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 More often than not children's books feature boys as the main characters. But, fortunately, more books are coming out each year that highlight girls.

Kristian Wilson on Bustle.com lists fifty feminist books for children, including:
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer! by Shana Corey
Princess Grace by Mary Hoffman
Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell
The Ballad of the Pirate Queens by Jane Yolen
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Visit Kristian Wilson's article 50 Feminist Book Gifts For Your Nieces and Nephews This Holiday Season  for her complete list of contemporary and classic works that make great reading for the girls in your life. And don't take the headline literally. Of course, these books aren't just for your nieces and nephews and the holiday season. They make great gifts for any child at any time of year.

What are you favorite feminist children's books? Please share your comments below.

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I was never a girl scout. I think it had to do with the uniforms. I  had to wear a blue and white number to my Catholic elementary school and one uniform in my life was enough, thank you. That said, if Here Comes the Girl Scouts were around back then, I might have been tempted to sign up. Shana Corey does a great job showing the appeal of girls banding together to enjoy nature and friendship in this biography of its founder, Juliette Gordon Low.

Low, or Daisy as she's called throughout this picture book, was a girl with gumption who became a woman of even more gumption. She was in her early fifties when she started a group for girls based on the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides in England. Not one to waste time, Daisy travels the country raising money for her brainchild and spreading her belief that girls could do anything. The book, liberally sprinkled with sayings from the Girl Scout handbook, concludes with an author's note that goes into greater detail about the facts covered in the text. The mixed-media illustrations convey the can-do spirit behind the Girl Scouts. We see Daisy in action as she rides an elephant, fishes off a pier while in dinner party attire, and flies in a monoplane. Later on she goes hiking and camping with her scouts with the same energy and enthusiasm.

The Girl Scouts celebrated their 100th anniversary in March of this year. This book will help kids understand why the occasion is so momentous.

Here Come the Girl Scouts!
by Shana Corey
illustrations by Hadley Hooper
Scholastic Press, 40 pages
Published: 2012

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By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 23, 2012

Women’s History Month is a time to honor women who have helped shape the world and inspire us with their leadership and heroism. In this eclectic list of new titles, these remarkable women (Sylvia Earle, Georgia O’Keeffe, Daisy Gordon Low, Zitkala-Sa, Lily Renee Wilhelm, Beryl Markham, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony) all have one thing in common: adventurous spirits and the willingness to take great risks to make bold discoveries.

Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased

By Amy Novesky; illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Georgia O’Keeffe led life on her own terms, but when we usually think of her it’s likely sketching on her Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, not in tropical Hawaii. Amy Novesky depicts O’Keeffe on her tour of Hawaii where she painted gorgeous exotic flowers, exquisitely rendered by Yuyi Morales. Together they have created a unique tribute to this innovative artist and also to the beauty and splendor of the islands of Hawaii. For more information on Amy Novesky and her work, please read our interview. (Ages 6-9. Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Every-Day Dress-Up

By Selina Alko

Inspired to give her daughter an alternative to the panoply of princess dress-up books, Selina Alko created Every-Day-Dress-Up for her. On Monday, she can become the First Lady of Flight Amelia Earhart and on Tuesday, Ella Fitzgerald the Queen of Jazz. The back of the book includes “biographies of a few great women” for further reading about our sheroes. There’s no need to purchase another pretty princess book, when you have this one full of modern day heroines for our daughters. (Ages 5-8. Publisher: Random House Children’s Books.)

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

By Claire A. Nivola

The beauty of Nivola’s book is the expansive sense, she creates with her story and breathtaking illustrations, for the immensity and wonder in our oceans. Once Sylvia Earle moved from her childhood farm in rural New Jersey to Florida, she begins her lifelong love affair with oceanography.

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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 28, 2012

The Berenstain Bears lose a friend and so does the world of children’s literature.

Jan Berenstain (July 26, 1923 – February 24, 2012) co-created over 300 of the beloved “Berenstain Bears” books with her husband Stan Berenstain (September 29, 1923 – November 26, 2005), shedding light on social graces and creating life-long readers and Bear Country devotees.

Kate Klimo, Vice President, Publisher at Random House/Golden Books Young Readers Group (Centauriad: Daughter of the Centaurs, 2012, etc.):

“Here at Random House, we are all deeply saddened to share with you the news that Jan Berenstain,  surviving member of one of the greatest teams in all children’s literature—Stan and Jan Berenstain—passed away last Friday. Together with her husband Stan, she was the creator of the hugely popular Berenstain Bears whose fiftieth anniversary—and over sixty books—Random House Children’s Books celebrates this year. Jan’s gentleness and dry humor were a wonderful foil to Stan’s more gregarious nature. Whenever they were asked who was responsible for what in their team effort, Stan said that he blocked out the stories, Jan designed the new characters, and everything else they shared. They were collaborators in the purest sense of the word. Jan once said that there wasn’t a single day of her life that she didn’t look forward to setting foot in the studio they shared in their lovely home in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Bucks County. After Stan’s death, in 2005, Jan went on working with her younger son, Michael, to continue to create more Berenstain Bears books. Our hearts go out to Michael, his brother Leo and their families at this time. It’s hard to imagine a world without Mama Bear, who solves all problems and makes everything better.”

David Linker, Executive Editor, HarperCollins:

“She had a tremendous dedication to her craft, a great love of children’s literature, and was that rare talent who managed to delight generation after generation of children, for more than 50 years. She leaves behind a legacy of more than 300 books, millions of fans, and a wonderful Bear family that so many of us have grown to love. It’s been my great privilege to work with her these past few years. Her warmth and talents will be missed.”

Shana Corey, Executive Editor at Random House Kids Books (Here Come the Girl Scouts, 2012, etc.):

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more thrilled/awestruck in my career at Random House Childrens Books (and I’ve had plenty of awestruck moments), than I was the day that I got to go along to a lunch meeting at Stan and Jan Berenstain’s home in Pennsylvania. Jan was so generous and warm and kind to me (I was only an editorial assistant and just along for the ride so she completely didn’t have to be). She gave me a signed Berenstain Bears Go to School because I mentioned that as a kid  I’d been fascinated by the clay donut illustration in the copy my mom had given me before I started Kindergarten. And now I read that signed copy to my own children.”

 

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

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By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 17, 2012

Shana Corey is one remarkable lady. She’s an author of many bestselling books; editor at Random House Books for Young Readers; and mother to two young boys in Brooklyn. Her biographies on extraordinary women include Mermaid Queen: The Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, who Swam her Way to Fame, Fortune & Swimsuit History!, You Forgot Your Skirt: Amelia Bloomer!, and Players in Pigtails. Her most recent book is a tribute to the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. Tagalong (get it?) with us as we discuss books, writing, and fascinating women in history.

Nicki Richesin: Congratulations on the wonderful reviews for Here Come the Girl Scouts! You were inspired to write this book by your mother’s Girl Scouts stories growing up in Savannah, Georgia. You’ve written about many women who were ahead of their time. What makes Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low especially appealing to you as a role model for young readers?

Shana Corey: Thank you! I think she’s a great role model for so many reasons—she was an early advocate for both conservationism and exercise for girls, she encouraged girls to be financially independent and to make a difference in the world (something she was passionate about doing herself). But perhaps even more, I admire her personality. Juliette Gordon Low was someone who walked to the beat of her own drummer and made no apologies for that. I think that’s something we should all aspire too!

I also loved that she turned what could be considered a weakness (her deafness) into an advantage. When she was fundraising and looking for volunteers for Girl Scouts, if someone declined she’d literally pretend she hadn’t heard them and say “Wonderful! I’ll put you down for next week.” She was very determined and went about things in exactly her own way.

And of course, I’m in awe of her legacy. The organization she founded has been empowering women for 100 years now. Over 50 MILLION women have been Girl Scouts. Talk about making a difference!