Feminist children’s books

Tamora Pierce has two fantasy series that might be good for when they are a bit older (preteen) about girls becoming knights. Deals with things like periods in a matter of fact way which i liked when younger too. Would go for the lioness and the protector of the small series

Hated Turbulant term of Tyke Tyler. have to say. (But each to their own.) It din,t strike me as being a positive role model. (or negative it just was.)

Pippi Longstocking is the business. Lindgren must know exactly how kids' minds work, because mine were HOWLING with laughter at this book, and I wouldn't have thought they'd be that into it.

There are also the 'great women in history' books. They're good fun.

I'll look up Harriet the Spy and Emil & the detectives, ta for recs.

Girls can do Anything! is a fabulous book for 4-5 year olds. I’ve bought it half a dozen times for birthday presents.

any of E Nesbit's stories. Especially the Railway Children

'I wanted to just say, though, that I don't think I especially look for 'feminist' books, just books in which female characters are human beings with interests, conflict, courage, flaws, intelligence, etc who like to do more interesting things than simper over pretty things and their fwends. '

Yes, yes. Absolutely this.

For later on:
The Swallows and Amazons series (read all 12 with my older boys and looking forward to reading them with my 4yo dd)
The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler
Harriet the Spy (miraculous for its time - wonderful sympathetic treatment of a very flawed heroine)
Dot and Anton by Erich Kästner - less well-known than Emil and the Detectives but just as beautifully written (hope the translation is good) and with a heroine who really knows her own mind

Pippi longstocking is fascinatin for younger children because she lives so independently. Lotta is another book from Astrid Lindgren, about an interesting younger girl child character (3 or 4yo?) narrated by her older sister. (A bit like My Naughty little sister)
Also age-appropriate factual kids books about bodies and feelings have been good for starting up basic conversations about privacy and consent, bodies and stereotypes of behaviour, and have helped some kids to begin to articulate around those types of concepts. I think that can help to start off some feminist thoughts..

I loved this when I was a kid and have bought copies for kids I have nannied, 'Thatoneoverthere why have you bought books for my sons from the feminist press' may have been heard.
Stories from all over the world and great for bed time, good transition to big books I found.

www.goodreads.com/book/show/269901.Tatterhood_and_Other_Tales

the updated copy
www.amazon.co.uk/Tatterhood-Feminist-Folktales-Around-World-ebook/dp/B01GNC7YFC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&s=digital-text&keywords=Tatterhood%3A+Feminist+Folktales+from+Around+the+World&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1588802930&sr=1-1

I wanted to just say, though, that I don't think I especially look for 'feminist' books, just books in which female characters are human beings with interests, conflict, courage, flaws, intelligence, etc who like to do more interesting things than simper over pretty things and their fwends.

Bit depressing that that isn't the standard, really.

My 6 year old is loving listening to the 'clan' series by Rennie McCowan for bedtime. I have to also say the writing is bloody awful, repetitive and I have to edit as I read, but the stories are quite good, and Claire is the lead of a small gang of adventurers - I htink my daughter's inspired by her.

I'm just doing a big book order, and have added a Thora book by Gillian Johnson and some Lily Quench books.

Katie Morag's brilliant, we love them. And yes, Shirley Hughes.

My 10 year old son loves Ruby Redfort.

Izzy Gizmo the girl who loved to invent is all my dd will read at the moment. Also there's a new izzy Gizmo just come out.

Wordery is a great online bookshop OP, same prices as Amazon but they pay taxes and treat their employees better.

Agree about Katie Morag, love the two grannies as well, in that one is super outdoorsy and fixes boats and tractors, but the other one is super feminine and 'girly' for want of a better way of putting it - both options are fine. Like it is okay for girls (and boys!) to be super into hair and clothes and shoes AND be neurologists/CEOs/whatever).

The Tiffany Aching books, by the late, great Terry Pratchett, are fantastic. Just got my 8 year old started on them.

And one from my childhood - The Practical Princess, and other Liberating Tales.

The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell is really fun and he is rescued by his sister .

When she's a little older then the Ottoline book by Chris Riddell and the the Goth Girl books by the same author are great , as well as being beautifully illustrated .

I agree some of the older books by Shirley Hughes just normalise people doing people things rather than male /female things . In the Alfie books the teenager 'Maureen' is a great character and we also have a book about the 'Babysitter' who is clearly a late teen/early 20s guy with a lovely mullet and flares !

(Should add that Mrs McColl is clearly not stressed from being left to pick up all the slack - they always both seem busy)

Miss Dose is a doctors' daughter because both her parents are doctors :)

I'm glad to hear about Zog. I became disenchanted with Julia Donaldson after noticing the tendency for male figures to go on quests/adventures and leave the females behind - Stick Man/Tabby McTat (and Samuel Sprat).

Another vote for Katie Morag. I also like that Mrs McColl is the shouty stressed one and Mr McColl the gentle one. And that Neilly Beag bakes meringues and cleans.

Bob Graham's books are nicely observed and balanced - This is Our House and Queenie the Bantam are two that spring to mind.

Chapter books, we enjoy the Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf books (the first one is the best) and Mrs Pepperpot - while she may live quite a traditional life, she is very much the centre of the action and the one with her head screwed on. Surprisingly perhaps, the Milly-Molly-Mandy books are good too. Again a realistically traditional distribution of roles, but not obtrusively so - everyone pitches in, and in the later books MMM and Billy Blunt have a lot of very equal adventures together. There are only a couple of stories that get it a bit wrong. And - again in the later books - there is a rather glam car-driving mum at the Big House.

Some great suggestions here. There's a super list of children's books on the Gender Equality Collective website too - many suitable for 5 year olds.

thegec.org/books

Try the Daisy books too. They are chapter books but are easy to read to a five year old and hold their attention. Daisy is little girl who gets up to lots of mischief and behaves exactly like any little boy or girl of that age. The stories talk about poo, snakes, things that scare her, having fun outdoors, making friends etc.

Billy and the Beast by Nadia Shireen is fab and perfect for a 5 year old

Karate Princess series

Mr Gum when she's a bit bigger. The other main character is a strong, clever, funny, feisty girl (mr Gum is the baddie).

I second the Ahlberg books, hilarious and clever and don't comply with gender stereotypes.

I bought a lovely book for a 5 year-old (aimed at that age group) about black women who had achieved high in many different areas. I can't remember the title. She loved it.

Also Howl’s Moving Castle, though would probably need to be about seven.

Ones for your future shelf - i love ballet shoes as it shows the girls wanting to provide for themselves and follow their own ambitions even in the thirties. Also the little white horse is just a beautiful book with again a very managing and opinionated heroine. We’ve had a big success with the naughtiest girl in the school series - a good lovable feisty heroine, who is adored even though she frequently is not very nice. Also the little house on the prairie series sees girls (while having to be very good) dealing with wolves, panthers, bears, travelling across the states in a covered wagon, and Laura ingalls wilder’s own story (read prairie fires yourself, AMAZING) is very inspirational.