Listmania! Great Books For Younger Girls
There is a lot of great literature for older girls, ranging from Junie B. Jones to Pippi Longstocking to Ramona the Pest. For younger girls under the age of 8, it’s a bit harder to find good books with strong female protagonists. With all the Disney Princess and Strawberry Shortcake and whatnot, there’s quite a bit of fluff to wade through.
And that’s where I come in to help. All of these books feature female protagonists who don’t need rescuing, thank you very much.
Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?
Well do they?
Chrysanthemum is convinced that her name is perfect, until she goes to school.
JoJo must advance in her tae-kwon-do class. Does she have what it takes?
This poem by Ogden Nash tells the story of Isabel, who isn’t afraid of anything.
I don’t need to tell you about Eloise, do I? For starters, she lives in a hotel.
Marisol really wants a dog, even though her Abuelito is against the idea.
A modern American tall tale about Angelica Longrider, who grew up to be the greatest woodswoman of Tennessee.
The Magic Tree House (Series Books 1-4)
The first four of the popular series, Annie and her brother find a magical tree house.
Her brother has been captured, and she must find him.
What happens when Lilly’s purse is confiscated by her favorite teacher?
Set in Paris, Mirette does not know that her teacher is famous.
Cassie Louise Lightfoot takes a magical ride over the city.
Great list, Glinda! We’ve read many of these, and I will check for some of the others on our next library trip. Thanks
this is great….but now i strangely have the theme from reading rainbow in my head.
This is wonderful! I hate wading through all the “high fructose corn syrup” Disney princess books when I’m trying to find good literary gifts for little girls!
“The Paper Bag Princess” was also a favorite of mine as a little girl.
My daughter also loved Frannie K. Stein, Amelia Bedelia (my childhood favorite), and the Frances books (okay, she’s a giant rodent of some sort, but a very entrepreneurial one). No one tops Ramona the Pest, however. Classic.
I’m old. I never heard of most of these. I do remember The Practical Princess, though! She’s like a Hermione, but not so annoying and much more in charge. Here’s one Amazon reviewer who puts it better than I could:
I loved this book as a child, so I had to find it online for my own kids. In this tale, the princess faces problems that vary between tricky and seemingly impossible. She becomes a heroine by keeping her head and using her mind to figure out the answer to each dilemma with grace, logic, and ingenuity, which is a valuable lesson for girls AND boys. In addition, the world that Jay Williams creates for his story is rich in mythic settings and creatures that really bring it to life.
I second the Amelia Bedelia nod and would like to add the Mrs. Pigglewiggle books (appropriate for boys and girls).
Another great book for girls is “The Ordinary Princess” by MM Kaye. Amythest, the seventh daughter of the royal family, is ‘cursed’ to be ordinary by her fairy godmother. She ends up running away to have adventures in the woods with an ordinary prince.
Interesting how the Princess books have overtaken the horse/pony books of my youth.