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!
Administered by:
Early Readers
2020 Selection(s)
Nonfiction
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks
A biography told in free verse of Gwendolyn Brooks celebrating her life and her poems.
Fiction
Dream Big
Female leaders, visionaries, and dreamers encourage readers to explore all possibilities and dream BIG!
Nonfiction
Girls with Guts! The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records
Today girls can participate in sports of all kinds, thanks to the generations of women athletes that worked to pass Title IX in the United States.
Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon
Kathrine Switzer was determined to prove that women could run long distances. She became the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon.
Me and the Sky: Captain Beverley Bass, Pioneering Pilot
Beverley heard repeatedly from childhood that girls weren’t pilots. Beverley proved everyone wrong by becoming the captain of a major airline and several other firsts for female commercial pilots.
Fiction
Raise Your Hand
11-year-old Alice challenges girls to have confidence, to raise their hands, and speak up in class.
Nonfiction
Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou survived rape, poverty, and racism to become a poet, humanitarian, and activist.
Fiction
Ruby’s Sword
When Ruby’s brothers leave her behind she changes the game, making it even better than before.
Nonfiction
Vaginas and Periods 101: A Pop-Up Book
Pop-ups and colorful graphics normalize anatomy, menstruation, and menstrual product options.
What Do You Do with a Voice like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan
Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman to be elected to the Texas legislature, was also the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
