Celebrating Women’s History Picture Books

Lynn Fulton, 2018

I love this picture book. While everyone’s heard of the creepy novel Frankenstein, most people probably don’t know the fascinating story behind it. It all started one stormy night over 200 years ago when a young woman named Mary Shelley was challenged to write a scary story by her friend, Lord Byron. Who would have thought that she’d come up with an eerie monster story that would continue to capture the imagination of the world?

Lori Mortensen, 2023

I’m especially drawn to this picture book because I wrote it. When I discovered Isabella Bird’s sickly childhood, her limited opportunity, and her relentless drive to explore the world nonetheless, I knew I wanted to tell her story. She was not only the first female member of the Royal Geographical Society, but she challenged society’s boundaries for women and wrote ten bestselling books about her explorations that included the unbeaten paths in Australia, New Zealand, The Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), the Rocky Mountains, Japan, India, Persia (Iran), Turkey, Korea, China, and Tibet. When she passed away on October 7, 1904, The New York Times declared she was “one of the most daring women travelers who ever lived.” Isabella Bird once said, “No man now ever says of any difficult thing that I could not do it.”

Patrick McDonnell, 2012

Me... Jane is the epitome of a well-written children’s picture book biography. With just a few words, McDonnell beautifully captures the sweet, inspiring story of how young Jane, accompanied by her toy chimpanzee, Jubilee, dreamed of living in Africa and helping animals near and far. This simple story is about following a dream, never giving up, and then blazing a trail that others can follow. Classic. Inspiring. Perfect.