March is Women’s History Month! We hope you will find the following list of books both informative and inspirational. Read about the lives of women who explored the oceans and the universe, discovered new ways to heal the human body, and even dug up some dinosaur bones.
For even more women in science past and present, be sure to check out the events, exhibits, and resources made available as part of the Women of Science at the New York State Museum program.
Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist, DB103575, by Linda Skeers
As a kid, Mary Anning loved hunting for fossils with her father, and she made an unexpected discovery: a dinosaur fossil, the first Ichthyosaurus ever to be discovered. Her find reshaped scientific beliefs about the natural world and women scientists. For preschool-grade 2. 2020.
Amazing Scientists, DB096654 and BR022806, by Julia Finley Mosca
Three biographies, written in 2017-18, featuring women scientists. Includes The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin, The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, and The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague. For grades K-3. 2018.
The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, DBC06763 and BRC01843, by Julia Finley Mosca
As a girl coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement, Patricia Bath made it her mission to become a doctor. When obstacles like racism, poverty, and sexism threatened this goal, she persevered--brightening the world with a game-changing treatment for blindness! For grades K-3. 2017.
Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist, DB105131, by Evan Griffith
The author recounts the curiosity, drive, and perseverance of Jeanne Power, a nineteenth-century woman scientist who pioneered the use of aquariums to study ocean life. For grades 2-4. 2021.
Hunt for the past: my life as an explorer, DBC16905 and BRC00681, by Sue Hendrickson as told to Kimberly Weinberger
Autobiography of the woman who discovered the world's most complete T. rex. For grades 2-4.
Elizabeth Blackwell: The First Woman Doctor, BR013867, by Ira Peck
Biography of the first woman to graduate from a medical college, finishing first in her 1849 class at a time when women had not been accepted into the American medical profession. For grades 4-7. 2000.
Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life, DB107232, by Cheryl Blackford
Profiles the life of Mary Anning, the Victorian fossil hunter who changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists of all time. Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England's first complete ichthyosaur. For grades 4-7. 2022.
Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist, DB093309, by Sylvia Acevedo
Memoir of a Latinx rocket scientist whose early life was transformed by joining the Brownies and who currently serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. For grades 5-8. 2018.
Trailblazers: 33 women in science who changed the world, DBC08622, by Rachel Swaby
This inspiring book, aimed at children aged ten and up, contains snapshots of some of the many women who have made important advancements in scientific fields such as biology, medicine, astronomy, and technology. For grades 5-8. 2015.
Hidden From History: The Lives of Eight American Women Scientists, DB058587, by Kim K. Zach
Collective biography of eight female scientists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries who excelled in their male-dominated fields. Describes the background and achievements of biochemist Gertrude Elion, biologist/geneticist Nettie Stevens, astronomer Annie Cannon, anatomist Florence Sabin, and computer scientist Grace Hopper, among others. For junior and senior high readers. 2002.
Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie, BR015838, by Barbara Goldsmith
Account of Marie Curie (1867-1934), the first woman to become a professor at the Sorbonne, and the first woman to receive two Nobel Prizes. Using family documents, Goldsmith compares Curie's roles of scientist, wife, and mother, focusing on the social and economic hurdles she had to overcome. 2005.
Lillian Gilbreth: Redefining Domesticity, BR020191, by Julie Des Jardins
Biography of the mother in Cheaper by the Dozen (BR 17784 and DB023282), Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972). Highlights her pioneering work as one of the first female industrial engineers to hold a doctorate degree and contribute to the field of organizational psychology--all while parenting a dozen children. 2013.
Miss Leavitt's Stars: The Untold Story of The Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe, BR016517, by George Johnson
Profiles Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921), who worked at the Harvard College Observatory in the male-dominated field of astronomy. Explains her meticulous recording of "variables"--stars that wax and wane--and her contributions to the theory of an expanding universe. 2005.