Happy Sunday, kidlit friends! I currently have all the windows in the house open and am enjoying the breeze and the sounds of birds chirping and the creek rushing by in my backyard. Spring has arrived early in Nashville, though it’s likely we’ll have some more cold snaps. Also, I want to add a correction to my Indigenous queer kidlit newsletter a week or so ago. In Rabbit Chase, the main character, Aimée, uses they/them pronouns. Thanks so much to the follower who pointed that out!
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Today, I review books for Women’s History Month.
Bookish Goods
Bookish Girlhood Sticker by SciencePlusCoffee
This sticker reads “Girls Who Read Past Their Bedtime Don’t Grow Out of It.” I was definitely one of those kids who read well past their bedtime, hiding books and a flashlight under my covers. $4+
New Releases
Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman by Joanna Lapati
This is a stunning picture book biography of Rosetta Wakeman, who disguised herself as a man and joined the Union during the U.S. Civil War. The biography begins with her life on a farm in New York and then her decision to dress and act like a man to join the 153rd New York State Volunteers as Lyons Wakeman. Lapati includes excerpts from Wakeman’s letters sent home as she serves in the army. Extensive back matter includes a glossary, an author’s note about how she came to learn of Wakeman, more about Rosetta Wakeman, a timeline of events, and Wakeman’s letters home. The illustrations are breathtaking. Lapati used scratchboard to emulate 19th-century wood engravings, and she describes her process in the back matter.
Finally Heard by Kelly Yang
Yang tackles social media in her timely follow-up to Finally Seen. Lina has settled in with her family and friend group when the novel opens. She’s beginning to feel self-conscious about her rapidly changing body and often hides in oversized sweatshirts. It seems like all the kids she knows have cell phones and are on social media. She convinces her mom to let her post on social media to help grow her mother’s bath bomb business. When her posts take off, her mom lets her have a phone, and Lina becomes consumed with social media trends. Yang uses many interactions her kids have had on social media and includes tips for using social media as a kid in the back of the book. This is such a relevant topic for tweens.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
This is the first week of Women’s History Month, so I thought I would round up some titles that would be perfect to read this month (and for all the months after, of course).
Best Believe: The Tres Hermanas, a Sisterhood for the Common Good by NoNieqa Ramos, illustrated by Nicole Medina
This is a lovely, lyrically written picture book biography of three Puerto Rican sisters who moved to the Bronx and whose activism created lasting change. It is the first picture book biography about the three. When Evelina, Lillian, and Elba moved to the Bronx in the 1930s, they expected to find a land for the free and many new opportunities. Instead, they were met with racism and discrimination. Even as children, they became activists in the community, and as adults continued to make an impact: Evelina, who worked in education; Lillian, who advocated for Spanish and bilingual children’s books in libraries; and Elba, who dedicated her work to spreading the word about Latine art and music to those outside the community. Back matter includes a glossary and timeline. I love the warm, rich artwork.
She Spoke Too by Kathy MacMillan and Manuela Bernardi, illustrated by Becky Thorns
This interactive mini biography collection is a follow-up to MacMillan’s She Spoke. Each page spread includes a short biography of a woman, an illustrated portrait, quick facts, a sound clip from a speech the woman gave, and questions for deeper thinking. The book provides biographies and sound clips for 14 women, including Dr. Mae Jemison, Kamala Harris, Mother Jones, Ladonna Harris, and many more. It’s a diverse collection, and the sound clips are so cool.
She Can STEM by Liz Lee Heinecke, illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton
This is a fascinating, illustrated middle grade biography collection of 50 women in STEM. It includes many women I’d never heard of, like Ancient Mesopotamian royal perfumer Tapputi-Belatikallim and zoologist Margaret S. Collins. Each page includes many details about the woman’s life and scientific achievements, a full-page illustration of the woman, as well as a related home activity for readers to try, which is really neat. I also like how this has little tabs indicating each scientific area. It’s a really diverse and expansive collection.
She’ll Be the Sky: Poems by Women and Girls selected by Ella Risbridger, illustrated by Anna Shepeta
This gorgeously illustrated middle grade anthology collects more than 100 poems by women, girls, and nonbinary poets. Poets include Emily Dickinson, Joy Harjo, Yang Kuei-Fei, Nikki Grimes, and so many more. I would’ve spent many days lost in this as a child, and spent an hour reading it this morning! It’s a large book that would make an excellent gift to poetry-loving kids.
We spent another weekend hiking. I know I post a lot of hiking pictures because it’s something I love to do, but it’s not always easy to get my daughter to spend the day outside and to go on hikes, and they’re definitely different than the hikes I went on before having a child. My best strategy is to let her bring a stuffed animal to “show around,” to call hiking “adventuring” and/or “exploring,” and to let her lead the way and set the pace. It doesn’t always work out —sometimes, an adult needs to lead the way on more difficult trails — but overall, the strategy is successful more times than not! Oh, and if there’s a playground, we start there. Otherwise, the hike will be one endless whine about when it will end and we can go to the playground.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, Twitter @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom.bsky.social, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury