The Amelia Bloomer Book List

A few years ago, a book by Shana Carey introduced nineteenth-century feminist activist Amelia Bloomer to the picture-book crowd. Published in 2000, YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! uses humor and history to bring the life and work of this pioneering newspaper editor, feminist thinker, public speaker, and suffragist to a new generation. In the spirit of Amelia Bloomer, the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association proudly announced in 2002 the first annual Amelia Bloomer List, a bibliography of appealing feminist books for young readers from birth to 18. Books eligible for this award must have been published in the United States during the 18 months prior to the selection in January of each year. Set from prehistoric times to the present, these books, both fiction and nonfiction, provide role models of stong, capable, creative women. They introduce children growing up in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, photographers on the cutting edge of their times, young women surviving in today’s Afghanistan, and pioneers in the fields of flyinig and space exploration. Others feature girls who outwit dragons, create petroglyphs to save a tribe, and train to win battles. From a picture book using bear hair and other earthen materials in its illustrations to a biography written in graphic-novel format, these books show girls and women exploring exciting ways to solve practical dilemmas through the courage of their convictions. All of them spur the imagination and expand the limits of dreams while confronting traditional female stereotypes. And best of all, these books are fun reading!
Early Readers
2020 Selection(s)
Fiction
A Boy Like You
The world needs a boy like you: thoughtful, kind, curious, smart, helpful, loving, and brave!
At the Mountain’s Base
A picture book celebrating the bonds of a Cherokee family and history-making Native women in the military during WWII.
Baby Feminists
Before these feminists were famous they were…babies!
Baby Feminists Too
Before these additional feminists were famous they were…babies!
Big Boys Cry
Afraid to start his first day at a new school, Levi learns that big boys do cry.
Hair Love
Zuri’s father, a novice hairstyler, helps find the perfect hairstyle to help her feel special.
Ho‘onani: Hula Warrior
Ho‘onani doesn’t feel like a wahine (girl) or kāne (boy); she’s somewhere in the middle. Is there room for her in kāne hula chant?
Mira's Curly Hair
Mira attempts to make her curly hair straight like her mother’s but makes a discovery that changes both of their perceptions.
The Proudest Blue
Faizah gazes at her older sister Asiya’s new beautiful, strikingly blue first day hijab with pride, finding inner strength even when others misunderstand and are unkind at school.
Under My Hijab
A young girl observes women in her life who each wear the hijab in a unique way, and imagines how she may someday express her personality through her hijab.