This is Mae Jemison’s story, the girl whose curiosity, intelligence, and determination prompted her to follow her dreams, the woman who found incredible success working at NASA and became the first African American woman to travel to space.

Ahmed, R., & Burrington, S. (2018). Mae among the stars. Harpercollins.

Follow the life of young Ella Fitzgerald, who grew up poor in 1930’s New York, but didn’t let that stop her. Full of determination, she discovered that the dancing beat in her feet translated into a beautiful ability to sing. From her school-girl days to when she finally made it on the radio, readers will be inspired by one of America’s most beloved jazz singers.

Orgill, R., & Qualls, S. (2010). Skit-scat raggedy cat : Ella Fitzgerald. Candlewick Press.

Readers will be inspired by this picture book biography of Pura Belpre, who moved from Puerto Rico to New York City, and, noticing no books with authors or characters like her, worked hard to bring representation into the library. She became the first bilingual library assistant and began retelling Puerto Rican tales of her childhood to her library patrons, eventually spreading her story seeds all over the country.

Denise, A., & Escobar, P. (2019). Planting stories : The life of librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré. Harpercollins.

Read the story of Bronia Dluska and Marie Curie, two sisters who worked together to achieve their dreams of becoming a doctor and researcher, respectively, before women were allowed to dream so big. Learning the basics of math and science in secret, each sister working to pay for the other’s college tuition, and a discovery that changed the world all come into play in this inspirational biography. 

Marshall, L. E. (2023). Sisters in science. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Named a Best Children's Book of 2017 by Parents magazine, this is the story of Eugenie Clark, the woman who devoted her life to learning about sharks, before women studied to become scientists. Eugenie defied the customs of her time by earning several college degrees and teaching the world that sharks are to be admired rather than feared and that women could do whatever they set their minds to.  

Keating, J., & Miguéns, M. A. (2018). Shark lady : the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean’s most fearless scientist. Scholastic Inc.

Sonya Sotomayor didn’t let the poverty and prejudice of her childhood hold her back from doing great things; with hard work, she graduated first in her class. With bravery and determination, she became the United States’ first Latina Supreme Court justice.

Winter, J., Rodriguez, E., & Palacios, A. (2009). Sonia Sotomayor : A judge grows in the Bronx = la juez que creció en el Bronx. Atheneum Books For Young Readers.