Books with adventuresome girl characters for a 4 yr old

[foodmachine]

Hi! I'm looking for picture books and longer chapter books for DD's home English library. I need really good recommendations since the choices at the library here are few, I must buy the books and hope for the best.

We're looking for girl characters that go on adventures and do really cool stuff.

Thanks so much!

[wishin'&hopin']

Paperbag Princess is a good one!

[wishin'&hopin']

What about Pippi Longstocking?

[pianojazzgirl]

The Magic Treehouse chapter book series is about a sister and brother who go on all kinds of adventures (mostly traveling through time).  The sister is the adventurous one.  ;)

There's also a series of picture books called "Stella..." (ex. "Stella, Queen of the Snow", etc), again about a sister and her brother and the sister is the adventurous one.  We love these books because they're so much like dd and ds! 

[mumkimum]

Ella the elegant elephant (and others about her) are well-liked here.

Madeleine and Fancy Nancy too.  

An older one, but Red Sun Girl (by Jean Marzallo sp?) was a favorite of mine as a kid too, as were Tell me a Mitzi/Tell me a Trudy.  

[ollyoxenfree]

Nim's Island by Wendy Orr is a lovely chapter book about a girl who lives on a tropical island. 

The Sophie books by Dick King-Smith (Sophie's Tom, Sophie's Snail etc.) 

If books about female animals meet your criteria, then there are a few that come to mind -  

Tales of Olga da Polga by Michael Bond (he wrote Paddington. These stories are about a guinea pig) 

Poppy by Avi (about a mouse. If she's sensitive, beware, the story starts with an owl killing a mouse. There's about 5 in the series) 

Catwings by Ursula K. Leguin (cats with wings!) 

[hildare]

this is a cool booklist called "girls worth knowing" from the SFPL.  (yes, i peruse big city libraries' booklists...)  <3  http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000152901

Edited by hildare - 10/28/11 at 6:44am

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by hildare 

this is a cool booklist called "girls worth knowing" from the SFPL.  (yes, i peruse big city libraries' booklists...)  <3  http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000152901   

Hey, hildare, the link doesn't work, please fix. (And I love looking at other city libraries. NY public library has a good site too). 

[hildare]

i think it's fixed, maybe it times out?  if it doesn't, still worth a few clicks, the path is this:

http://sfpl.org/

then Kids

READ (streetcar icon)

and "girls worth knowing"

[Cavy]

Babette Cole, Princess Smartypants.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Smartypants-Picture-Puffin-Babette/dp/0140555269

has several installment volumes, and there's also Prince Cinders by same author which honours "unmanly" boys.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by hildare 

i think it's fixed, maybe it times out?  if it doesn't, still worth a few clicks, the path is this:

http://sfpl.org/

then Kids

READ (streetcar icon)

and "girls worth knowing"

It's working fine now, thanks!! Good list....I noticed Amazing Grace is recommended. Such a good story. 

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Originally Posted by wishin'&hopin' 

What about Pippi Longstocking?

This is my stock answer to this question about adventurous girls. In fact, my DD insisted she WAS Pippi when she was 3. (Loved it).

I'd forgotten about Olga da Polga. I'm going to have to see if our library here has them!

Mrs. Pepperpot is a good series too - she's old, but she's feisty!

[foodmachine]

Wow! I hadn't gotten any mail updates so I had no idea there was such response till I got the MDC newsletter where it referred to this "great thread"!

Thanks everybody!

Pippi is great and Swedish. We live in Sweden so DD gets lots of that from DH and everywhere else. I need American cool girls to keep up my part of the cultural/linguistic equation.

A great list Hildare! But huge. Can anyone second some of the choices on that list? I need to buy them sight unseen from amazon so I like to know it's going to be good.

I have pretty high standards as far as "gender perspective" goes.  

This is fun! I can't wait to buy some new books!

[xela]

Thanks for this great thread! I too am always on the lookout for recommendations for my 4 year old. The Paper Princess by Elisa Kleven may have already been mentioned. We have enjoyed The Barefoot Book of Princesses and The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly. Patricia Polacco writes stories with beautiful illustrations and strong female characters.

[nyearthmama]

I have 2 daughters and we too wer always searching for  books with strong females. From theSF list

A chair for my mother

Williams, Vera B.  and all the Vera Williams books have strong females

 

 

I will look on our shelves and try to post some more favorites.

[Daffodil]

So you know all about Pippi, and undoubtedly also Ronia the Robber's Daughter, which is even better (for slightly older kids.)  But I'll mention Ronia anyway, for other people who might be reading this thread.  It's one of our family's all-time favorites.

Some other chapter books with brave girls having adventures:

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

the May Bird series - Jodi Lynn Anderson

Igraine the Brave - Cornelia Funke

The Night Fairy - Laura Amy Schlitz

The Silver Crown - Robert C. O'Brien

The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald

The Mysterious Benedict Society series - Trenton Lee Stewart (2 of the 4 main characters are girls, including the bravest one)

Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome (features both boys and girls, but the girls are as brave and competent as the boys)

Coraline, The Silver Crown, and the May Bird series are all potentially too scary for young kids, but they were big hits here.  My kids were ready for them at 6 or younger, but some kids wouldn't be.

[hildare]

just from that list, of the picture books, i'd recommend personally

both vera williams books

brave irene

amazing grace

the girl who loved wild horses

and the trouble with trolls is one of my dd's all time favorites, along with another jan brett one called daisy comes home (not on the list)

and second/thirding pippi longstocking! 

[rainbringer]

Seconding Amazing Grace and Paper Princess!

Picture books:

Seven Chinese Sisters

Snail Girl Brings Water

One Grain of Rice

Rumplestiltskin's Daughter

Sheila Rae the Brave

Beginning chapter books:

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

Fancy Nancy

Chapter books:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Caddie Woodlawn

All of a Kind Family

[mamasee]

We like Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis and David Soman.

[Emmeline II]

Have you considered the American Girl books?