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
Billie Jean! How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women’s Sports
Tennis phenomenon Billy Jean fought for fairness in women’s sports and proved that men and women are equal on and off the court.
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was the first woman in Italy to go to medical school. She revolutionized the field of early childhood education.
Muslim Girls Rise
Illustrated profiles of nineteen Muslim women of different nationalities and national origins in various fields who persevere, contribute, and change the world for the better.
Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington
Leonora Carrington rejected the life of a “proper” lady to become a leader in the surrealist art movement.
She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World
A woman’s voice can be a powerful instrument of change, as evidenced by the fourteen women showcased here. Vibrant illustrations, audio clips, and engagement questions round out each mini-biography.
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a French philosopher and important feminist writer.
So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth’s Long Walk Toward Freedom
This biography of Sojourner Truth covers her early life under slavery, finding her purpose, and her life’s work as an abolitionist and advocate for civil rights and women’s rights.
Wilma’s Way Home: The Life of Wilma Mankiller
This biography follows Cherokee activist Wilma Mankiller’s life, from her childhood in rural Oklahoma to her election as the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Middle Grade
2020 Selection(s)
Fiction
Girl of the Southern Sea
With her alcoholic father unable to run the family food cart, 14-year old Nia takes on home and money-making duties while saving money for her education.
Maybe He Just Likes You
When Mila begins to be sexually harassed at her middle school, it affects her friendships, her extracurriculars, and her family life.
