International Women's Day stories
22 Feb 2023
International Women's Day is a global event celebrated annually on March 8, as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
Using picture books, young children of all ages can explore stories with educators, librarians, parents and carers, gaining empathy and understanding of the world around them. Explore recommended titles below, or find our ‘Stories for International Women’s Day’ playlist on your Story Box Library account dashboard.
My body is strong.
My body can do amazing things.
My body is my own.
Freedom is loving your body with all its "imperfections" and being the perfectly imperfect you!
Love Your Body encourages young girls to admire and celebrate their bodies for all the amazing things they can do, and help girls see that they are so much more than their bodies.
Written by Jessica Sanders, illustrated by Carol Rossetti and read by Kemi Nekvapil.
With a deep breath, she turns the key in the lock.
The door swings open and she takes her first step towards home.
The girl sings and dreams of her mother and the life they once shared but each morning is woken by the bell to the harsh reality of the children's home. Finally, one day she unlocks the door and takes her first step toward home. And so comes a glimmer of hope for a young girl taken from all she knows and loves.
A fictionalised account of the Stolen Generation that tells of an Aboriginal girl taken from her family by the government and sent to a children's home by author Trina Saffioti, illustrated by Norma MacDonald and read by Anita Heiss.
When We Say Black Lives Matter
Little one, when we say Black Lives Matter,
we're saying black people are wonderful-strong.
That we deserve to be treated with basic respect,
and that history's done us wrong.
From birth to the end of school, in joy and in sorrow, on the trumpet and the djembe, at home and in the community, a black child's parents remind him why Black Lives Matter.
A gorgeous and essential story for children of all ages, written, illustrated and read by Maxine Beneba Clarke.
"Elvi, which one is your mum?"
"They're both my mum."
"But which one's your real mum?"
When Nicholas wants to know which of Elvi's two mums is her real mum, she gives him lots of clues. Her real mum is a circus performer, and a pirate, and she even teaches spiders the art of the web.
But Nicholas still can't work it out. Luckily, Elvi knows just how to explain it to her friend.
A beautiful story that celebrates nontraditional families and captures exactly what lies at the heart of family life — love. Gorgeously illustrated by Anna Zobel, written with a light and humorous touch by Bernadette Green, and read by Erin Wamala.
Explore a diverse collection of stories on Story Box Library.
