of Sydney and her family, an author's note, and bibliography. There is even a photo of author Richard Michelson and Sydney's daughter Jo Taylor Marshall.

How many of you have ever heard of the Fannie Farmer Cook Book, or seen a copy on a family bookshelf? This picture book imagines Fannie's childhood and her perplexity in dealing with recipe measurements such as "a suspicion of nutmeg" or "as many yolks of eggs as may be necessary." After contracting polio and having to change her plans to become a teacher, Fannie put her curious mind to work and became an excellent cook who noticed that precise measurements made a difference. Eventually she attended the Boston Cooking School, becoming the principal and rewriting the school cookbook - to immense pleasure by everyone who used it. 

Illustrations capture Fannie demonstrating to her students at the cooking school, lecturing at Harvard, and cooks from different decades using Fannie's recipes. Back matter includes archival photos, a note on imagined scenes from Fannie's early life, a description of Fannie's legacy, a list of Fannie's books, and suggested resources for "Kid Who Like to Cook," a timeline, and a bibliography. Fannie's recipes for Popovers and Angle Food Cake are also in the book for readers to try out.

And last, but not least, a story about a daring balloonist and female aeronaut. I love the way some terms are shown in color to contrast with the rest of the text in black. Words and phrases like soared, tethered, high-in-the-sky, and razzle-dazzle capture Mary's sense of  adventure and preoccupation with flight. Luckily for Mary she found someone with similar interests and was able to marry him and pursue their dreams together. 

The colored ink illustrations catch Mary in motion as she explores her husband's library, assists in making balloon fabric, chooses a stage name, and bursts through the clouds in her first solo ascent. There are also images of the instruments Mary used to make her scientific observations - barometer/altimeter, compass, thermometer, chronometer, and spy glass. Back matter includes a photo of Mary/Carlotta in her balloon basket, several more pages of information about Carlotta's career after that first flight, a timeline, and a select bibliography and suggested reading list. 

So - whether you need a book about aeronauts, master cooks, writers, photographers, environmentalists, or world travelers - you have some great choices ahead of you. Enjoy!