60 Inspiring and Informative Children's Books that celebrate Girl Power this International Women's Day

By Charlotte Carus | Posted: 27th February 2023 | Updated: 4th March 2025

To mark International Women's Day we have a selection of children's books that celebrate women's and girl's achievements, raise awareness against gender bias and take action for equality.

Biographies and fact books about fantastically great women and girls

The battle for equality will be won through education and in the workplace, and it is essential to introduce inspiring role models to our young people.

The Little People Big Dreams series is a great place to find out more about the lives of exceptional women including Vivienne Westwood, Emmeline Pankhurst, Taylor Swift and Simone Biles. Perfectly pitched to 5+ readers this biographical picture book series looks at the early lives of exceptional and high achieving people, and charts their rise to success from a young person with a dream.

Kate Pankhurst, a descendent of Emmeline Pankhurst who was instrumental in the campaign for women's suffrage, has written a series of books that focus on the achievements of women in history, science, politics, sports and the arts. Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is an eye catching picture book, packed with of stories of remarkable achievements of pioneering women. It also carries an uplifting message that everyone has the potential to change the world – follow your heart and believe in yourself.

Relating the remarkable stories of 100 extraordinary women of colour, Maliha Abidi’s Rise is an inspirational, informative showstopper of an anthology. Global in scope and engagingly lively in style, it’s a powerful and beautifully curated testament to trailblazing women of colour from all walks of life, from all fields of endeavour (literature, science, engineering, business, banking, mathematics, politics, law, medicine, human rights activism, sport, art, music, dance), from all corners of the world.

The Suffragettes

A study of women's rights is incomplete without a look at the Suffragette and Suffragist movement which campaigned for and secured votes for women. We have a special section dedicated to the subject - Suffragettes and the Votes for Women Campaign.

In Things a Bright Girl Can Do, Sally Nicholls tells the story of three young Suffragettes, each from very different backgrounds. It is at once a riveting character-driven read, and an outstandingly rich account of British social history between 1914 and 1917. It is also eye-opening for many young people who might not realise just how recently women were given the right to vote - it also highlights the ways in which society still has not changed.

What is International Women's Day?

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women through history to the present day.

Held annually on 8th March, IWD has been marked around the world for over 100 years and is an opportunity to ensure that women and girls have the same opportunities to succeed now and in the future.

The IWD 2025 campaign theme is #AccelerateAction.

For International Women's Day and beyond, let's all commit to accelerate action.

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge gender equality.

Collectively for #IWD2025 we can all #AccelerateAction.