Welcome to the BPC Library Blog Featuring Books Celebrating Women's History Month

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude - Jonah Winter - 2/10/2009
Written in the style of the great Gertrude Stein herself, this is a fabulously imaginative tribute to an imaginative woman who was well ahead of her time. Ages 4-8

Young Charlotte Filmmaker - Frank Viva - 9/15/2015

Charlotte is a filmmaker. She lives in New York City with her parents and her cat, Smudge. Charlotte likes to make movies, and through her camera lens, she sees the world differently from the other kids. A lucky encounter with a film curator at MoMA, inspired by the films she sees at MoMA and stories of the pioneering directors, Charlotte sets to work. An inspirational tale to encourage young filmmakers. Ages 4-8

Shark Lady - Jess Keating - 6/6/2017
The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist
At nine years old, Eugenie Clark developed an unexpected passion for  sharks after a visit to the Battery Park Aquarium in New York City. At the time, sharks were seen as mindless killing machines, but Eugenie set out to prove otherwise. From her many discoveries to the shark-related myths she dispelled. Eugenie earned the nickname "Shark Lady".
Ages 4-8

Temple Grandin - Sy Montgomery - 4/3/2012
How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World
An authorized biography about Grandin's life with autism and her groundbreaking work as a scientist and designer of cruelty-free livestock facilities. Montgomery's book not only tells the powerful story of one amazing woman's life journey, but also has potential to help readers understand autism and animals. Ages 10-12

Around America to Win the Vote - Mara Rockliff - 8/2/2016
In April 1916, Nell Richardson and Alice Burke set out from New York City in a little yellow car embarking on a bumpy muddy unmapped journey ten thousand miles long. The two friends forded icy streams, braved a howling blizzard, trekked across unmapped desert sands, and even joined a circus parade to spread the word for women's right to vote. Ages 5-8

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World - Rachel Ignotofsky 7/26/2016

A charmingly illustrated and educational book highlighting the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. The trailblazing women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as, lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Ages 10-17

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer - Carole Boston Weatherford - 8/4/2015
"The truest thing that we have in this country at this time is little children...If they think you've made a mistake, kids speak out." Fannie Lou Hamer
Despite fierce prejudice and abuse, Fannie Lou Hamer was a champion of civil rights from the 1950's until her death in 1977. Stirring poems and stunning collage illustrations combine to tell the story and celebrate the life of Fannie Lou Hamer.
Ages 9-12

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case R.B.G vs. Inequality - Jonah Winter - 8/8/2017
To become the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Ginsburg had to overcome countless injustices. Structured as a court case, this book tells the story of how one of America's most "notorious" women bravely persevered to become the remarkable symbol of justice she is today. Ages 6-9

Dorothea's Eyes – Rosenstock – 3/1/2016
After a childhood bout of polio left her with a limp, all Dorothea Lang wanted to do was disappear. But this desire not to be seen, helped her learn how to blend into the backgrounded and observe others acutely. With a passion for the artistic life, and in spite of her family's disapproval, Dorothea pursued her dream of being a photographer and focused her lens on her previously unseen victims of the Great Depression Age 9-12

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History - Vashti Harrison - 12/5/2017
Featuring forty trailblazing black women in American history, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of breaking boundaries and achieving beyond expectations. Includes both iconic and lesser-known female figures of black history, such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, chemist Alice Ball, pilot Bessie Coleman, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, mathematician Katherine Johnson, activist Angela Davis, and filmmaker, Julia Dash.
Ages 8-11

Girls Think of Everything – Thimmesh – 3/11/02
In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented. They have invented candles, cloth, soap, helmets, baby carriers, Scotchgard, voice-controlled wheelchairs, and cancer fighting drugs--ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. What inspired these women, and just how did they turn their ideas into inventions. Ages 10-12

Rad American Women A-Z – Schatz – 3/23/15

Like all A-Z books, this one illustrates the alphabet - but instead of "A is for Apple," A is for Angela - as in Angela Davis, the iconic political activist. B is for Billie Jean King, who shattered the glass ceiling in sports; C is for Carol Burnett, who defied assumptions about women in comedy; D is for Dolores Huerta, who organized farmworkers; E is for Ella Baker, who mentored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and helped shaped the Civil Rights movement. A book for kids--and their parents, teachers, and cool grown-up friends--documenting America's famous and unsung heroines.

Founding Mothers - Roberts - 1/28/14

New York Times bestselling author, Cokie Roberts, presents the contributions of women who fought the Revolution as courageously and heroically as the men, often defending the doors of their very homes. The stories of these founding mothers are found in their personal correspondence, private journals, ledgers, and lists. Here are the surprising tales of fascinating women such as Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, Catharine Littlefield Greene, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington.
Ages 6-10

Planting the Trees of Kenya – Claire Nivola – 4/1/08

Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college, she found the streams dry, the people malnourished and the trees gone. Here is the remarkable story of one women's effort to change the fate of her land by teaching many to care for it. Ages 5-8

The World is not a Rectangle – Jeanette Winter – 8/22/17

A young girl in Iraq saw the wild beauty of the rivers and marshes and dunes and ancient ruins in her country and dreamed of designing wild and beautiful cities of her own. Her name is Zaha Hadid. When she grew up, she became one of the most irreverent, controversial, and celebrated architects in the world. This is her story. Ages 5-10

Emma's Poem: the Voice of the Statue of Liberty – 
Linda Glaser – 4/05/10

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."
Who wrote these words? And Why? In 1883, Emma Lazarus, in writing what she cared about, gave a very urgent, human message to a cold colossal statue. Her small sonnet would--with time and help of a friend, a composer, and the voices of schoolchildren across the country--shape the hearts and minds of a whole nation. It would forever declare that the Statue of Liberty and her torch stand as a welcome to immigrants and that the United States of America is a country that cares about those who come to our shores. Ages 4-7

Malala: Activist for Girl's Education – Frier – 2/7/17

Malala Yousafzai stood up to the Taliban and fought for the right for all girls to receive an education. When she was just fifteen-years old, the Taliban attempted to kill Malala, but even this did not stop her activism. At age eighteen Malala became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to ensure the education of all children around the world. Ages 6-9

Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson - Sue Stauffacher - 8/14/07

gle wildlife and rural culture, as seen through the eyes of a young outcast, struggling to find his place in the world.
Ages 9-12

Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson - 8/28/2014
In vivid free verse, award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson shares what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South. Raised in South Carolina and later in Brooklyn, New York, Woodson often felt halfway home in each place, and describes the reality of living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights Movement. Woodson's eloquent poetry also describe the joy of finding her voice through writing--something she always loved to do, despite the fact that she struggled in school. Readers will delight in witnessing her growing love of stories--and her funny, touching experiments in storytelling--as she exhibits the first sparks of the writer she was to become. Ages 10 and up

First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low - Ginger Wadsworth - 2/6/2012 When Juliette Gordon was growing up in the late 1800s, she climbed trees, swam in rivers, and hiked on tall cliffs. With her cousins and friends, she sewed costumes and put on plays, sketched and painted, and reached out to help other kids who were less fortunate. She knew that most girls her age weren't so lucky; they didn't have the opportunities to play, create, and enjoy outdoor activities the way she did. When Juliette became an adult, she set out to do something to change that. She made history by founding the first national organization to bring girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors. She created controversy by encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for roles as professional  women--in the arts, sciences, and business--and for active citizenship outside the home.  Ages 8-12

The Tree Lady - H. Joseph Hopkins - 9/17/13
On the cover is a tiny girl in a towering forest. Who is this girl and why is she the tree lady? Katherine (Kate) Sessions always loved trees--weaving leaves into necklaces and bracelets. She was a real go-getter, becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a science degree, which was unheard of in her generation. This can-do woman ultimately transformed the San Diego City Park from a dry, ugly hillside into a lush garden flourishing beneath a beautiful canopy of trees. Ages 5-10



The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps - 
Jeanette Winter - 4/5/11
Little Jane Goodall loved to watch all the animals in her world--the earthworms and the insects, birds and cats. She loved to read about Dr. Dolittle, who could talk to the animals. When she grew up, Jane followed her dream and traveled to Africa to study chimpanzees. She watched them, she listened to them, and in time, she became their friend. To this day, Jane Goodall speaks out to protect the animals and their habitats. Young animal lovers will welcome this fascinating portrait of an extraordinary person.
All Ages