Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote
By Tanya Lee Stone, Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon
Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood up and fought for what she believed in. From an early age, she knew that women were not given rights equal to men. But rather than accept her lesser status, Elizabeth went to college and later gathered other like-minded women to challenge the right to vote. Here is the inspiring story of an extraordinary woman who changed America forever because she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Grades 1-5
Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote
By Barb Rosenstock, Illustrated by Sarah Green
When Woodrow Wilson was elected President, he didn’t know that he would be participating in one of the greatest fights of the century: the battle for women’s right to vote. The formidable Alice Paul led the women’s suffrage movement and saw President Wilson’s election as an opportunity to win the vote for women. She battered her opponent with endless strategic arguments and carefully coordinated protests, calling for a new amendment to grant women the right to vote.
With a spirit and determination that never quit, even when peaceful protests were met with violence and even when many women were thrown in jail, Paul eventually convinced President Wilson to support her cause, changing the country forever. Framed as a boxing match, this book provides a fascinating and compelling look at an important moment in American history. Grades 2-5
The Voice that Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History
By Elisa Boxer, Illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger
In August of 1920, women’s suffrage in America came down to the vote in Tennessee. If the Tennessee legislature approved the 19th amendment it would be ratified giving all American women the right to vote. The historic moment came down to a single vote. The voter who tipped the scale toward equality did so because of a powerful letter from his mother. Febb Burn urged her son Harry to “Vote for suffrage and don’t forget to be a good boy.” The Voice That Won the Vote is the story of Febb, Harry, and the letter than gave all American women a voice. Grades 2-5
History Smashers: Women’s Right to Vote
By Kate Messner, Illustrated by Dylan Meconis
In 1920, Susan B. Anthony passed a law that gave voting rights to women in the United States. RIGHT?
WRONG! Susan B. Anthony wasn’t even alive when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. Plus, it takes a lot more than one person to amend the constitution.
The truth is, it took millions of women to get that amendment into law. They marched! They picketed! They even went to jail. But in the end, it all came down to a letter from a state representative’s mom. No joke.
Through illustrations, graphic panels, photographs, sidebars, and more, Kate Messner smashes history by exploring the little-known details behind the fight for women’s suffrage. Grades 3-7
Around America to Win the Vote:
Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles
By Mara Rockliff, Illustrated by Hadley Hooper
In April 1916, Nell Richardson and Alice Burke set out from New York City in a little yellow car, embarking on a bumpy, muddy, unmapped journey ten thousand miles long. They took with them a teeny typewriter, a tiny sewing machine, a wee black kitten, and a message for Americans all across the country: Votes for Women!
The women’s suffrage movement was in full swing, and Nell and Alice would not let anything keep them from spreading the word about equal voting rights for women. Braving blizzards, deserts, and naysayers—not to mention a whole lot of tires stuck in the mud—the two courageous friends made their way through the cities and towns of America to further their cause. Grades K-3
What Is the Women’s Right to Vote?
By Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Laurie A. Conley
From Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Gloria Steinem and Hillary Clinton, women throughout US history have fought for equality. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, women were demanding the right to vote. During the 1960s, equal rights and opportunities for women–both at home and in the workplace–were pushed even further. And in the more recent past, Women’s Marches have taken place across the world. Celebrate how far women have come with this inspiring read! 8-12 years
Miss Paul and the President:
The Creative Campaign for Women’s Right to Vote
By Dean Robbins, Illustrated by Nancy Zhang
When Alice Paul was a child, she saw her father go off to vote while her mother had to stay home. But why should that be? So Alice studied the Constitution and knew that the laws needed to change. But who would change them? She would! In her signature purple hat, Alice organized parades, wrote letters and protested outside the White House. She even met with President Woodrow Wilson, who told her there were more important issues to worry about than women voting. But nothing was more important to Alice. So she kept at it, and soon President Wilson was persuaded. This unsung hero will show young voters-to-be how important it is to never back down from a cause you believe in. Preschool – Grade 3
Elizabeth Started All the Trouble
By Doreen Rappaport, Illustrated by Matt Faulkner
She couldn’t go to college.
She couldn’t become a politician.
She couldn’t even vote.
But Elizabeth Cady Stanton didn’t let that stop her.
She called on women across the nation to stand together and demand to be treated as equal to men – and that included the right to vote. It took nearly seventy-five years and generations of women fighting for their rights through words, through action, and through pure determination . . . for things to slowly begin to change.
With the help of these trailblazers’ own words, Doreen Rappaport shows readers just how far this revolution has come, and inspires them to keep it going! Preschool – Grade 3
You Want Women to Vote Lizzie Stanton?
By Jean Fritz, Illustrated by Dyane DiSalvo Ryan
This biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is as spirited as the women’s rights pioneer herself.
Who says women shouldn’t speak in public? And why can’t they vote? These are questions Elizabeth Cady Stanton grew up asking herself. Her father believed that girls didn’t count as much as boys, and her own husband once got so embarrassed when she spoke at a convention that he left town.
Luckily Lizzie wasn’t one to let society stop her from fighting for equality for everyone. And though she didn’t live long enough to see women get to vote, our entire country benefited from her fight for women’s rights. Grades 3-7
How Women Won the Right to Vote:
Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea
By Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Illustrated by Ziyue Chen
From Newbery Honor medalist Susan Campbell Bartoletti in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in America comes the story of the little-known DC Women’s March of 1913.
Bartoletti introduces readers to suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. They met in a London jail and fought their way through hunger strikes, jail time, and much more to win a long, difficult victory for America and its women.
Includes extensive back matter and dozens of archival images to evoke the time period between 1909 and 1920. Grades 3-7
The book descriptions used in this post are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
“It’s not fair.” Susan B. Anthony was very concerned about fairness and equality for women and girls in America. She knew it wasn’t fair to pay a woman less than a man for the same job. She knew it wasn’t fair not to allow women to vote in elections. In fact, it was illegal for women to vote. But she felt so strongly, she voted in an election–and was arrested–anyway.
Young readers will learn about young Susan B. Anthony and how she grew up to become a suffragette–a fighter for women’s equality. She joined forces with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others and gave speeches around the country to gain support for women’s right to vote. She fought her whole life, and believed that “failure is impossible.” She was right; her work made the 19th Amendment to the Constitution possible!
Step 3 Readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics–for children who are ready to read on their own. 4-6 years.
Susan B. Anthony
By Alexandra Wallner
During Susan B. Anthony’s life, women and men were not considered equal. Women could not own property or vote; nor could they receive good educations. But Susan envisioned a time when women would be treated fairly and so she became a voice for change.
Her speeches and articles about women’s suffrage made her unpopular–people threw rotten eggs at her and even threatened her life–yet she did not give up. In clear and simple words and jewel-like paintings, here is the essential story of the woman whose passion for justice led to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. 6-9 years
Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes For President
By Ann Malaspina, Illustrated by Steve James
On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony made history–and broke the law–when she voted in the U.S. presidential election, a privilege that had been reserved for men. She was arrested, tried, and found guilty: “The greatest outrage History every witnessed,” she wrote in her journal. It wasn’t until 1920 that women were granted the right to vote, but the civil rights victory would not have been possible without Susan B. Anthony’s leadership and passion to stand up for what was right. 4-8 years
Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, Illustrated by Mike Lacey
Susan B. Anthony may be an international icon but her campaign for women’s rights had personal roots. Working as a school teacher in New York, Anthony refused to settle for less pay than her male colleagues which ignited her lifelong devotion to women’s equality. Anthony toured the United States and Europe giving speeches and publishing articles as one of the most important advocates of women’s rights. Learn more about the woman behind the movement.8-12 years
Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Women’s Rights
By Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Amy June Bates
Unlike most girls of her time, Susan B. Anthony received an education. And besides reading and writing, her schooling taught her that women should have the same rights as men, above all the right to vote. So from the time she was a young woman until the day she died, Susan worked very hard to change America and make her dream reality. 6-8 years
I Am Susan B. Anthony
By Nancy Parent
Brad feels left out when Xavier and Yadina take a vote without him. Thanks to Susan B. Anthony, they learn that everyone should have a vote! This episode-based 8×8 will focus on the traits that made our heroes great–the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. 3-5 years
Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass
By Dean Robbins, Illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
Some people had rights, while others had none.
Why shouldn’t they have them, too?
Two friends, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, get together for tea and conversation. They recount their similar stories fighting to win rights for women and African Americans. The premise of this particular exchange between the two is based on a statue in their hometown of Rochester, New York, which shows the two friends having tea. 4-8 years
Why Couldn’t Susan B. Anthony Vote?
And Other Questions About Women’s Suffrage
By Mary Kay Carson
Who was Susan B. Anthony—what did she stand for, why was she arrested, and how did she fight for women’s right to vote? And did she ever see her dream of woman’s suffrage come true? From the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, to the enactment of the 19th Amendment, this lively chronicle introduces Anthony and the American suffragist movement. 7 and up
Susan B. Anthony: Champion for Voting Rights
By Mark Shulman, Illustrated by Kelly Tindall
This is a biography of the woman who was at the forefront of the women’s suffrage movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Along with other social reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass, Anthony not only paved the way for women seeking the right to vote but also spoke out against the institution of slavery, at great personal risk. Full-color illustrations and historically accurate text make this biography an entertaining, educational, and inspiring read for those who enjoy history and graphic novels. 8-12 years
Marching With Aunt Susan
By Claire Rudolf Murphy, Illustrated by Stacy Schuett
This is the inspiring story of the fight for women’s suffrage, based on the experiences of a real girl. All Bessie wants is to go hiking with her father and brothers. But it’s 1896, and girls don’t get to hike. They can’t vote either, which Bessie discovers when Susan B. Anthony comes to town to help lead the campaign for women’s suffrage. Stirred to action, Bessie joins the movement and discovers that small efforts can result in small changes―and maybe even big ones.
Inspired by the diary of the real Bessie Keith Pond, a ten-year-old girl who lived in California during the suffrage campaign, this story offers a thought-provoking introduction to the fight for women’s rights. A story of hope and determination, Marching with Aunt Susan reminds readers that society cannot evolve unless people―even young people―dare to take a stand. 6-10 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
