March is Women’s History Month in the United States, and it’s also Arts Education Month in California. To switch it up and celebrate both, we’re highlighting teaching resources on women’s history, history and art, and women in the arts. And this month’s Kate’s Book Club picks all feature excellent picture books about women artists.
CHSSP Resource Spotlights:
- Women’s History Month (2025): Last year’s Women’s History Month resource spotlight details how WHM originated in California! Check it out for a comprehensive list of CHSSP lesson plans, blogs, and other educator resources.
- Art and History: A Perfect Pair: In February 2025, our resource spotlight highlighted connections between art and history. Check it out for resources and art-themed picture book recommendations!
- Women and Gender History: This resource spotlight from 2024 highlights several CHSSP inquiry sets on women’s history, as well as recent scholarship and picture books. Check out our eleventh-grade lesson on Women’s Suffrage to learn how women organized to win the franchise.
- Women’s History Month (2023): This Monthly Highlights page from 2023 focuses on intersectionality in history. Included is a tenth-grade primary source set that discusses the Japanese military’s system of sexual slavery that provided “comfort women” for Japanese troops throughout Asia and the Pacific, and the survivors’ courageous testimony and calls for formal apologies in the 1990s.
- March 2022 Monthly Highlights: This list of resources, from Women’s History Month 2022, includes additional inquiry sets and book recommendations for teachers, including an extensive selection of Women’s History Month picture book titles from #KatesBookClub.
Other Resources for Educators:
- The National Museum of Women in the Arts has a number of free resources for educators of all grades, including exhibition guides, lesson plans, and virtual art galleries.
- The National Gallery of Art offers a Women and Art Teaching Packet for middle and high school students that tackles the theme of gender inequality in art spaces.
- The National Women’s History Museum has many free downloadable lesson plans on women’s history, including many that feature women artists.
#KatesBookClub Reads:
Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall. Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all skin tones can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured. A member of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, students can learn more about Laura Wheeler Waring’s life here. Beautiful story to be shared.
Dorothea’s Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Gerard DuBois. After a childhood bout of polio left her with a limp, all Dorothea Lange wanted to do was disappear. But her desire not to be seen helped her learn how to blend into the background and observe. With a passion for the artistic life, and in spite of her family's disapproval, Lange pursued her dream to become a photographer and focused her lens on the previously unseen victims of the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange’s digital archive is housed at the Oakland Museum.
Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud, illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller. In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage. At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the special jingle dress her mother made for her. As she grew up, she danced with her brothers all over Indian country. Then Ria learned more styles–tap, jazz, ballet–but still loved the expressiveness of Indigenous dance. The author reads her story aloud here.
Frida Kahlo’s Flower Crown by Nydia Armendia-Sanchez, illustrated by Loris Lora. California author and California illustrator. Told through the expressive language and colorful imagery of native Mexican flowers and plants this title introduces the life of beloved artist Frida Kahlo to young students. Like a flower, Frida blossomed, wilted, was crushed, survived, and thrived, growing into one of the most celebrated Indigenous painters. So many examples of descriptive language, and arts integration opportunities. Don’t miss the biographical information and crown-making instructions in the back matter. “Though her body broke like a stem, art and creativity uplifted her.” “Frida’s roots spread deep once more, and her wrist moved like a leaf, bending and swaying in the breeze.” “Frida bloomed season after season, reaching for the sky.” Enjoy the read aloud of this story (and draw along!) with the author and illustrator.
It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julie Morstad. This picture-book biography tells the life of Gyo Fujikawa, a trailblazing Japanese American artist committed to creating picture books depicting a multiracial world. Born in 1908, Fujikawa grew up on the west coast. She studied in the United States, and in Japan, where she rebelled against formal art rules and learned independently. Her first solo book, Babies, depicted Black and brown and white babies and was published in 1963 to great success. Don’t miss the timeline with photographs, and an author’s note in the back matter. Excellent piece of nonfiction for young children.
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Christian Robinson, California illustrator. Nina Simone, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, learned to sing “before she could talk and found rhythm before she could walk.” Her father taught her jazz on the piano; her mother, who sang all the time, approved only of church music. After attending Julliard, Nina gave up music for a time, worried racism would stymie her career, but she couldn’t stay away. She changed her name to Nina Simone so her mama wouldn’t know she was singing in a nightclub. Her first record brought fame that she eventually channeled into a career dedicated to voicing the pain and struggle and joy of being Black in America. A lengthy biographical narrative is provided at the end of the book.
Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, illustrated by Brigette Barrager, California illustrator. From her imaginative childhood to her career as an illustrator, designer, and animator for Walt Disney Studios, Mary wouldn’t play by the rules. At a time when studios wanted to hire men and think in black and white, Mary painted twinkling emerald skies, peach giraffes with tangerine spots, and magenta horses that could fly. Students may recognize Mary’s artwork in the “It’s a Small World” ride in Disneyland and on the big screen in classic movies like “Cinderella” and “Peter Pan.” A recent exhibit at the Disney Family Museum highlighted Mary’s work.