Elisa Klevin

We have enjoyed Elisa Klevin's artwork in many books but it was just recently that we discovered that the books she has written herself are truly extraordinary. They are filled with characters who live art and you get the sense that it must have been a pretty interesting time growing up with Elisa's family. Must-have books for a family that is trying to foster craftiness.

The Puddle Pail is a story about Ernst, a crocodile whose brother encourages him to begin collecting things (stones, feathers, bottle caps...the brother is truly compulsive!) Ernst is every bit as interested in the world around him but he doesn't want to lock it up, he delights in watching things change and interact. He finally decides to collect puddles but he quietly refuses to do it "the right way". An astounding story about a beautiful dreamer. Lena has been asking to read it again and again and I've been happy to oblige.

The Apple Doll is the story of another dreamer who spends her time playing alone in her apple tree until it's time to start school. Lizzie picks the best apple and makes it into a crude doll to take to school with her but the kids tease her and the doll begins to go soft. One of the noteworthy things about this book is that Lizzie's family is very supportive of her - even her older sister who suggests that she could plant her aging doll and let it grow into a new apple tree. Together they think of a way to save Lizzie's doll and she is able to share it with her classmates and begin to make friends.

One last book that we've read but she has many others which I know we'll be keeping our eyes out for. I think we jumped into this one mid-stream as I see now that there are other Paper Princess books, but it didn't matter. The paper princess is a paper doll lovingly created and treasured by a girl who is now growing up. She puts her on the dresser for safe keeping but the paper princess does not want to be shelved. The Paper Princess Finds Her Way is the story of her journey to find a new home.

The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg

A group of mice set sail in search of a peaceful island but are unsure what to do when they read in the atlas that the island they find is populated by one skog (no one knows what a skog is). Bring it a present or fire the cannons?

I might need to start a new tag called 'mythical creatures'. This is definitely one of Lena's favorite genres. I think she really likes to be surprised by a story. And she loves stories that are a little bit scary but have funny endings. We took this book to school to read after nap and she got very animated telling the other kids about the skog but she didn't spill the beans about the surprise ending! All the kids loved it. Parents will appreciate the Utopian premise of the story and the sarcastic comments that go along with it: "here we can all *feel* like kings, and that's the most important part of being king, as everyone knows."

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

Sara Varon's wordless graphic novel about the experiences of two friends (a dog and robot) has been a mainstay for our family for over a year. This story is so rich and full of humor, beauty and melancholy. It is one of only a few books we have that doesn't have words and it is the only one in that vein that we reread frequently. While not written specifically with children in mind (I don't think it was, at least), it has definitely been a hit with our 2.5 year old daughter as well as us. We have checked out one of Sara Varon's other books (Chicken and cat) and that was also great.

Ladybug Girl by David Somar and Jacky Davis

Ladybug Girl is all about a little girl and her adventures. "Feeling as BIG as the whole outdoors, Lulu stretches out her arms and flies down the hill with her wings bobbing behind her" - has got to be one of my favorite lines! Very sweet and beautifully written. I know we are going to enjoy the rest of the series...

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

My husband reminded me that we LOVE this book too. I had completely forgotten about this book. It is all about a girl who doesn't think she can draw. Her teacher asks her to just start with a "dot" and see where it takes her.

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer

The book, The Princess Knight was an interesting find. It is a book about a girl who fights against the traditional "classic" princess role that her father wants to play and shows her family that she can make decisions for herself.

Friendship Valley by Wolo Von Trutzschler

In future posts, I promise I will contribute recommendations about books that feature strong female human characters.But I would be remiss in not mentioning this book - all about a group of animals (male & female) who come together as a family to thrive and flourish after a terrible fire destroys all of their homes. The lead character, Dorinda the squirrel is the one who saves them all and brings them together.

Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb

Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb was an unexpected find. We have read another book, illustrated by the same artist - Tara Calahan King which is still one of my daughter's favorite books. Odd Velvet is about a girl who doesn't quite fit in because she simply does things differently than her classmates. By the end of the book, her classmates realize that doing things differently is a good thing.

Open Library

You may have noticed that we've been linking to Open Library from our book reviews. Open Library is a project of the Open Archives Initiative that seeks to create one web page for every book ever published. Why? You can get so much more from Amazon, right? Sort-of. But you can't locate the book in a local library (WorldCat) and you can't support independent bookstores or fund public libraries in Bolivia (biblio.com).

We're also using Open Library to import book covers:
http://openlibrary.org/dev/docs/api/covers

Check it out!

Love Soup by Anna Thomas

We promised this blog wouldn't be just kids books. So, here's a cookbook that has been in constant rotation at our house lately. The recipes in this book are downright extraordinary. I thought I had found the ultimate soup book when I got Deborah Madison's soup book. I still credit her for teaching me how to cook wild rice but her soups mostly rely on tons of dairy and/or flour to get thick and rich. But Anna Thomas is a wizard, pure and simple. At first you'll groan about how she asks you to season and saute ingredients separately (it's not unusual to use two skillets in addition to the soup pot). But what this does is let you stew some of the ingredients to thick soupiness while sealing flavor into each tasty morsel of the ingredients that have been sauteed on the side and added at the end. And there will actually be combinations you haven't thought of before (squash and red lentil, pickle soup with mushrooms!)

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

illustrated by John Schoenherr
This book falls into the genre of ambiguously gendered main characters - something I approve of heartily. I was once so disappointed by a book whose main character I was certain was a girl only to be shown the face on the last page and discover it was a boy!

This is a beautiful story about a child who walks quietly into the woods with her father to try to call an owl. This is something her older brothers have told her about and she knows there are things she has to do which will be hard but she's very excited to finally be able to participate in this right of passage. The illustrations perfectly capture the atmosphere of a snowy moonlit night and there are animals hidden in the shadows on most of the pages.

Katy and the big snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Virginia Lee Burton's illustrations are totally captivating for kids - I think it's something about their organic roundness. Adults will love their charming vintage feel. Lena loves this book and also The Little House by the same author. One of the coolest things about this book is that the city is laid out in a two-page map spread early in the story and then as it progresses, you move in and out exploring the city at different scales and cardinal directions. A great introduction to thinking about the world from a map perspective.

Pancakes for supper! by Anne Isaacs

illustrated by Mark Teague
Toby gets lost in the forest and barters with all the wild animals to secure her escape. The story is highly implausible but don't let that deter you! All the animals speak in deliciously wicked rhymes:

"Girl for dinner! Crunchy! Good!
Roasted on a stack of wood-
Or should I stew her? Yes, I should!
Crunchy fingers! Crunchy feet!
Dipped in honey-very sweet!"

When Agnes caws by Candace Fleming

illustrated by Giselle Potter
This is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek tale about a young girl who can call any bird. She is sent to the peaks of the Himalayas in search of the rare pink footed duck and pursued by a villain who wants the bird for himself (stuffed, of course). The book is filled with ridiculously silly bird calls and I at least have a lot of fun hamming them up.

Elena's serenade by Campbell Geeslin

illustrated by Ana Juan
Ana Juan is one of our most favorite illustrators (and a terrific author as well) - the kind that makes wonderful art but also seems to consistently team up with terrific authors. This is a beautiful plucky girl story in the magical realism tradition. Little Elena runs away from home and travels to Monterrey where she hopes to learn to blow glass like her father. Along the way she discovers she has a special talent.

Clever Beatrice and the best little pony by Margaret Willey

illustrated by Heather M. Solomon
This is the story of a young girl determined to figure out who is riding her pony at night and put a stop to it. She enlists the help of the village baker who suggests it is probably a lutin - a tiny little man known for making mischief. The baker, having no ideas of his own for how to help Beatrice, "puts his big brain to work" on the problem while Beatrice quietly plants one idea after another in his head. Don't worry, we're all in on this joke, and in the end Beatrice takes matters into her own hands. The illustrations are rich and alive with detail. The mischievous lutin who sews sleeves closed and turns pots and pans upside down is irresistible to the young child.

I feel somewhat sheepish having this be the first book in my "books about girls" list. There is no doubting that it has made a HUGE impression on my daughter Lena. But, it is the lutin (not Beatrice) that has taken on a life of his own (we've named him Pierre). Not a day goes by without a request for a lutin story. Pierre comes to Lena's house and plays with her toys; Pierre goes to the cactus garden and sits on a cactus; Pierre makes cookies out of sand, mustard and flower petals...the possibilities are endless!

Picture books about girls

One of the original motivations for starting this blog was an evening spent surfing the Web looking for picture books for girls. I found anti-princess lists, feminist lists, anarchist lists - all noble causes. But, I was looking to address something more elemental: when you really stop and take stock, most picture books are about boys.

There are a lot of values I hope to instill in my daughter. That girls and boys are equally worth knowing and talking about is high on that list. Beyond that, girls shouldn't have to be princess-perfect or super hero-powerful, boyfriend-shunning or anarchist to be the main character. I just want good books that portray girls as the central character warts and all - just like the best books about boys. I saw comments on the aforementioned lists that sons didn't like the books that were "for girls". Hopefully the books listed here will be just as compelling for boys as "Where the Wild Things Are" is for my daughter.

I'll get a start on some of our favorites now, but this will be a running list: books about girls