Picture Book Autobiographies

It's been a long while since we've posted with any regularity! But here's the first post of what I hope will be weekly installments for a while.

Over the years we've come across a few picture books which stand out for being autobiographical. It's really fun to get a window on the lives of some of our favorite authors.

The Junkyard Wonders tells the story of the year the author spent as a young girl in a special education class. Her unorthodox teacher fed the confidence and imagination of an entire class of students who went on to become a fashion designer, an astronaut and one of our favorite author/illustrators.

The Year I Didn't Go to School was a fun window into the childhood of another of our favorite illustrators. Giselle Potter's quirky style can't be mistaken for anyone else's. In this book we learn that she grew up in a family of puppeteers and spent a year touring Italy as a part of their puppet show.

Anyone else have any favorites?

Wise Child and Juniper

If you are looking for a great young adult read, I highly recommend Monica Furlong's books Wise Child and Juniper (there is apparently a sequel called Colman that I have not read). I fell in love with these books 20 years ago at age 10, and am still a huge fan today, having just re-read them on a whim last month. These books follow Wise Child and her guardian Juniper and are set in Cornwall in the Dark Ages. In Wise Child, Juniper becomes guardian to Wise Child after her grandmother passes away (her father is off at sea and her mother has abandoned her). Juniper is the healer, midwife, and witch of a small village. Under Juniper's mentorship, Wise Child learns all about herbs, healing, astronomy, reading, and magic. The acceptance of witchcraft by the village is challenged, however, as Maeve (Wise Child's real mother... a dark sorcerer) returns. The book culminates in a trial of Juniper for witchcraft. The book is beautifully written and an intriguing description of historical healing techniques and ways of life. While it is not quite a coming of age story, it is definitely a tale of self realization and follows wonderful female heroines. Juniper, while written after Wise Child, is a prequel and follows Juniper at a younger age as she trains to be a Doran. While my personal favorite is the book Wise Child, Juniper too offers a compelling story, beautiful writing, and an inspiring heroine.

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.

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.

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.

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