Books in this category address a wide range of historical and current forms of bigotry, prejudice that is both intentional and systemic and prejudice that is unintentional, but just as hurtful. In some books prejudice is the primary focus of the story; in others it is part of the fabric of the book but not its central theme.
This is whichCatvalue: 6
Book Results for: Sexism
1.
...If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights Anne Kamma (Author), Pamela Johnson (Illustrator) There was a time that girls and women in the U.S. could not wear pants, play sports on a team, ride a bicycle or go to college. That all began to change in 1848 after the first convention for women's rights. In question-and-answer format, this book tells the story of how women worked for equal rights, culminating in the 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Readers find out what life was like for girls in those days and meet pioneering figures in the movement, including Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and Alice Paul. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull Kathleen Krull (Author), Jane Dyer (Illustrator) Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to do many things: the first woman to own a newspaper, to speak before Congress, and to have a seat on the stock exchange. But her boldest act was announcing herself as the first female candidate for the presidency of the United States in 1872—before women even had the right to vote. Arguably one of the most revolutionary women in American history, she was breaking boundaries many years ahead of her time. [Grade Level: 2 - 5]
6.
Allie's Basketball Dream Barbara E. Barber (Author), Darryl Ligasan (Illustrator) Determined to play basketball, a girl shows her friends, father, and boys who told her she can't play, that girls can play basketball, too. [Grade Level: K - 2]
7.
Amazing Grace Mary Hoffman (Author), Caroline Binch (Illustrator) A young African-American girl discovers that she can do anything she sets her mind to. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 3]
8.
Ballerino Nate Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Author), Robert W. Alley (Illustrator) After attending a student ballet performance with his kindergarten class, Nate decides he wants to become a ballet dancer, but is discouraged by his second-grade, sports-loving brother, who pronounces, "You can't... You're a boy," and reminds Nate at every turn that his dream is for girls' and will require him to wear pink shoes and a dress. Despite his parents’ reassurance, Nate is still apprehensive when he begins a ballet class and learns that he is the only boy enrolled. Nate's mother takes him to a real ballet performance, where he sees that half the dancers are men. Nate gets to meet one of the dancers, who agrees that a man can't be a ballerina, because that means "woman dancer." Instead, he tells Nate that he hopes some day to be a top ballerino, and Nate feels good about his new pursuit at last. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 3]
9.
Ballot Box Battle Emily Arnold McCully (Author), A. Levine (Editor) This is the story of Cordelia, a fictional young girl who is inspired by her neighbor, the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Cordelia loves to ride on Stanton's old horse and dreams of being a real horsewoman despite her brother's sneers (he says she will not be a true horsewoman until she jumps a four-foot fence) and her parents' belief that this is not a lady-like ambition. On Election Day in 1880 (40 years before the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote), Cordelia accompanies Stanton to the Tenafly, New Jersey polls, where Stanton attempts to cast a vote in the local contests each year. Cordelia watches despondently as election officials ridicule Stanton, who flings her ballot at the hand covering the slot in the box. Inspired by Stanton's courage and angered by the teasing of her brother and other local boys, Cordelia makes her own protest by riding Stanton's old horse over a four-foot fence and proving her independence.
[Grade Level: 2 - 4]
10.
Belva Lockwood Wins Her Case Drollene P. Brown (Author), James Watling (Illustrator) This book describes the struggles and triumphs of Belva Lockwood, the teacher, suffragette, lawyer, and peace activist who became the first woman to practice law before the Supreme Court and a candidate for president in 1884 and 1888.
[Grade Level: 4 - 6]
11.
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream Crystal Hubbard (Author), Randy Duburke (Illustrator) Marcenia Lyle wants to be a professional baseball player, but her parents make clear that the only jobs available to African American women in that time (the 1930s) are teacher, nurse and maid. When the St. Louis Cardinals manager forms a baseball camp, he denies admission to Marcenia because of her gender. However, Marcenia dazzles him with her skill until he agrees to let her join. An afterword reveals that Marcenia, under the name Toni Stone, became the first female member of an all-male baseball team, filling the spot vacated by Hank Aaron when he joined the Major Leagues. [Grade Level: 1 - 4]
12.
Drum, Chavi,Drum!/Toca, Chavi, Toca! Mayra Dole (Author), Tonel Tonel (Illustrator) Chavi is determined to play the drums on the school float during Miami's Calle Ocho parade, but everyone--from her music teacher to her own loving mother--is convinced that because she is a girl, she cannot possibly be good enough. Chavi knows differently, and she practices on anything she can get her hands on: pans, paint cans, car hoods. She just knows she's good, and before the book is over, so does everyone else. [Grade Level: K - 3]
13.
Elena’s Serenade Campbell Geeslin (Author), Ana Juan (Illustrator) Elena, a young girl who lives in Mexico, dreams of being a glassblower like her father. When Papa rebuffs her dream by commenting, "Who ever heard of a girl glassblower?," Elena takes one of his old glassblowing pipes, disguises herself as a boy, and sets off to Monterrey, home of Mexico's "great glassblowers.” Along the way, she discovers that she can play sweet songs on the pipe, and when she finally reaches her destination, she creates beautiful ornaments, which are shaped by the tunes she plays on her pipe. Elena eventually creates a crystal swallow to carry her back home, where she disguises herself as an elderly man and shows her creations to Papa. When she finally reveals her identity, Papa realizes how special his daughter is. [Grade Level: K-4]
Extraordinary Girls Written by Maya Ajmera Profiles the abilities and achievements of girls from different countries and cultures around the world. [Grade Level: K - 6]
16.
I Could Do That!: Ester Morris Gets Women the Vote Linda Arms White (Author), Nancy Carpenter (Illustrator) “I could do that,” says six-year-old Esther as she watches her mother making tea. Start her own business at the age of nineteen? Why, she could do that, too. But one thing Esther and other women could NOT do was vote. Only men could do that. With lively text and illustrations, this picture book biography shows how one girl’s gumption propels her through a life filled with challenges until, in 1869, she wins the vote for women in Wyoming Territory -– the first time ever in the United States. [Grade Level: 2 - 4]
Julia Ward Howe Written by Elizabeth Raum A biography of the nineteenth-century peace and social justice activist who wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870 calling for a “Mother’s Day for Peace,” which eventually led to the holiday known today as Mother’s Day. Ward is most famous for writing the poem that became "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and is also known for her work against slavery and in support of a woman’s right to vote. [Grade Level: 2 - 4]
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters Stephen Alcorn (Illustrator), Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author) Let It Shine is a collection of short biographies celebrating the contributions of 10 black women who moved forward the cause of civil rights in America. Following a preface that describes her own family roots in the civil rights movement, Pinkney presents her heroines chronologically in verbal portraits that capture the subjects' faith, strength of character, and determination in the face of hardships and racial injustice. The subjects—who are depicted in full-page oil paintings — include Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisholm. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
22.
Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics Catherine Thimmesh (Author), Douglas B. Jones (Illustrator) This book provides 23 thumbnail sketches of women involved in politics in the United States and abroad. The subjects are divided into six categories and tied together by cartoon vignettes of a young girl who wants to be president. The author briefly highlights each individual's primary achievements and importance, and includes a quotation from each one. Subjects include Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sandra Day O'Connor, Geraldine Ferraro, Margaret Thatcher, Vigdis Finnbogadottir, Nancy Pelosi, and Mrs. J. L. Burn. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
23.
Madoulina: A Girl Who Wanted to Go to School Written by Joel Bognomo Madoulina loves school but has to help her mother sell food in the marketplace this schoolyear instead. Her teacher speaks to her mother and makes an arrangement. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 3]
24.
Max the Stubborn Little Wolf Marie-Odile Judes (Author), Joan Robins (Author), Martine Bourre (Illustrator) A little wolf dreams of becoming a florist rather than a hunter as his father demands. Papa Wolf cooks up several plans to convince him to change his young mind, but Max cannot be persuaded. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 2]
25.
Not-So-Weird Emma Sally Warner (Author), Jamie Harper (Illustrator) Emma started third grade at a new school and she’s still getting used to it. When one of her only new friends, Cynthia, calls Emma weird because she likes nature and “boy stuff,” she worries about her appearance and interests. In addition, she and retaliates by calling Cynthia names as well. Before long, the whole class is calling each other names and Emma realizes how much name-calling can hurt. With the help of their teacher, Ms. Sanchez, Emma and her classmates learn a better way to interact and get along. [Grade Level: 3 - 6]
The Paper Bag Princess Robert Munsch (Author), Michael Martchenko (Illustrator) A princess rescues the prince she is supposed to marry by outsmarting a dragon, but when the prince is not at all grateful and is more concerned with her appearance, she decides not to marry him. [Grade Level: Pre-K - 3]
You Come to Yokum Carol Otis Hurst (Author), Kay Life (Illustrator) It is 1921, and Frank and his brother move with their family to Yokum Pond to run a hunting and vacation lodge. While their father struggles to master driving the "tarnatious machine," their new Model T Ford, their mother is busy campaigning for ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Undeterred by the rural setting and less-than-receptive neighbors, she brings the fight for suffrage to the farmers' wives and millworkers of the surrounding towns, much to the consternation of her husband and a number of the lodge's guests.
[Grade Level: 3 - 6]
33.
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Suffragist!: A Protest Movement Thats Rougher Than You Expected Fiona MacDonald (Author), David Antram (Illustrator) This book tells the story of the struggle for a woman's right to vote through the voices of two feisty aunts-- Edith from the U.S. and Mabel from the U.K.--who describe the movement to their young American niece in 1920. Using cartoon-like illustrations and timelines, the author introduces readers to the pioneers of the suffrage movement, important events of the time and the tactics used by suffragists and protesters to win equal rights. [Grade Level: 2 - 5]
