Girls in this age range are beginning readers, but usually still love a story read to them sometimes too. They're exploring their place in the world, so books that provide role models - real and fantasy - are good choices. Girls at these ages usually like colorful illustrations, touches of humor or surprise, and a mixture of courage and compassion in the heroines.
1. The Paper Bag Princess
by Robert Munsch. This one turns traditional prince-rescues-princess-from-the-dragon fairy tales on their heads. A delightful story, wonderful to read aloud. Boys cheer the ending, too. If only we all had heard this story over and over in our own childhoods ...
2. Sybil's Night Ride
by Karen B. Winnick. Sybil Luddington, sometimes known as the female Paul Revere, warned the citizens of Putnam County, New York, that the British were coming, April 26, 1777. A first reader or a read-aloud book.3. Young Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Heroine
by Anne Benjamin. One of a series of First-Start Biographies. Each features a young heroine (or hero) and uses a childhood story to show the roots of their later heroism in their early lives. This volume features Rosa Parks, whose refusal to move to the back of a bus helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1960s.4. Young Pocahontas: Indian Princess
by Anne Benjamin. A decent counterbalance to the popular Disney movie, much closer to historical fact though, of course, adapted to be age-appropriate. Another in the First-Start Biographies series.5. Steamboat! The Story of Captain Blanche Leathers
by Judith Heide Gilliland. The story of America's first female steamboat captain and how she dreamed of the Mississippi and steamboats even as a young girl. Delightful illustrations.6. Sadaka and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr, illustrated by Ronald Himler. Ten years after Hiroshima, a Japanese girl is dying of leukemia. She believes that if she makes a thousand origami cranes, she will get well. A moving story about war and peace, life and death, for young children. A good book to open conversations.7. Dirt on their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championshi
by Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan. A telling of the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II, as the Racine Belles face the Rockford Peaches. Excitement, fun, sports and history too.8. Young Amelia Earhart: A Dream to Fly
by Sarah Alcott. Another in the First-Start Biographies series. In this learn-to-read book, the connection is drawn between early dreams, commitment and later achievement. An inspiring story for a young girl -- but don't keep it from boys, who will also enjoy it and who also need to see that women can be heroes.9. Good Queen Bess: the Story of Elizabeth I of England
by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. Who says girls can't rule countries? This book for younger readers is illustrated beautifully with art and fashion, and emphasizes the political skill of Queen Elizabeth amid religious conflict. Watch out - you may have to find even more books on Tudor England after she reads this one!10. Cleopatra
by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. A treatment of Egypt's Queen by the authors and illustrator of the Queen Bess book above. Covers Cleopatra's life as queen, including her love affairs and political partnerships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. A note addresses issues of the believability of sources in writing history.What's your favorite women's history book for young girls?
Do you have some personal favorites among the many books on women's history for young girls? Here's an opportunity to share ideas with others.
