From Fossil Hunting to Freedom Fighting: Inspiring Stories for Women’s History Month

Last week, Katelyn Boyer, Adult Services Librarian, shared some fiction and nonfiction titles in honor of Women’s History Month. I am sharing five children’s nonfiction titles that spotlight some incredible women. While written for elementary school students, these picture book biographies are so interesting and captivating, I’m recommending them for all ages.

“The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid” Written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter
Zaha Hadid once said, “The world is not a rectangle. You don’t go into a park and say: ‘My God, we don’t have any corners.’” The Iraqi-born, London-based architect, who died in 2016, was known as the “Queen of the Curve” for her revolutionary designs. Her buildings and structures take inspiration from both the natural world and ancient civilizations and use geometric shapes in ways that other architects thought impossible. From the Bergisel Ski Jump in Austria to the Guangzhou Opera House in China, the impact she left on the architectural landscape was significant. This book is a beautiful and inspirational look at Hadid’s life and work.

“Sew Sister: The Untold Story of Jean Wright and NASA’s Seamstresses” Written and Illustrated by Elise Matich
When you think of materials used to build space shuttles, fabric and blankets most likely don’t come to mind. Did you know that the material covering space shuttles is, indeed, fabric? Jean Wright was thirteen years old when American astronauts stepped foot on the moon. From that point on, she became fascinated with space exploration. She even settled near Cape Canaveral to be close to launching rockets. When Wright discovered that NASA used seamstresses to help with the shuttle program, she sent in her resume. She eventually was hired as an “Aerospace Composite Technician (Soft-Goods),” but the team she worked with called themselves the “Sew Sisters.” I love how this story encourages children, especially girls, to not only chase a dream, but to do the work needed to help make that dream happen.

“Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter” Written by Aida Salazar and illustrated by Molly Mendoza
The life of Jovita Valdovinos seems like an action-packed adventure written for the big screen. It is filled with triumphs and tragedy and is a remarkable story of grit and perseverance. Jovita was born in Mexico in 1911. Raised mostly by her grandmother, she spent her childhood helping take care of the family farm and riding horses with her brothers. Both of these activities were viewed by her community as inappropriate for a girl to do. While she was a young woman, a religious revolution was taking place in Mexico which restricted the power of the Catholic Church. Jovita’s brothers and father joined the Cristeros, a group of religious freedom fighters who went up against the Mexican government. It was that same government that burned down her house and murdered the men in her family. Jovita could sit by no more. She cut her hair short, donned traditional men’s clothes, changed her name to Juan, and continued to fight where her brothers and father left off. This book was a 2024 Caldecott Honor Book.

“Love is Hard Work: The Art and Heart of Corita Kent” Written by Dan Paley and illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov
You’ve probably heard of pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein but what about Sister Corita Kent? Frances Elizabeth Kent loved art from an early age. Encouraged by her grade school teachers, she started taking art lessons after school. She graduated from the Los Angeles Catholic Girls’ High School in 1936 and ultimately earned her master’s degree in art history from the University of Southern California in 1951. At age 18, she became a nun and changed her name to Sister Mary Corita (“Corita” means “little heart”). While in the order, she taught art classes in a unique and innovative way. She also used her art to fight for social justice; specifically poverty, hunger, racism, and the extreme consumerism the country was seeing in a post-World War II economy. This biography balances exploring her artistic style and highlighting the causes she fought for.

“Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist” Written by Linda Skeers and illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns
Mary Anning was born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, England. Her family was poor and to help earn money she would scour the nearby beaches for seashells and fossils to sell. When she was twelve years old, she and her brother unearthed the skull of a mysterious, ancient creature. Almost a year later, Mary found the other bones of what would eventually be known as an Ichthyosaurus fossil. Locally, it was known as “Mary’s Monster” (the word “dinosaur” wasn’t even used at that point). It was this discovery that led scientists to figure out that Earth was millions of years old. Mary continued to study and search for fossils and, at the age of 24, she discovered a flying reptile called a pterosaur. This biography does an important job of not only highlighting Anning’s achievements and many “firsts” in the world of paleontology, but addressing the discrimination and dismissal she faced since women were not generally accepted as scientists in her time. Fascinating and inspiring.

Arielle McCune is the Youth Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library.