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Women’s History Month Read Alouds for the Elementary Classroom in 2024

March is Women’s History Month, which is a great time to share quality read alouds that feature strong female characters based on real women. These Women’s History Month read alouds highlight incredible women like Pura Belpré. Your students will love listening to the stories of these women. Check out the full list of Women’s History Month read alouds below!

9 Women’s History Month Read Alouds

Below are high quality Women’s History Month read alouds. Your elementary students are going to love these picture books for Women’s History Month! They are sure to be a big hit!

1. Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome teaches readers about Harriet Tubman’s life. It starts with her beginning years as a slave and then goes into her becoming a conductor in the Underground Railroad. Finally, readers learn about her experience fighting in the Civil War. This story shows the incredible journey Harriet made to empower others, as well as how her legacy still impacts us today.

Check out these related Before She Was Harriet activities!

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2. Shark Lady by Jess Keating

Shark Lady by Jess Keating is about Eugenie Clark, a brave scientist who changed the way people perceive sharks, and women in the field of science. 

As a young girl, Eugenie loved everything about the ocean but sharks were her favorite. She spent her childhood learning as much as she could about sharks. When she grew up, Eugenie studied zoology in college. Many people didn’t think women were smart or brave enough to go into science, but that didn’t stop Eugenie. She went on to make many discoveries about fish and sharks. 

As she learned more about her favorite animal, Eugenie wanted people to see sharks the way she did. She decided to conduct an experiment where she would train sharks. She learned that not only could sharks be trained, they could remember what they learned for two months. 

Check out these related Shark Lady activities!

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3. The Girl Who Thought in Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca follows the life of Temple Grandin, a woman diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The story starts off with Temple being born, and the doctors thinking that she needed to be sent away because she was different. Temple liked to watch things spin, did not like loud noises or crowds, anything that was itchy, or big hugs. She also did not talk until she was three. Temple got diagnosed with Autism. Her mom always viewed her as “different, not less.”

When Temple went to school, the children teased her relentlessly. One day, Temple’s mom thinks that it would be better for Temple to stay on her aunt’s ranch. There, Temple finally feels comfortable and explores ways to help animals. Temple goes to college and gets three degrees! Now she travels the world giving speeches and spreading hope. She spreads the message that the world needs brains of all kinds.

Check out these related The Girl Who Thought in Pictures activities!

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4. Planting Stories by Anika Aldamuy Denise

Planting Stories by Anika Aldamuy Denise is about Pura Belpre, the first Puerto Rican Librarian in New York City. When Pura started working at the library, she realized that there weren’t any of the stories and folktales that she was familiar with in Puerto Rico. She decides to share her stories during story hour and through puppet shows, and eventually publishes a book. 

Pura travels across the country and from classroom to classroom planting her story seeds and educating about her homeland. When she returns to the library, she sees that her story seeds have bloomed and everyone is telling her stories.

Check out these related Planting Stories activities!

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5. Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed is about a girl named Mae who dreams of being an astronaut when she grows up. She reads books and researches how to become an astronaut.

Mae’s parents tell her that if she dreams, believes, and works really hard, anything is possible. When Mae goes to school and shares what she wants to be when she grows up, the other children laugh at her and her teacher suggests she does something else. This disappoints Mae but her mom reminds her that all that matters is that she dreams big and works hard.

Check out these related Mae Among the Stars activities!

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6. The Oldest Student by Margaret Wise Brown

The Oldest Student by Margaret Wise Brown is the story of Mary Walker, a woman who grew up in slavery in the 1860s. She had no time to read as a child because she had to work so much. When she became an adult, she still didn’t have time to read. When she was over 100 years old, she learned to read in her retirement home. She then preached with her church about how you are never too old to learn something new. Check out these related The Oldest Student activities!

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7. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles tells the story of when 6 year-old Ruby Bridges and her family moved to New Orleans for a better life in 1960. Segregation was still rampant, and a judge ordered a handful of Black girls to begin going to White schools. Ruby was one of these children.

She was the only one to go to Franz Elementary School from these children. On her first day, a big mob stood outside and chanted with signs, protesting her going. No students went as well. Ruby continued to go, day after day, praying that God forgive these angry people.

Check out these related The Story of Ruby Bridges activities!

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8. Greta and The Giants by Zoë Tucker

Greta and The Giants by Zoë Tucker was inspired by Greta Thunberg. In this story, animals came to Greta asking for help when she was in the forest. The Giants were greedy and destroying the forest to create towns, cities, and factories. The animals were too scared to speak to them!

So, one day, Greta began picketing for the Giants to stop. Then, more and more children joined in. Eventually, they spoke to the Giants about the effect of their actions on the forest. The Giants began helping to fix the forest and helping in their community.

Check out these related Greta and The Giants activities!

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9. The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkin

The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkin is a biography of Katherine Olivia Sessions, known as the Mother of Balboa Park in San Diego, California.

Kate grew up in Northern California and loved being in the woods under the trees. Unlike other girls at the time, Kate liked to get her hands dirty and study science. She even went to college to study science and was the first woman to graduate from that school.  

After graduating, Kate moved to San Diego and became a teacher. San Diego was very different than anywhere Kate had lived before. There were no trees and it was a very dry landscape. After a few years of teaching, Kate decided to become a gardener. She made it her mission to bring trees to San Diego. Kate began collecting trees that could grow in San Diego. She wrote letters to gardeners around the world asking for seeds. Soon, there were trees all over San Diego and people were even planting them in their yards.

When a big exposition was coming to San Diego, it was decided the park, Balboa Park, needed more trees for shade. Kate worked to plant trees all over the park. People couldn’t believe the lush park that had been created. 

Check out these related The Tree Lady activities!

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Grab the Free Reading Resources!

We hope you found this list of Women’s History Month read alouds helpful! They lend themselves to being great winter read alouds or spring read alouds, but can be used any time of the year. Many of the read alouds highlighted in this post are part of my Starts With a Story collection. Your students are going to love these Women’s History Month picture books. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!

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