Girl Power...annotated list of books for strong girls

Do you want to raise a strong, independent girl who thinks outside the box? Here's a selection of picture books to get started early! I highly recommend reading every picture book before you read it to your children. I found one that just sounded like it fit the bill: a girl who liked insects, only to find out that it was very mean-spirited! I also haven't included books that put down other ways of being a girl, even if they promote individualism, i.e. Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey.


1. I can do that!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote by Linda White

Did you know that Wyoming was the first state where women were able to vote? When they organized as a territory in 1869, women's suffrage was included. When Wyoming became a state in 1890, the right for women to vote in their state was maintained. Esther Morris, who was instrumental in the right to vote being included as a law in Wyoming. She was also the first woman judge. For older kids, a fun activity is to use genealogy websites to find her in the census. This really shows how we can learn about her using original documents from American history!

100 Years to Suffrage (Library of Congress): http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/nawstime.html Accessed Sept. 13, 2011

National Statuary Hall in Wash DC: http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/morris.cfm Accessed Sept. 13, 2011

2. Dahlia by Barbara McClintock

One of my favorites, even though I was never a tom-boy...A little girl who is, gets a very fancy doll from an elderly relative. The illustrations are excellent. The story is set in the past.

3. Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke

There have been known women pirates: Anne Bonny and Mary Read. But like real pirate stories, they're not really appropriate for children. Thus, we create fun pirate stories for little ones (and maybe for us too). Pirate Girl is a great story for girls, and as fun to read as any pirate tale!

Smithsonian blog entry on Anne Bonny and Mary Read: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/2011/08/if-theres-a-man-among-ye-the-tale-of-pirate-queens-anne-bonny-and-mary-read/ Accessed Sept. 13, 2011

4. My Hippie Grandmother by Reeve Lindbergh

The daughter of Charles Lindbergh wrote this delightful story about a grandmother who thinks outside the box and encourages her granddaughter to do the same! Especially for parents who have a little counter culture in them, as a hint for the future?!

5. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole

A princess who doesn't want to get married. Probably out-of-print, but hopefully, your library hasn't weeded it out! If they have this one, then they might have Ms. Cole's other gender cliche busting book, Prince Cinders.

6. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell

A petite little girl moves to a new town and demonstrates how to be confident under pressure. Not my favorite illustrations, but the story is worth it...

7. Mighty Jackie: The Strike-out Queen by Marissa Moss

Simple story about 17 year old Jackie Mitchell, who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game. Her contract with the minor league team she was on was voided by the commissioner of baseball. A great story that shows that things can change, that things have been different, and that a young woman can beat two of the heavy weights of baseball...

Biography of Jackie Mitchell on Baseball Almanac: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/aubrecht8.shtml

My Favorite Picture Books for Children

I worked in our city library's Children's Dept. for four years. This coincided with my daughter's early childhood. Both factors introduced me to many wonderful picture books for children. My criteria for books was that they contained words that would build my daughter's vocabulary, they had great illustrations (beautiful or fun), and that they showed her different worlds. I always pre-read them, avoiding books with words like hate, stupid, or dumb and books that seemed "angry". The books on this list were ones that we read over and over again, and still read occasionally just for fun! I didn't include some of the classics, like Dr. Seuss because most people are aware of them.

1. Dahlia, Barbara McClintock
2. Henry David's House, Henry David Thoreau
3. Good Night, Good Knight, Shelley Thomas
4. Brambly Hedge Seasons series, Jill Barklem
5. Pirate Girl, Cornelia Funke
6. Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave, Quentin Blake
7. Toot and Puddle series, Holly Hobbie
8. One Morning in Maine, Robert McCloskey
9. Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
10. My Hippie Grandmother, Reeve Lindbergh
11. The Ox-Cart Man, Donald Hall
12. The Philharmonic Gets Dressed, Karla Kuskin
13. Anna the Bookbinder, Andrea Cheng
14. Mei-Mei Loves the Morning, Margaret Tsubakiyama
15. The Snowy Day, Ezra Keats
16. The Twelve Days of Kindergarten: A Counting Book, Deborah Rose
17. Ms. MacDonald has a Class, Jan Omerod
18. Counting Crocodiles, Judy Sierra
19. I Could Do That!: Esther Morris gets Women the Vote, Linda White
20. Prince Cinders, Babette Cole
21. Princess Smartypants, Babette Cole
22. Leon & Bob, Simon James
23. Peter Spier's Rain, Peter Spier
24. Madlenka, Peter Sis
25. Chidi Only Likes Blue: An African book of Colours, Ifeoma Onyefulu
26. Olivia, Ian Falconer
27. Fantastic Daisy Artichoke, Quentin Blake
28. Lousia May & Mr. Thoreau's Flute, Julie Dunlap
29. Chester's Way, Kevin Henkes
30. Yoko's Paper Cranes, Rosemary Wells
31. Roberto the Insect Architect, Nina Laden
32. All Aboard, Mary Lyn Ray
33. Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type, Doreen Cronin
34. The Gardener, Sarah Stewart
35. The Library, Sarah Stewart
36. Are we there yet?, Alison Lester
37. Stand tall Molly Lou Mellon, Patty Lovell
38. Ten Minutes till Bedtime, Peggy Rathmann
39. Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly, Doreen Cronin
40. The Way We Do It in Japan, Geneva Cobb Iijima