I have a four year old daughter, as well as two young sons, and they all love books and being read to. I love children's books, but I wish it were not so hard to find good children's books with strong female characters. When I do find such books, of course I read them to all my children!
This is, of course, part of a larger problem whereby the palette of my daughter's wardrobe tends to be limited to the pink-to-purple spectrum, my son is told by his preschool teacher that boys don't do ballet, and Disney princesses adorn the walls of the girls' restroom in the Family Resource Center (Thomas the Tank Engine for boys - how original).
I don't mind reading the occasional story about princesses, but it should not need to be said that interesting fictional characters do not *need* to be princesses. Disney still thinks they do, though - the original Rapunzel, unlike the lead in Tangled, is not a princess, but the daughter of a poor woman whose husband climbs over the wall to get her the herb (rapunzel) she craves in pregnancy. The original main characters in Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen (recently transmogrified into Disney's Frozen), are two perfectly ordinary little children, Kai and Gerda, who live in attics.
If you have thought about this, please join me in putting together a list that celebrate - rather than limit and stunt - the potential of girls.
The books in my list are not all feminist books, and they are not all empowering in the same way, but they are all quality children's books that allow scope for the imagination and tell a good story. Some gently debunk the Princess myth (the Princess and the Pig), while others celebrate girls behaving in non-gender stereotypical ways, overcoming adversity, pursuing their dreams and so on. Good stuff!
So here are some of my favourite picture books for girls - what are yours?
1. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, by Kathleen Krull and David Diaz
2. Brave Irene, by William Steig
3. Sheila Rae the Brave, by Kevin Henkes
4. The Princess and the Pig, by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene
5. Alice through the Looking Glass
6. Vassilissa the Beautiful
7. Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell
8. Ladybug Girl
9. A Baby Sister for Frances (and other Frances books)
10. The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate, by Margaret Mahy
In researching this list, I came across other lists with a similar intent, though quite different choices - see for example Picture Books with Strong Girl Characters and the great list of over a hundred read aloud books Top Read Aloud Books Starring Mighty Girls.
For older children, although some are quite dated (not a problem for me, a history student!), I still proudly stand by many of the books that I cherished, read and re-read while growing up, such as
Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfield
Anne of Green Gables (and sequels), by L.M.Montgomery
Flambards, by K.M.Peyton
Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
Emily of New Moon, by L.M.Montgomery
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (and other Wolves Chronicles), by Joan Aiken
What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge
In fact, apparently, for an older demographic, good books for boys become more of a problem - this is uncharted territory as yet for me, but I'd be curious to hear from any parents who have older boys whom they have difficulty finding good books for.
Thanks to my son, I have discovered some great chapter books with strong female leads, including:
- The Penderwicks
- Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke
This is, of course, part of a larger problem whereby the palette of my daughter's wardrobe tends to be limited to the pink-to-purple spectrum, my son is told by his preschool teacher that boys don't do ballet, and Disney princesses adorn the walls of the girls' restroom in the Family Resource Center (Thomas the Tank Engine for boys - how original).
I don't mind reading the occasional story about princesses, but it should not need to be said that interesting fictional characters do not *need* to be princesses. Disney still thinks they do, though - the original Rapunzel, unlike the lead in Tangled, is not a princess, but the daughter of a poor woman whose husband climbs over the wall to get her the herb (rapunzel) she craves in pregnancy. The original main characters in Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen (recently transmogrified into Disney's Frozen), are two perfectly ordinary little children, Kai and Gerda, who live in attics.
If you have thought about this, please join me in putting together a list that celebrate - rather than limit and stunt - the potential of girls.
The books in my list are not all feminist books, and they are not all empowering in the same way, but they are all quality children's books that allow scope for the imagination and tell a good story. Some gently debunk the Princess myth (the Princess and the Pig), while others celebrate girls behaving in non-gender stereotypical ways, overcoming adversity, pursuing their dreams and so on. Good stuff!
So here are some of my favourite picture books for girls - what are yours?
1. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, by Kathleen Krull and David Diaz
2. Brave Irene, by William Steig
3. Sheila Rae the Brave, by Kevin Henkes
4. The Princess and the Pig, by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene
5. Alice through the Looking Glass
6. Vassilissa the Beautiful
7. Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell
8. Ladybug Girl
9. A Baby Sister for Frances (and other Frances books)
10. The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate, by Margaret Mahy
In researching this list, I came across other lists with a similar intent, though quite different choices - see for example Picture Books with Strong Girl Characters and the great list of over a hundred read aloud books Top Read Aloud Books Starring Mighty Girls.
For older children, although some are quite dated (not a problem for me, a history student!), I still proudly stand by many of the books that I cherished, read and re-read while growing up, such as
Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfield
Anne of Green Gables (and sequels), by L.M.Montgomery
Flambards, by K.M.Peyton
Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
Emily of New Moon, by L.M.Montgomery
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (and other Wolves Chronicles), by Joan Aiken
What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge
In fact, apparently, for an older demographic, good books for boys become more of a problem - this is uncharted territory as yet for me, but I'd be curious to hear from any parents who have older boys whom they have difficulty finding good books for.
Thanks to my son, I have discovered some great chapter books with strong female leads, including:
- The Penderwicks
- Igraine the Brave, by Cornelia Funke
Sofie and I have enjoyed a number of Jan Brett's books for their independent young ladies and beautiful illustrations including Annie and the Wild Animals and The Trouble with Trolls. Similarly, more along the lines of the German / Scandinavian style and nature themes but with some clever leading female characters like the little elf in The Sun Egg, are the beautiful old picture books by Elsa Beskow and Sibylle von Olfers.
ReplyDeleteWill post some more as some of the birthday / Christmas books we requested come in!
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ReplyDeleteSorry, it listed me as "Unknown", so I reposted. =)
DeleteI was going to recommend a couple of picture books, but they're on the "Picture Books with Strong Girl Characters" link you posted (especially The Paper Bag Princess -- there's a nigh unbeatable feminist fairy tale), so I'd say start there. Kristin's suggestion of Elsa Beskow is also brilliant.
ReplyDeleteAs far as chapter books for young readers, we've been going through so many it's hard to know where to start -- there are the classic girl protagonists, like Pippi and Alice and Charlotte and Matilda and Mrs. Frisby, or more modern series like Ivy & Bean, or the Dear America and American Girls series have some very good Laura Ingalls Wilder-style historical fiction focused on girls' lives and the challenges they faced/overcame.
And don't just stick with fiction -- there are great nonfiction biographies for kids of Sally Ride, Marie Curie, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell and many other great women.
Back to fiction -- for slightly older readers, there's Nancy Drew or Meg from the Wrinkle In Time series, but there's also been a really amazing outpouring over the past few decades of YA fiction with strong female characters/protagonists, and the Mighty Girls site is great for these...maybe it's the Terabithia effect. =)
Interesting -- just noticed that the Olivia books aren't on the picture book list.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for nonfiction, there are great books on the amazing lives of Harriet Tubman, Deborah Sampson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosalind Franklin, all well worth the time.
Well, I definitely give credit to The Paper Bag Princess for being a feminist fairy tale, but I find it has shortcomings as a story which make me reluctant to include it in the roster of books I'm prepared to reread ad infinitum. Everything in the palace burned down EXCEPT a paper bag?? I am too literal-minded to let that one fly! :-D Also, couldn't the portrayal of the prince have been a leeetle more subtle? These heavy-handed characterizations get me down, and I am just so grateful to any children's book author who is prepared to complicate the good/bad guy dichotomy.
ReplyDeleteI would love some specific recommendations for great non-fiction biographies - ideally ones that don't whitewash the subject beyond recognition... is that asking too much? ;-)
Fair enough, but I love the fact that Prince Charming turns out to be a jerk, and not worth marrying! Take that, Disney princess mythos! ;)
ReplyDeleteFor non-fiction biographies in picture book format, My Name is Not Isabella is probably the best one, and Obama's Of Thee I Sing is pretty great (though all Americans).
One you get to chapter books, there are literally dozens of great biographies for each of these figures, many on the Newberry lists. Here are a few specific titles:
Camp -- Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space
Robson -- The Mysterious Element: The Story of Marie Curie
Hopkinson -- Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Women's Rights
Calkhoven -- Harriet Tubman: Leading the Way to Freedom
McGovern -- The Secret Soldier (Deborah Sampson)
Jones -- Eleanor Roosevelt: A Courageous Spirit
And there's always Amelia Earhart, Sojourner Truth and great biographies of amazing women in the developing world, from Africa to India to China, most of which are generally unknown to Western audiences.
(I worked for Powell's Books (Oregon) in the Beaverton children's specialty store for a few years, and got a pretty good education, but it's a bit out of date now...)
My own daughter is only just getting into the age where I feel these things matter, but I remember loving Sharon Creech's books in middle school, especially Bloomability since I traveled a lot. I also loved Lois Lenski's Strawberry Girl, Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, and Judith Kerr's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. I read them at an age when my feminist radar was not quite so sensitive, but for now I look forward to introducing my kids to these books (and all of your recommendations too!)
ReplyDeleteAnd just found out about this book! http://www.amazon.com/Brave-Girl-Shirtwaist-Makers-Strike/dp/0061804428
ReplyDelete