Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Women's History in Children's Books


Showing

Cover art for ROSIE THE RIVETER
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 3, 1995

"An important contribution. (statistics, chronology, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9+)"
 With this year's flurry of interest in WW II brought on by a succession of 50th Anniversary celebrations, many will be looking for serious social histories to round out the study of this period. Read full book review >
Cover art for TEN QUEENS
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 1998
by Milton Meltzer, illustrated by Bethanne Anderson

"Already a great read, this is destined to be a favorite resource. (Biography. 10-14)"
Meltzer (Weapons and Warfare, 1996, etc.) pulls together what is known and what might be inferred about ten women who held power and used it. Read full book review >
Cover art for LIVES OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2000
by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt

"Fabulous reading, great for research, deliciously and subversively feminist, this will sit happily on the shelf with the presidents, artists, musicians, and others this duo has covered so well. (bibliography) (Biography. 8-12)"
"Well-behaved women rarely make history" is the pendant to this collection of 20 brief biographies in what is now the masterly style of this dynamite team's previous "Lives of . . ." books. Read full book review >
Cover art for LET IT SHINE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2000

"A truly inspiring collection for personal as well as institutional libraries. (Biography. 8-12)"
This exciting collective biography features ten important women in the historic struggle to win freedom and civil rights. Read full book review >
Cover art for GRANDMA MOSES
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2004

"A fresh-faced addition to young biography shelves and a sturdy choice for Women's History Month. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)"
Veteran picture-book biographer Wallner has turned her hand to the life and work of the great 20th-century American Primitive painter Anna Mary Robertson, a.k.a. Read full book review >
Cover art for MADAM PRESIDENT
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 30, 2004

With uncommon brio, Thimmesh traces the course of women in the modern international political arena, profiling with even-handed admiration pivotal figures, from Susan B. Anthony to Condoleezza Rice and Benazir Bhutto, who have left, or are leaving, "a lasting footprint—whether it be pointy-toed and spike-heeled or rubber-soled and loosely laced—on the very bedrock of America" and the world. Read full book review >
Cover art for WITH COURAGE AND CLOTH
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2004

"Excellent. (profiles, chronology, resource guide, sources and acknowledgments, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)"
Bausum's lucid and nuanced study focuses on 1913–20, the last years of the more than seven decades when women in the US fought for the right to vote. Read full book review >
Cover art for AMELIA TO ZORA
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2005

"An inspiration and a delight. (bibliography, author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)"
With spirited language and marvelous collages, an abecedarium of contemporary women takes flight. Read full book review >
Cover art for WOMEN OF THE WIND
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 15, 2006

Recent attention paid to pioneer women pilots, long overdue, has produced both individual and collective biographies; this salute to their enterprising spirits flies above the rest. Read full book review >
Cover art for WOMEN DAREDEVILS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2008
by Julie Cummins, illustrated by Cheryl Harness

"Kudos for bringing to light this hidden slice of female history. (introduction, chronology, sources) (Nonfiction. 8-11)"
At a time when women were expected to be domestic angels, this spunky history tracks a handful of female risk-takers who dared to do what they loved despite the danger. Read full book review >
Cover art for I’LL PASS FOR YOUR COMRADE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 29, 2008

"A valuable resource. (author's note, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
Silvey carefully documents a little-known side to the Civil War: the hundreds of women who fought for both sides. Read full book review >
Cover art for MY BROTHER ABE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 6, 2009

Well timed to catch the wave of interest that's likely to rise for the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, this historical tale zeroes in on the personalities of ten-year-old Abe, his mother Nancy and his father Thomas—all as seen through the eyes of his sister Sally, two years his senior. Read full book review >
Cover art for GENIUS OF COMMON SENSE
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 2, 2009

"Push during Women's History Month and at every other opportunity. (Biography. 12 & up)"
Jane Jacobs is an unlikely subject for a school assignment, which is unfortunate, as being required to do research would be the most likely way that many readers will discover this brief but comprehensive biography. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE COWGIRL WAY
CHILDREN'S
Released: July 1, 2010

"Still, there's plenty of rich fodder here for equestriennes and those interested in Western or women's history. (bibliography, sources and photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)"
There's nothing like seeing a tenacious cowgirl wrangle a bronco to buck notions of a weaker sex—so it makes sense that suffrage came to the American West first, 51 years before the 19th Amendment would grant women the right to vote in the rest of the country. Read full book review >
Cover art for WOMEN HEROES OF WORLD WAR II
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2011

"Atwood's admiration and enthusiasm for her subjects is apparent in these engaging profiles, and readers will likely be inspired to investigate these fascinating women further. (glossary, notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12 & up)"
Millions of women made invaluable contributions during World War II working as civilians on the home front, but the 26 women profiled in this collective biography served on the front lines and behind enemy lines in Europe as correspondents, couriers, propagandists, Resistance fighters, saboteurs and spies. Read full book review >