Corduroy by Don Freeman: Young girl gives bear a home and practices valuable skill, mother has incredible posture, both are financially responsible. This imbalance gives kids the wrong idea from a very young age. Silly Doggy by Adam Stower: Young girl wholeheartedly loves bear, is, in author’s words, «[one] of those wonderful people who embrace life with a fearlessly positive attitude». Mossy by Jan Brett: Independent female turtle, revered female scientist, and talented female artists all do excellent work, and doctor’s young niece saves the day. (Image credits: Macmillan Publishers) I was reshelving picture books in the library the other day, and happened to notice that of the twelve in my arms, only two featured a female lead- and one of those books was about getting a haircut and the other was about being a princess. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems: Very young girl recovers her property, speaks her mind. And while there’s nothing wrong with a princess book now and again (but wouldn’t a little girl rather be a queen? Let’s read to our kids about little engines, hungry caterpillars, and mischief-makers and monsters of all genders. If it’s a book about a panda bear, it’s a male panda, if it’s a ghost, it’s a male ghost, if it’s a chicken, it’s a rooster. Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson + E.B. Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman + Charles Vess: As the dust jacket says, «a much-loved baby grows into a young woman: brave, adventurous, and lucky.»
Prudence Wants A Pet by Cathleen Daly + Stephen Michael King: Independent, creative little girl wants a pet, makes-do with stick, twig, etc. This is unacceptable… The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kahara (above): Young female librarian helps her community, promotes literacy, and is all-around awesome. Julia’s House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke: Young girl provides refuge, guidance for outcasts, judges not on the color of the skin, horns, nor scales
The Night Before First Grade by Natasha Wing + Deborah Zemke: Independent young girl advances her education, navigates social situations, provides for herself, and rises to new challenges.
