Here are 100 books that Mary Wears What She Wants fans have personally recommended if you like Mary Wears What She Wants. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Paper Bag Princess

Virginia Mendez Author Of Childhood Unlimited: Parenting Beyond the Gender Bias

From my list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone. 

Virginia's book list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children

Virginia Mendez Why Virginia loves this book

This is a fantastic story with a strong female role model that reverts a lot of the classic princess stories.

It is a fabulous story about a brave and wonderful girl who refuses to be defined by her wardrobe or to whose idea of “living happily ever after” is much more than marrying a prince.

Fun and a great conversation starter!

By Robert Munsch , Michael Martchenko (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Paper Bag Princess as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Over five million copies in print!

When the fiercest dragon in the whole world smashes Princess Elizabeth's castle, burns all her clothes, and captures her fiance, Prince Ronald, Elizabeth takes matters into her own hands. With her wits alone and nothing but a paper bag to wear, the princess challenges the dragon to show his strength in the hopes of saving the prince. But is it worth all that trouble?

Readers the world-over have fallen in love with this classic story of girl power. Now a newly designed Classic Munsch edition will introduce the tale to a new…


If you love Mary Wears What She Wants...

Book cover of The Afterlife of the Party

The Afterlife of the Party by Darcy Marks,

An interdimensional mixer with angels and other beings brings unexpected trouble for Malachi and his friends in this smart and uniquely funny second book about the squad of teens from hell.

When an angel comes to his home to deliver a message, Malachi immediately knows what’s going on. The seraph…

Book cover of Simone de Beauvoir

Virginia Mendez Author Of Childhood Unlimited: Parenting Beyond the Gender Bias

From my list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone. 

Virginia's book list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children

Virginia Mendez Why Virginia loves this book

I love how beautifully illustrated the Little People Big Dreams series is and how they follow important people in history through their childhood in a very inspiring, fun, and accessible way. They don’t run away from difficult topics, but they are very age-appropriate.

I have a lot of them, and they are brilliant in showing diversity in a lot of different ways and the world-changing impact of being brave and true to yourself. 

By Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara , Christine Roussey (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Simone de Beauvoir as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

New in the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Simone de Beauvoir, the great French philosopher and mother of feminism.

When Simone de Beauvoir was a little girl, her father would proudly boast that she had the brain of a man - whatever that meant. But later, after years of studying, Simone would write a book that challenged the role of women in society, sending shock waves around the world. This moving book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed…


Book cover of My First Book Of Feminism (for Boys)

Virginia Mendez Author Of Childhood Unlimited: Parenting Beyond the Gender Bias

From my list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone. 

Virginia's book list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children

Virginia Mendez Why Virginia loves this book

This is an absolute favourite of mine as a gift for new baby boys.

It is in rhyme and has very easy illustrations. It is never too early to let people know that feminism is for everyone, including boys, and to show in an easy way the things that they can do to help but also expand the options for them. 

By Julie Merberg ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My First Book Of Feminism (for Boys) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Feminism begins at home—and My First Book of Feminism (for Boys) is where it begins!

Simple illustrations paired with engaging, rhyming text make the compelling, age appropriate argument that girls and boys are equal, plain and simple. Humorous, familiar scenarios are treated as teachable moments for very young boys (ages 0-3) who will ideally grow up without ever questioning women's equality. From "no means no," to "women's rights are human rights," important, grownup ideas are made clear and fun for young, impressionable minds. This is the book every mom should read to her son!


If you love Keith Negley...

Book cover of Hazel and Mabel

Hazel and Mabel by Melissa Stoller,

A satisfying story of rediscovering friendship after time spent apart.

For many years, Hazel and Mabel were inseparable. The two friends made up stories, spent the night together, and shared their snacks. Then, Mabel moved away. As time passes, Hazel and Mabel think of each other often, but they also…

Book cover of Fastest woman on Earth: The story of Tatyana McFadden

Virginia Mendez Author Of Childhood Unlimited: Parenting Beyond the Gender Bias

From my list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone. 

Virginia's book list on challenging gender stereotypes with your children

Virginia Mendez Why Virginia loves this book

Kids can talk about diversity in a way that doesn’t have to be scary.

In this case, not only do the books talk about the differences of being a woman but also disabilities and being adopted and raised by a couple of lesbians. This is a book that embraces our own individuality and how we can succeed by doing things our own way.

It is inspiring and beautifully illustrated

By Francesca Cavallo , Luis San Vicente (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fastest woman on Earth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From Francesca Cavallo, author of the NY Times bestseller Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

This is the story of 17-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden.
Born with spina bifida in Russia, Tatyana was raised in an orphanage where she walked on her hands for the first six years of her life. In 1994, she was adopted and moved to the United States, where she started racing and breaking records; and is now considered the best female wheelchair racer of all time, and the fastest woman on Earth.
First book in the non-fiction Paralympians series, a picture book series telling the…


Book cover of Jacob's New Dress

Jacqueline B. Toner Author Of Yes I Can!: A Girl and Her Wheelchair

From my list on acceptance and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved children. I love tiny babies just discovering the world around them. I love elementary-age kids who are taking pride in developing new skills and learning how to deal with challenges. I love teens who are questioning and rethinking the things they thought they knew. I also love the science and practice of psychology (my profession for over thirty years) and, I love books. To date, I have written nine books. My audience ranges from preschool to high school and topics include strategies to understand and cope with problems as well as psychology as a topic of study.

Jacqueline's book list on acceptance and empathy

Jacqueline B. Toner Why Jacqueline loves this book

This gentle picture book introduces us to Jacob who wants to dress up like his friend, Emily, and not in the costumes the other boys prefer. Despite being teased when he arrives at school wearing a dress fashioned from a towel, Jacob decides he wants a “real” dress. With support from his parents, he makes one of his own. Further teasing is met by Jacob’s expression of pride in his creation and refusal to compromise who he is. This colorful book promotes acceptance of gender nonconformance and can serve as an opener to discussions of the topic with young children.

By Sarah Hoffman , Ian Hoffman , Chris Case (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Jacob's New Dress as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

One of 10 Best Indie Picture Books of 2014, ForeWord Reviews
Runner-Up, 2014 New England Book Festival: Children's Books
2014 Distinguished List of the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California
CCBC Choices 2015

An affirming story about gender nonconformity.

Jacob loves playing dress-up, when he can be anything he wants to be. Some kids at school say he can't wear "girl" clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants? This heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by children who don't identify with traditional…


Book cover of Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

Charlotte Sullivan Wild Author Of Love, Violet

From my list on LGBTQ+ picture books.

Why am I passionate about this?

Hello! I’m a picture book author and former educator and bookseller. I also spent over a decade as a professor of Children’s Literature. More importantly, I’ve spent hundreds of hours of enjoying picture books with kiddos on my lap or circled up for storytime. (Is there a greater joy?) I was also a queer kid at a time when acknowledging LGBTQIAP2+ kids exist was unthinkable. But that is changing! Especially every time we buy, check out, and share diverse picture books with kids. Or treasure them for ourselves. I do!

Charlotte's book list on LGBTQ+ picture books

Charlotte Sullivan Wild Why Charlotte loves this book

A life-long lover of dresses that “swish” and “crinkle,” I’m in complete solidarity with Morris Micklewrite in his choice of the tangerine dress and shoes that “click” at dress-up time. But his classmates, hung up on narrow gender rules, don’t agree. Yet this story is not about Morris’s gender. It’s about his fondness for a color that reminds him of tigers and the sun, his love of playing spaceship and visiting elephants in his imagination. Even before I understood I was queer, I gravitated to peers who I now know are queer, too. Yet we bonded over play, singing, imagining adventures together! That’s what mattered. By this story’s end, some of Morris’s peers also realize it’s not gender rules that matter, but the greatness of the adventures you share! 

By Christine Baldacchino , Isabelle Malenfant (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Morris is a little boy who loves using his imagination. But most of all, Morris loves wearing the tangerine dress in his classroom's dress-up center. The children in Morris's class don't understand. Dresses, they say, are for girls. And Morris certainly isn't welcome in the spaceship some of his classmates are building. Astronauts, they say, don't wear dresses. One day when Morris feels all alone and sick from their taunts, his mother lets him stay home from school. Morris dreams of a fantastic space adventure with his cat, Moo. Inspired by his dream, Morris paints the incredible scene he saw…


If you love Mary Wears What She Wants...

Book cover of From Cells to Ourselves: The Story of Evolution

From Cells to Ourselves by Gill Arbuthnott,

4.5 billion years ago, Earth was forming - but nothing could have survived there…

From Cells to Ourselves is the incredible story of how life on earth started and how it gradually evolved from the first simple cells to the abundance of life around us today. Walk with dinosaurs, analyse…

Book cover of Sexing La Mode: Gender, Fashion and Commercial Culture in Old Regime France

Christine Adams Author Of The Creation of the French Royal Mistress: From Agnès Sorel to Madame Du Barry

From my list on the beauty and the politics of fashion.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child (and budding feminist), I inhaled historical fiction about queens and other formidable women. This led to my scholarly interest in female power and authority. Aristocratic women had meaningful political influence in Old Regime France through family networks and proximity to power. However, with the French Revolution of 1789, women’s exclusion from political power (and the vote) was made explicit. This led me to examine the tools women had to accumulate political and social capital, including beauty and the control of fashion. We need to take the intersection of beauty, fashion, and politics seriously to understand the operation of power in both history and the modern world. The books I chose privilege my own interest in eighteenth-century France, but have a broader significance. And they are all really fun to read!

Christine's book list on the beauty and the politics of fashion

Christine Adams Why Christine loves this book

A major divergence in the nature of elite men's and women’s clothing styles took place in the eighteenth century that symbolized a new understanding of both femininity and French national identity. The fancy dress men wore at court transformed into the sober black suit of the male professional, while women’s clothing became increasingly ornate, fussy, and “feminine” in the modern understanding of the term. Jones links fashion and gender systems to social, cultural, and economic practices—including the rise of consumer culture—and demonstrates why the study of fashion and sexuality are far from frivolous.

By Jennifer M. Jones ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sexing La Mode as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The connection between fashion, femininity, frivolity and Frenchness has become a cliche. Yet, relegating fashion to the realm of frivolity and femininity is a distinctly modern belief that developed along with the urban culture of the Enlightenment. In eighteenth-century France, a commercial culture filled with shop girls, fashion magazines and window displays began to supplant a court-based fashion culture based on rank and distinction, stimulating debates over the proper relationship between women and commercial culture, public and private spheres, and morality and taste. Mary Wollstonecraft was one of those particularly critical of this 'vulgar' obsession with 'tawdry finery', declaring it…


Book cover of The Bombshell Manual of Style

Gia De Cadenet Author Of Not the Plan

From my list on helping romance lovers remember who they are.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a long-time expat in France, a creative and a Black woman, I get othered and rejected a lot. I’ve had to learn how to own my story – of starting over, of building something from nothing, of remembering where I’ve been, and reminding myself of where I’m going. I had to learn to reject the labels that others want to put on me and draft my own personal hype mantra – then embellish it with a little bombshell sparkle. The books I’ve chosen are meant to entertain while giving you the chance to remind yourself of who you are and who you can choose to be.  

Gia's book list on helping romance lovers remember who they are

Gia De Cadenet Why Gia loves this book

I’ve purchased three copies of this book over the years, as I simply cannot live without it.

After a turn through its pages, I sit up a little straighter, walk into a room as if I own the place – and people respond as though I do.

Stover instructs the reader on the life and behavior of historical bombshells and how she (or he) can adopt those characteristics in daily life.

When I’m feeling frumpy, or downtrodden, or just blah, I can add a little sparkle with some ideas from this book.

In my novel, the female lead, Isadora, gives herself a little confidence before a meeting with the male lead by wearing some sexier-than-usual lingerie meant for her eyes only—an idea from this book.

By Laren Stover , Ruben Toledo (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bombshell Manual of Style as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this glittering beauty and lifestyle guide packed with pearls of wisdom, Laren Stover has compiled everything a woman needs to know to live the Bombshell life: from how to dress and make an entrance to what to eat and where to shop. It tells readers what makes a Bombshell tick; road-tested outfits for 25 occasions; must-have Bombshell sleepwear, handbags, and fragrances; what's in the Bombshell library; and what she looks for in a man. With scads of little-known facts about real-life bombshells like Liz, Mae, and Lana this fun and ever-so-practical little book is certain to bring out the…


Book cover of Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing, and Status in Colonial Lima

Robert S. DuPlessis Author Of The Material Atlantic: Clothing, Commerce, and Colonization in the Atlantic World, 1650-1800

From my list on innovations in the first consumer revolution.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always wanted to know why people acquire the things they choose, how they get them, and what they do with them. For years, too, I’ve been fascinated by the period when modernity was being born, a time full of worldwide exploration, the founding of new nations and societies, and the invention of new ways of making, transporting, and distributing all sorts of goods and services. I discovered that studying consumers, consumer goods, and trade from the mid-seventeenth to the late eighteenth century was the perfect way to satisfy my curiosity. The Material Atlantic is my report about what I’ve learned.

Robert's book list on innovations in the first consumer revolution

Robert S. DuPlessis Why Robert loves this book

Luxury is not usually associated with slavery. But in the colonial Americas, it could be. Sometimes, because some enslaved men and women were tailors and seamstresses, and some of the clothing they created was costly. More often, however, because some enslaved people got their hands on expensive, fashionable clothing.

Historians have begun to tell this story, and few do it better than the young scholar Tamara Walker. In this superb study, Walker tracks down all sorts of sources, written and pictorial, to describe the many ways that enslaved individuals acquired fine clothing in Lima, Peru, a Spanish-American colonial capital renowned for its residents’ opulent apparel.

Exquisite Slaves adds a fresh dimension to the exciting scholarship that is revealing how marginalized groups have obtained goods usually forbidden to them.

By Tamara J. Walker ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Exquisite Slaves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Exquisite Slaves, Tamara J. Walker examines how slaves used elegant clothing as a language for expressing attitudes about gender and status in the wealthy urban center of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Lima, Peru. Drawing on traditional historical research methods, visual studies, feminist theory, and material culture scholarship, Walker argues that clothing was an emblem of not only the reach but also the limits of slaveholders' power and racial domination. Even as it acknowledges the significant limits imposed on slaves' access to elegant clothing, Exquisite Slaves also showcases the insistence and ingenuity with which slaves dressed to convey their own sense…


If you love Keith Negley...

Book cover of Scout and the Rescue Dogs

Scout and the Rescue Dogs by Dianne Wolfer,

The summer holidays have finally arrived and Scout can’t wait for her adventure in the big rig with Dad. They’re on a mission to deliver donations of dog food to animal rescue shelters right across the state. There’ll be dad-jokes, rock-collecting, and a brilliant plan that will make sure everyone’s…

Book cover of What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society

Kevin Cornell Author Of New in Town

From my list on world-building.

Why am I passionate about this?

I believe stories to be our species’ instinctual tool for discovering our best selves. Sometimes those stories are about real people in the past, sometimes they’re completely imagined people in the future — sometimes we even swap out the humans for animals or aliens, or sassy anthropomorphized objects. Whatever the case, for a story to work its wonders, its details must be believable, or we reject its premise. These books help make a story believable, and, if you get the alchemy just right, those details can even help tell the story themselves.

Kevin's book list on world-building

Kevin Cornell Why Kevin loves this book

This is a pretty exhaustive study of how humans garb themselves, and how function, wealth and technology all influence fashion. Whether you’re telling the a tale of a doughty Georgian lace merchant, or the harrowing adventures of an inter-dimensional jazz band, you’re probably going to put your heroes in some sort of clothing, and this book gives you insight into all the various ways humans have found to do that.

By Melissa Leventon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What People Wore When as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What People Wore When combines the studies of two classic nineteenth-century illustrators Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth for the first time. Their works are presented first by chronology and then by subject, so that illustrators, historians, and students alike can choose to follow the path of fashion through the centuries, or study in detail the contrasting styles of individual clothing and accessories. Silhouettes reveal the shape of style through the ages, detailed cross-references draw attention to recurring motifs, and navigation bars help the researcher to travel the complex chronology of costume.

With authoritative narrative from leading experts in the history…


Book cover of The Paper Bag Princess
Book cover of Simone de Beauvoir
Book cover of My First Book Of Feminism (for Boys)

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