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