Recommended Reads are the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library's monthly series of books that can be found in our collection.
Recommended Reads – March 2023 – Celebrating Women’s History Month
DB111859 Sembrando historias : Pura Belpré, bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos by Denise, Anika.
"When she came to America in 1921, Pura Belpré carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Today, these seeds have grown into a lush landscape as generations of children and storytellers continue to share her tales and celebrate Pura's legacy." Commercial audiobook. Spanish Language. For Preschool-grade 2.
DB094374 A Computer called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Slade, Suzanne.
The story of pioneering African American mathematician Katherine Johnson, who performed calculations vital to America's first manned space flight, its first manned orbit of Earth, and the first trip to the moon. For grades K-3. 2019.
LP026135 Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry by Gilberti, Fausto.
A brightly colored and boldly illustrated introduction to contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. For K-1 and older. 2020. Part of the curated collection of picture books for children with CVI.
DB104865 She Persisted audio collection. by Abawi, Atia; DB088185/BRG04275 She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History by Clinton, Chelsea.
Profiles the lives of women who have left their mark on history, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Margaret Chase Smith, and Oprah Winfrey. For grades K-3.
BR022791; DB096317 Under My Hijab by Khan, Hena.
A young Muslim girl observes how the women in her life wear their hijabs and hair in unique and creative ways. She considers how one day she will express her own style. For grades K-3. 2019.
DB095959 Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote, and Changed the World by Rinker, Jessica M.
Profiles feminist icon Gloria Steinem, from her unconventional childhood and education at Smith College to her lifelong social and political activism and role in cofounding Ms. Magazine. For grades 2-4. 2019.
BR022507 Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Hood, Susan.
Fourteen revolutionary young women who were persistent in achieving their dreams and goals, and sparked change in the process. Notable women include Molly Williams, the first known female firefighter in the US, and Angela Zhang, a prominent young scientist and cancer researcher. For grades 3-6. 2018.
DB083571 Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer; The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Weatherford, Carole Boston.
Collection of poems inspired by the life and work of civil-rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977). Taken together, they recount Hamer's life in Mississippi as the youngest of twenty children, her personal life, and her activism and political party work. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2015.
BR020985; DB082430 Rad American Women A-Z by Schatz, Kate.
Profiles of twenty-five influential and inspiring American women who have made a significant impact. Highlights one woman for each letter in the alphabet, starting with Angela Davis and concluding with Zora Neale Hurston. For grades 5-8. 2015.
BR021941; DB087895 Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History by Schatz, Kate.
The author of Rad American Women A-Z (DB 82430) profiles over forty extraordinary and inspiring women from around the world. Discusses the accomplishments of women throughout history, including Ireland's Grace O'Malley (1530-1603), a famous sea captain who fought the English to protect her clansmen. For grades 5-8. 2016.
BR024040; DB102762; LP026296 The Firekeeper's Daughter by Boulley, Angeline.
Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother. When Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source of a new drug. Unrated. For senior high and older readers. 2021.
DB100194; LP026329 This is My America by Johnson, Kim.
While writing letters to Innocence X, a justice-seeking project, asking them to help her father, an innocent black man on death row, Tracy takes on another case when her brother is accused of killing a white girl. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. For senior high and older readers. 2020.
DB099826; LP026236 Tigers, Not Daughters by Mabry, Samantha.
San Antonio, Texas. Three Torres sisters grieve the loss of their oldest sister--who is haunting their house. Strong language, descriptions of sex, and some violence. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2020.
BR023408; DB101185; DB111919 (Spanish language); LP026272 Furia by Méndez, Yamile Saied.
Seventeen-year-old Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star in Rosario, Argentina, dreams of playing professionally, in defiance of her father's wishes and at the risk of her budding romance with Diego. Strong language and some violence. For senior high and older readers. 2020.