This post is a round-up of some of my favorite biography picture books for women’s history month. I chose these books because they are all age-appropriate for third graders.
Biography is one of my favorite genres to teach. Every year I find my students inspired by the accomplishments of others. Students are always in awe of the tricky things people have had to overcome in their lifetimes. I think sharing biography picture books is a great way to show students they can do anything they set their minds to.
Dinosaur Lady
Dinosaur Lady by Linda Skeers tells the story of Mary Anning, the first Paleontologist. While playing outside one day, Mary discovers the remains of a dinosaur. This sparks Mary’s interest in a new type of science, paleontology. Although Mary was the one to discover the dinosaur, people did not give her the credit she deserved because she was a female. Mary lived during a time when people believed only men were capable of studying science.
Many of my male students were drawn to this book because of the neat fossil facts woven throughout the story. Several students wanted to jump on Google and research the dinosaur Mary found!
I Dissent
I can’t recommend picture books about female empowerment in the year 2021, and not mention Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This story was a little bit higher level for some of my third graders, so I recommend this one as a read aloud.
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark written by Debbie Levy tells the story of Ruth’s life. This book teaches us that it’s ok to question why things are the way they are. It also teaches us that it’s important to fight for everyone to have equal rights.
Girl Running
Another fantastic story about a woman who dared to challenge society’s ways is Girl Running by Annette Bay Pimentel. This book tells the story of Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.
As a young girl, Bobbi is forced to wear a skirt to school because she is a girl. She is also not allowed to run on the school track team, because she is a girl. But after school, Bobbi can put on her pants and run free. She trains as hard as she can for the Boston Marathon. Her application is rejected because the organizers of the race don’t believe women have the endurance to run such a long race.
Bobbi doesn’t let that stop her. She puts on a hoodie and hides in a nearby bush until the race begins. Once it starts, she jumps out of the bush and runs the entire race without stopping. She became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. Her achievement paves the way for women to participate in athletic events, just like men.
Grab a FREE Graphic Organizer at the bottom of this post! It can be used with any of these biography picture books for women’s history month.
Gertrude Ederle
One of my all time favorite biographies is Gertrude Ederle: America’s Champion Swimmer by David A. Adler. Click here to read about the biography poem activity I do with my students when we read this book.
Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English Channel. When she completed her swim, she beat the men’s record! This is a great companion text to Girl Running.
Mae Among the Stars
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed tells the amazing story of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Throughout her life her mom told her, “If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
This book is perfect for inspiring young girls, and for teaching the central message.
Margaret and the Moon
Margaret and the Moon by Dean Robbins tells the story of Margaret Hamilton. She studied math, and used her knowledge to create a code for the spacecraft computer’s. This code was used during the mission that landed Neil Armstrong on the moon!
Women are often overlooked when discussing space history. This book pairs perfectly with Mae Among the Stars. Both books teach young readers to never stop “reaching for the stars.”
Shark Lady
Shark Lady by Jess Keating was a popular book this year with my students. They were drawn to the book by the beautiful illustration on the cover. This book tells the story of Eugenie Clark, a female scientist who studied sharks.
Just like Mary Anning in Dinosaur Lady, Eugenie lives during a time when people didn’t believe women should be scientists. Eugenie’s work helped teach the world that sharks should be loved and protected, instead of feared.
This book is also full of neat shark facts!
She Persisted
She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton is a collection of short stories about women who have changed the world. My students enjoy this book because they can read about several women in one book. There are several books in this series.
The Watcher
The Watcher by Jeanette Winter tells the story of Jane Goodall and her life with the chimps. Jane spent several years in Africa living with chimpanzees and studying their habits. Once she leaves, she discovers that her chimps are being hunted and are in danger of extinction. Jane travels around the world teaching people about chimps and working to save the species. The illustrations in the book are very eye-catching. They will draw your students in!
FREE Graphic Organizer for Biography Picture Books
Which nonfiction biography picture book is your favorite for Women’s history month?
Be sure to download this free graphic organizer to use with any biography picture book. This graphic organizer asks students to find information about the person’s early life, struggles, achievements, etc. My students and I used this with several of the picture books on this list.
Looking for more Biography Reading Response Activities?
These reading response slips are ready-to-print and use in your classroom. Each slip focuses on a different reading response activity for the biography standards. They work well for the biography picture books for women’s history that were mentioned in this post.
