In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve rounded up ten of our books that feature some amazing women of color! From a baseball player to an American politician, these women have helped pave the way for many others.
1. Wangari Maathai, Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace – the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize
2. Marcenia Lyle, Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream – the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team
3. Anna May Wong, Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story – the first Chinese American movie star
4. Florence Mills, Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage – an international dancing and singing superstar during the Harlem Renaissance
5. Augusta Savage, In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage– a sculptor during the Harlem Renaissance who carved out her own special place in art history
6. Pura Belpré, The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos – New York City’s first Latina librarian
7. Patsy Mink, How We Are Smart – an American politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii
8. Hiromi Suzuki, Hiromi’s Hands – one of a handful of women in the male-dominated world of sushi chefs
9. Rosa Parks, Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth – Mrs. Parks changed the course of history when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, sparking the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement
10. Zora Neale Hurston, Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree – renowned African American writer
We’ve also created a Women’s History Collection, available now for purchase on our website.
Further reading on Women’s History Month:
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve rounded up ten of our books that feature some amazing women of color! From a baseball player to an American politician, these women have helped pave the way for many others.
1. Wangari Maathai, Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace - the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize
2. Marcenia Lyle, Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream - the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team
3. Anna May Wong, Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story - the first Chinese American movie star
4. Florence Mills, Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage - an international dancing and singing superstar during the Harlem Renaissance
5. Augusta Savage, In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage- a sculptor during the Harlem Renaissance who carved out her own special place in art history
6. Pura Belpré, The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos - New York City’s first Latina librarian
7. Patsy Mink, How We Are Smart - an American politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii
8. Hiromi Suzuki, Hiromi’s Hands - one of a handful of women in the male-dominated world of sushi chefs
9. Rosa Parks, Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth - Mrs. Parks changed the course of history when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, sparking the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement
10. Zora Neale Hurston, Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree - renowned African American writer
Filed under:
Book Lists,
Musings & Ponderings Tagged:
Anna May Wong,
augusta savage,
diversity,
florence mills,
hiromi suzuki,
Marcenia Lyle,
patsy mink,
Pura Belpré,
Rosa Parks,
Wangari Maathai,
women,
women's history,
women's history month,
zora neale hurston 
Everyone knows Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr., but there are many other African Americans who have contributed to the rich fabric of our country but whose names have fallen through the cracks of history.
We’ve asked some of our authors who chose to write biographies of these talented leaders why we should remember them. We’ll feature their answers throughout Black History Month.
Today, Alan Schroeder shares why he wrote about Florence Mills in Baby Flo: Florence Mills Lights Up the Stage:
While researching African-American life, I have come across the name Florence Mills time and again. She was a famous singer and dancer in the 1920s, but not much is known about her today. She is a “forgotten” celebrity. Then, a few years ago, a man named Bill Egan wrote a marvelous biography of Mills, which I happened to read. Thanks to Mr. Egan, Mills’s incredible career sprang to life, and I knew I wanted to write about her — to share her story with young readers.
Unlike Booker T. Washington or Frederick Douglass or Martin Luther King, Jr., Florence Mills is not an important figure in American or African-American life. Children do not need to know about her in the way that they should know about Douglass or King, or Cesar Chavez, or Harvey Milk. Nevertheless, her story was interesting, and her hard work and many accomplishments can, I think, serve as an inspiration to young readers. In an amazingly short time, Florence Mills rose to the very top of her profession, and I had a wonderful time researching and writing about her.
Further reading:
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Holidays Tagged:
African American history,
African American interest,
african american women,
baby flo,
black history month,
dancing,
dreams &,
florence mills,
inspiration,
performing 
I’d add to this list the real-life Lozen, the woman who inspired Joseph Bruchac’s character by the same name in KILLER OF ENEMIES. She was a warrior (beside Geronimo and her brother, Victorio) who defended the Apache people during a terrible time of war with the United States, as well as using her skill as a tracker (and some supernatural skills) to know where their enemies were coming from.
[…] booktalks allow students to explore and develop their interests. Consider creating collections for Women’s History Month, Cesar Chavez Day, baseball season, National Poetry Month in April, and Earth […]