Childrens chapter books with strong female leads

[ThisUserIsNamed]

Hi, I'm looking for some recommendations for audiobooks with strong girls in.
My 5 and 6 year old love to listen to an audiobook before bed. They're tired of winnie the pooh, beatrix potter and the railway children.
I'd like a nice long list of audiobooks to work through.

I'm also happy for historical books about (female) women!

Matilda?
Ballet Shoes (language may be a bit old though)

Swallows & Amazons series

sorry, my ideas aren't very modern!

The fireworks makers daughter Philip Pulmen

the worst witch?

Pippi Longstocking is absolutely brilliant

*Pullman 😊

Taylor turbochaser? (David baddiel). Some of the humour would be over their heads but definitely a strong female lead.

The secret garden? Poss a bit old though.

"Useyourfork

The fireworks makers daughter Philip Pulmen

Thats hardly suitable for a 5 & 6 year old!"

Apologies wrong book!

Mallory Towers - tv series is very good also.

Hilary McKays Binny series, Saffy’s Angel series, Exiles series.

The dream snatcher by Abi Elphinstone

Ronja the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgreen
The Ramona series by Beverly Clearly
The World Around the Corner by Maurice Gee
The Laura Ingalls Wilder series
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Kitty series by Paula Harrison and Isadora Moon series by Harriet Muncaster

Dick king smith - Sophie turns 5/6/8 .

Another vote for the Swallows and Amazons series. I came across my Dad's copy of Missee Lee when I was about 7 (53 years ago! yikes) and read it in one go. I vividly remember not understanding many of the words on the first few pages (sailing vocabulary) but grasping, possibly for the first time, that it didn't matter, as I could work out roughly what was going on and I was really hooked by the story and the characterisations. Read the other volumes asap, borrowed from the public library. Happy, happy memories.

The children in the books are a mix of girls and boys but there are more girls (I think) and although they always take on the cooking (except for the Death and Glories, a little gang of three small boys who do their own cooking on their boat) the girls are every bit as capable and resilient as the boys in all their adventures. Nancy Blackett is arguably the strongest character in the entire series.

My favourite children's books. I still re-read them.

If they liked the Railway Children have you tried The Phoenix and the Carpet, also by Nesbitt and wonderful. Kizzy/The Didakoi by Runer Godden (female heroine is an orphan Romany/gypsy girl). The How to Train your Dragon series has a male lead but a strong female friend I vaguely recall. The Roald Dahl books are not particularly female oriented but not to be missed either. Thursday’s Child by Streatfeild has a strong female lead but maybe more for ages 8/9 up. My boys loved Blyton’s Faraway Tree series when they were tiny, I think it may have been updated a bit. They also enjoyed the Narnia books. Lucy is a key character but I can’t recall I’m afraid whether there’s any stereotyping.

Sorry, Rumer Godden I meant!

The Ramona books by Beverley Cleary - two main female characters in Ramona and her sister Beezus.
Astrid Lindgren - the Lotta books as well as Pippi Longstocking.
The Mary Poppins books.
The Naughtiest Girl stories by Enid Blyton - I know people vilify her these days but they make fun audiobooks. (All EB audiobooks free on YouTube too).
The worst witch series.

Eva Ibbotson - The Dragonfly Pool and Journey to the River Sea are both great. Haven't read the others yet but I expect they'll also be good.

Check out A Mighty Girl on Facebook. I think there's a website too. It's has loads of recommendations for books with strong female characters for children of all different ages.

Take a look at the Little People Big dreams series of books.

The one about Vivienne westwood is particularly goo for girls who like to be different.

www.amazon.co.uk/Vivienne-Westwood-Little-People-DREAMS/dp/1786037564?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

The others in the series are inspirational too.

I wholeheartedly recommend 'Fantastically great women who changed the world' by Kate Pankhurst. Centres on women like Emily Pankhurst, Charlotte Bronte etc but in a really accessible, entertaining way. It's available online.

Amelia Fang by Laura Ellen Anderson
Isadora Moon by Harriet Muncaster
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
Little People Big Dreams

All much loved in our house.