Our Feminist Picture Book Recommendations

The Books We’re Reaching For to Inspire and Educate Kids For the Better

Looking for a way to share your values with the young feminists in your life?

Here’s our (non-exhaustive, ever-growing) list of favourite children’s picture books that promote intersectional, empathetic and critical thinking. 

Bodies and consent 

My Body, My Rules
By Nicki Esler-Gill and Dasha Riley 

Have you ever been tickled or tackled before? And then decided that you want no more? A fun and empowering new picture book introducing young readers to consent and positive body boundaries. 

Bodies Are Cool
By Tyler Feder 

This heart-warming, inclusive book is a celebration of every kind of body, featuring various skin tones, body shapes, hair types, and more, in an accessible way that instils body positivity and confidence. 

What Makes a Baby
By Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth 

A book for every kind of family and every kind of kid, this is a twenty-first century children’s picture book about conception, gestation, and birth, which reflects the reality of our modern time by being inclusive of all kinds of families. 

Celebrating diversity 

Someone Just Like You
By Helen Docherty and David Roberts 

A deeply moving, vitally important picture book exploring inclusivity, diversity, and the important of recognising our shared humanity, particularly with those who may have had to leave their homes. 

Wish in a Tree
By Lynda Mullay Hunt and Nancy Carpenter 

An uplifting picture book celebrating neurodiversity, this uplifting book celebrates out-of-the-box thinking, the power of creativity, and the importance of being proud of the things that set us apart. 

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
By Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo 

Packed with 100 bedtime stories about the lives of extraordinary women from the past and present, illustrated by 60 female and non-binary artists from all over the world. 

Indigenous knowledge  

Come Together
By Isaiah Firebrace and Jaelyn Biumaiwai 

The accessible and engaging book establishes a foundation of First Nations knowledge with 20 key topics. Featuring bright and contemporary illustrations and personal story-telling that will engage kids of all ages. 

The Land Recalls You
By Kirli Saunders, David Cragg and Noni Cragg 

Honouring the Stolen Generations, and all who’ve been taken, this is a powerful story of returning, written with love and reverence. 

A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home
By Maysa Odeh and Aliaa Betawi 

When Falasteen can’t find Palastine on a map at school she turns to her family for answers, in this story about family, resilience and home always being where the heart is. 

Colonial resistance 

Day Break
By Amy McQuire and Matt Chun 

This story refocuses the narratives around ‘Australia Day’ on Indigenous survival and resistance, and in doing so honours the past while looking to the future. Confronting yet truthful, painful yet full of hope, Day Break is a crucial story that will open up a conversation on truth-telling for the next generation. 

When We Say Black Lives Matter
By Maxine Beneba Clarke 

A black child’s parents explain what the term Black Lives Matter means to them: in protest and song, in joy and in sorrow. A gorgeous and essential picture book for children of all ages. 

Pull it Down
By Matt Chun 

Crooks and thieves and downright deadbeats – colonial monuments are cooked! Flip the flaps to disappear some dirtbags in the book for kids and their grown-ups. 

Emotional intelligence and friendship 

The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings
By Peter Oswald 

Overwhelming feelings surface, along with the urge to push them away, in this story that shows how turbulent emotions can be managed by naming and understanding them. 

The Friendship Guide
By Jillian Roberts and Andrea Armstrong 

For parents, guardians and kids themselves, it can be difficult to recognise what makes friendships work. This book is a comforting and straightforward resource, with real-life scenarios to help guide them. 

Rajiv’s Starry Feelings
By Niall Moorjani and Nanette Regan 

With the help of his father, Rajiv sets out on a journey to make sense of his feelings. This extraordinary story will help children everywhere explore the complex emotions we all feel but cannot always name. 

Gender representation 

The Spectacular Suit
By Kat Patrick and Hayley Wells 

A buoyant and heartwarming celebration of individuality, identity, and dressing to suit yourself. It’s almost Frankie’s birthday and everything is ready – except for something to wear. All of her party dresses feel wrong. What Frankie longs for is a suit.  

Julian is a Mermaid
By Jessica Love 

A glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves Julián flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world. All he can think about is dressing up in his own fabulous mermaid costume. A jubilant story of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality. 

Katerina Cruickshanks
By Daniel Gray-Barnett 

Brimming with humour and warmth, Katerina shows us there’s no such thing as being too much; it’s just a matter of finding the friends who will love you as you are. 

Climate and the environment  

Little Land
By Diana Sudyka 

An exploration of the connection between life and land central to the past, present, and future of our planet, this book invites readers to think about the ways they engage with the environment in their own lives. 

Can we really help the Polar Bears?
By Katie Daynes and Roisin Hahessy 

The Arctic ice is melting and the polar bears need our help. They come to Warmland to explain what’s really going wrong and find a group of kids who jump into action and draw up a brilliant plan. 

We Are Water Protectors
By Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade 

Told from the perspective of a Native American child, this is a powerful call to action to defend Earth’s natural resources—inspired by the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and similar movements led by Indigenous tribes across North America. 

Helpful tip: When looking to purchase books it’s always best to buy from local, independent booksellers. However, borrowing from libraries is a great alternative to buying! Many people don’t realise that borrowing books from libraries still puts money in the author’s pocket and is a great way to support them, without needing to spend anything!

Help us grow our list. What are the books you reach for when story-time hits?