11 of the Best Feminist Board Books for Babies and Toddlers

I can’t remember a time I didn’t consider myself a feminist, so of course, when building Marian’s library, I made sure to purchase lots of feminist board books. While there’s a ton of feminist picture books out there, there are not as many board books for babies and toddlers. That’s beginning to change, thankfully. I’ve rounded up 10 of the best feminist board books according to both Marian and myself. Have you read any of these? Any you would add to the list?

11 Feminist Board Books for Babies and Toddlers

We Are Little Feminists Board Book Set by Little Feminist

I audibly gasped when I opened this three-book set and beheld their beauty. The books feature gorgeous photographs of inclusive families and children of all types and abilities. The Families book portrays LGBTQ+ families, grandparents, and families of many races. Hair celebrates all the various shapes and places and ways hair can be. On the Go is my personal favorite of the three. I’ve never seen disability representation embraced visually in this way. It’s powerful to see all the ways our bodies can move, and all the different apparatuses that can get us there. They’re available on Amazon as a set, and on their website they can be purchased individually or as a set (I recommend buying all three). The Little Feminist company began as a children’s book subscription box, so if you’re looking for an inclusive book subscription box for your children, I recommend checking it out!

Feminist Baby by Loryn Brantz

This series is one of my favorites and Marian loves it too. Each page is brightly illustrated, and explains what feminist babies do: “Feminist baby says “No” to pants!” Ha! Marian loves the bright pages and how easy it is to flip through. I love how fun it is to read aloud. I learned about a second book in the series by one of our Instagram friends (Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice!), and I now see a third comes out in April, for boys (Feminist Baby! He’s a Feminist Too!)! I must collect them all.

This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer by Joan Holub, illustrated by Daniel Roode

From Ada Lovelace to Maria Tallchief, this little board book collects some powerful women’s biographies for little hands. It even includes a couple of women I ‘d never heard of! The “This Little” series contains a lot of themed board book biographies, but Girl Power is our favorite.

Little Feminist Board Book Set by Emily Kleinman, illustrated by Lydia Ortiz

These books were Marian’s favorites to chew on while she was teething. They all have giant chunks taken out of them! The Little Feminist Board Books Set is designed as small as it comes, with a single simple sentence on each page and about the size of a deck of cards. This makes them perfect for the smallest of hands, hence why they were one of Marian’s favorites from 3-6 months. They may not be the most fun to read, but they’re perfect for the youngest developing readers.

Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

Both Tilly and Marian reviewed this book before, but let me add as a mom how much I love this book! Focusing on child-friendly biographies of Black women, it includes some of my own personal heroines, like Octavia Butler and Nina Simone. The illustrations are both beautiful and adorable. If you have older children, also check out Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison.

A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World by Eva Chen, illustrated by Derek Desierto

It’s only been a month since Marian and I reviewed this ABC board book, but it had to be on this list! As a bigger board book, the over-sized illustrations and lettering pack a big punch. My favorite parts of the book are the quotes from the famous women it covers, while Marian’s favorite part is the giant mirror in the back. Either way, we both love it.

My First Book of Feminism (for Boys) by Julie Meberg, illustrated by Michéle Brummer Everett

We haven’t read this one yet, but I’m so happy to see a feminist board book that focuses on boys. People often misunderstand feminism as being something for only girls and women, but to have a truly just and equal society, everyone needs to be a feminist, not only people who identify as female. I can’t wait to check this out!

DC SUPER HEROES: MY FIRST BOOK OF GIRL POWER by Julie Merberg

I’m for Wonder Woman 100%, and I love this board book that empowers all the DC super women. With bright and powerful illustrations and simple biographies, this is a must for all the baby heroines out there. Marian loved this book from 6-9 months. I don’t know why that time period, but it was one of the first books where she could turn the pages. It must be something about the design that enables easy page-turning. I’m sure she’ll return to it again as an older toddler.

Baby Feminists by Libby Babbott-Klein, illustrated by Jessica Walker

Another book Marian and Tilly have book clubbed! This is the only board book on this list that’s also a lift-the-flap. The flaps are really clever because each flap is a cutout containing an image from under the flap as well. For example, an image of an adult Ruth Bader Ginsberg with her glasses and gavel reveals a baby RBG with the same glasses and gavel. So cute! And another wonderful collection of mini-biographies.

I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow

A celebration of self-love, I Like Myself is silly and empowering, serious and fun. The illustrations are whimsical and bold, and the text a joy to read. We have the extra-large board book, but I’ve also seen a tiny board book version at work. This is a great one to grow with a baby because there’s also a picture book version for when they’re in elementary school.

ABC What Can She Be? by Jessie Ford

Marian and I haven’t read this yet, but I’ve flipped through some pages online, and we need it for our library! Each letter of the alphabet matches up with a corresponding job for a little girl to aspire to, which is all the jobs, of course. We own a couple of other books by Jessie Ford that are gorgeous, such as Mrs. Peanuckle’s Bird Alphabet (I’m a birder). So I can recommend the artist in general!

Check out all our feminist book recommendations, as I’m sure we’ll constantly be adding to them!