March brings books celebrating National Women's History Month, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and, of course, spring, when the cold earth stirs and the first buds peek forth.

American women struggled hard and long for the right to vote. Ann Bausum's With Courage and Cloth (National Geographic, 2004, ages 10 and up, $21.95) sweeps young readers into this intriguing 72-year story, which spans the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Profiles of leaders such as Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton highlight their important accomplishments. The text and vintage photos make clear, though, that many unnamed women contributed their brains, pens, powers of persuasion and marching feet to the cause. Until recently, few children knew that women had been imprisoned numerous times for picketing the White House. Kudos to Bausum for emphasizing what our foremothers sacrificed to secure this basic right.

Annie, Between the States (HarperCollins, 2004, ages 12 and up, $15.99) chronicles the tumultuous Civil War, not through the eyes of a soldier but from the point of view of a young woman facing tough choices. Staunchly supportive of her home state of Virginia, Annie Sinclair applauds her brothers who are soldiering for the Confederate cause. She shelters wounded Southerners, spies for the cause and despises all things Northern—until the day she meets Thomas Walker, an injured Union officer. Annie's grudging respect for this "enemy" and events that occurred, such as the Confederate capture of two freed family slaves, force her to question her loyalty. Penned by local author L. M. Elliott, this novel should prove especially compelling for National Women's History Month.

In Kathleen: The Celtic Knot (American Girl, 2003, ages 8 to 12, $7.95), Irish author Siobhan Parkinson serves up fascinating fare for St. Patrick's Day. One of eight "Girls of Many Lands" books published by American Girl, this middle-grade novel moves beyond legendary leprechauns and the 19th-century potato famine to explore other aspects of Irish history and culture. In 1930’s Dublin, 12-year-old Kathleen Murphy participates eagerly in the Celtic Revival, a time when the Irish were encouraged to embrace their native dance and language after centuries of British domination. Kathleen loves dancing hornpipes and jigs and yearns to compete in a contest. Times are hard, though, and there is no money for a fancy costume. But with old curtains, embroidery floss, skilled sewing fingers and lots of ingenuity, Kathleen manages to take home the medal!

This Easter, Smudge Bunny (Starseed Press, 2004, ages 3 to 8, $15.95) dispenses not eggs but tips on humane treatment of animals. The message is embedded in a charming tale of two rabbits, Snowflake and Smudge, who suffer adoption by ignorant adults. They are crammed into a hamster cage, mishandled by a child and abandoned outdoors. Snowflake disappears. Smudge is finally rescued by a kindly couple who, through their example, show young readers how to provide proper housing, adequate exercise, food and water and lots of TLC. Colorful illustrations by Laura Bryant keep the tone light in this first children's book by Dr. Bernie Siegel, the acclaimed surgeon and cancer therapist. And the book hops to a happy ending when dirty, scared Snowflake is found and embraced by the household.

Perfect for a preschooler's Easter basket is Dianna Aston's gentle Bless This Mouse (Handprint Books, 2004, ages 18 months to 5 years, $14.95). In this poem of appreciation, a gray mouse prays: "Bless Fawn, Raccoon, Skunk, and Snail. Bless stripes and rings and spots and trails." Illustrator John Butler imbues his realistic paintings with a reverence for natural things great and small, from the white moon to the bear cub to the small mouse herself. An added bonus: each critter mentioned wears a soft coat of fuzz, giving youngsters a chance to interact with the picture and pat each animal. A treat for young eyes, ears and fingers, this book is sure to become a bedtime favorite.

Talk about stress! Noah has but one week to load the ark. Who can help? Jacqueline Jules gives a humorous twist to a well-known Biblical story in Noah and the Ziz (Kar-Ben, 2005, ages 4 and up, $7.95). The giant red-winged, purple-crested bird prides itself on speed. Alligators are seized by their tails and zebras by their stripes and zoomed to Noah. But when two mice hide in terror, the Ziz finally realizes the wisdom of Noah's advice: "The fast way isn't always the best way." Instead of crash landing on their nests, the Ziz bends its head, invites the little critters on board and delivers them to safety—just before the first raindrops fall. Katherine Kahn's bright, whimsical pictures are a wonderful match for Jules's zany tale and breathe vibrant life into the bold, clumsy Ziz.

Big themes of love and freedom run through Mole and Baby Bird (Bloomsbury, 2002, all ages, $6.95), a small jewel of a book. With a few carefully chosen words, author Marjorie Newman tells how Mole finds and cares for a lost baby bird. When his friend is ready to fly, though, the young underground creature wants to keep it close and makes a cage. Only when Grandad takes Mole to the top of a high hill and shares a bird's eye view of the world, does Mole understand what the bird truly needs. "He opened the cage door, and he let his bird fly away because he loved it. Then he cried." Patrick Benson's soft-toned illustrations, with their endearing animals, beautifully complement the sensitive text.

Grief and a gradual acceptance of loss cut to the heart of The Best Cat in the World (Eerdmans, 2004, ages 5 and up, $16) by Leslea Newman. Victor and his cat, Charlie, have been buddies for a long, long time. When Charlie gets sick, the vet has to explain to the boy that she can't make the old cat young again. And when Charlie dies, Victor cries for "two whole days" and frequently visits the rosebush that marks the cat's grave. For young readers dealing with a similar loss, this could be a comforting book—not because it offers an easy, happy ending but because its quiet tone and slower pacing allow Victor his grief. The people in his life don't try to diminish his sadness or offer superficial distractions. When the vet asks him to care for a kitten, Victor tries to treat the little animal as he did Charlie—and then realizes she has her own quirky personality. Ronald Himler's watercolors, in subdued colors, contribute to the book's mood of sadness, gentle dignity and renewed love.

Deborah Noyes brings 17th-century Holland to life in Hana in the Time of the Tulips (Candlewick, 2004, ages 5 and up, $16.99). Papa used to love to play with Hana, but now he only seems to worry and trade tulip bulbs with his wealthy friends. Only the painter Rembrandt spends time with the girl and offers artistic advice. Alas, Papa, who has gambled all on the tulip craze sweeping Europe, discovers his bulbs are useless. Depressed, he wants only to sit in a darkened room. But through Hana and her artistic eye, he can begin recovering his sense of what is truly beautiful. This fictionalized slice of history is rendered yet more intriguing by Bagram Ibatoulline's paintings, reminiscent of Rembrandt's intricate play of shadow and light.

Mary Quattlebaum is a mother and the author, most recently of Family Reunion (poems) and Jackson Jones and Mission Greentop (middle-grade novel). You can contact her through the website www.maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 12 children's books, writing workshops and school visits.