Children's books which promote gender equality

[frankfrankly]

My ds 2 is a BIG fan of diggers and tractors. I have yet to find a tractor book which portrays a female driving! (I think there is a Maisey one and ds has asked for it, but I think it was a colouring book and I can't seem to find it).

Anyway, I have found one or two books, which he loves, that have a more balanced view of men and women's roles, or challenge stereotypes outright.

Toad Makes a Road - I was surprised t o find Toad was a strong minded independent female (complete with bulldozer, tarmac layer, line painter) who needs a road so makes it herself.

The Paper Bag Princess - has the prince being captured by the dragon and the princess rescuing him.

My Big Book of Rescue Heros - a bit of an older book, but pictures are lovely and it has men and women depicted in all the major services - firefighters/ambulance/police/coast guard.

So what else is out there?

The Night Pirates with rough tough girl pirates.

This has pics of a woman driving.
The Maisie one - I think 'Maisie Likes Driving' includes a tractor.

Thanks Badgardener! That looks perfect. Will get it. I was hugely embarrassed when ds went on a tractor ride recently with Jane the driver, when he announced "where's the driver mummy? But girls don't drive tractors."

My dd is convinced that women can't be doctors. Despite the fact that she has hardly ever seen a male doctor in her entire life

Orchard Toys puzzles often show women in "men's roles" too, eg woman bus driver.

Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke and Kirsten Meyer . Brave wee girl captured bt fearsome pirates, rescued by even more fearsome mummy.

for later

Older, but I think the How to Train your Dragon series is good for non-stereotypical characters - the hero is a clever, thoughtful, not-very-brave sort of a boy, and his female friend CamiKazi (sp?) is the active rush-out-and-grab-it one of the pair. Good stories, too. (I have a horrible feeling that it has been mangled, rather, for the film though.)

If your DS is still into diggers when he's a bit older then obviously, Terry Pratchetts Diggers. Well, I would say that, wouldn't I

This thread has made the tractor song in dirt girl world go around in my head

Love that link, Otherside. I liked The Wild Washerwomen - not sure how feminist it would look now but worth checking out.

What about books with boys in less stereotypical roles too but equally attractive to the children? As a single mum raising twin sons - neither of whom is stereotypically macho male - I'd like them to see and celebrate beaing anything they want to be.

DS1 likes to 'baby' his teddy bear and be v nurturing towards it and yet feels as if this is too 'soppy'. On the other hand, both DSs believe doctors are always male and nurses female, no matter how many times I tell them otherwise - with examples!

DS1 also loves dancing and did ballet at his pre-prep and still enjoys making up dance routines - more of the pop variety now. Sadly, some of the fathers of the other boys in his 'troup' are making it clear that they'd prefer their sons to play football and rugby...in a v 'subtle' way but getting the message across, nonetheless.

This is a bit US - Centric, but the Amelia Bloomer project has lists of feminist-friendly children's books which mention favourites like the Paper Bag Princess, might be of interest.

My subtle feminist favourite is Daddy on the Moon, in which a little boy insists that Daddy has to fix his broken toy even though Daddy is away at work "on the moon". Mum's plaintive remark "I am a qualified mechanic darling" goes unappreciated. At the end Daddy returns and makes a complete pig's ear of the repair while Mum goes off to work with her toolbox, but the DS is happy.

Message probably lost on target audience though.

In the Katy Morag books about a wee girl who lives on a Hebridean island, she's always doing great stuff and her granny drives a tractor instead of a car.

princess smartypants is good

Nice feminist fairy stories for older kids are Petronella and The Princess Who Stood on her Own Feet. I have em in an anthology, but can't think of the title at the mo...

Katie Morag's mummy is the postmaster/postwoman too. And she's pictured breastfeeding in most of the books.

Solo2 they're even harder to think of! Will have a go though

For tractors lovers (and indeed everyone) I love a story called "The Wrestling Princess" by Judy Corbalis. Just googled and it's from a of the same name www.amazon.com/Wrestling-Princess-Hippo-Funny/dp/059019321X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=12 69475513&sr=1-1, all featuring various princesses doing all kinds of non-princessy things. In the title story, there is a wedding (spoiler alert!) at the end and she wears a special diamond and gold thread boiler suit to it - I must say she rocks.

Solo2, possibly too young, but what about the Little Bear books by Martin Waddell - about a father (presumably single dad) & son bear doing everyday things together like tidying their cave.

Rattletrap Car has a dad looking after 3 children with no mother in evidence; also at the end it's the baby, who is a girl, who fixes the car.

My dcs are fascinated by the absence of a mum - they ask where she is and I say 'Perhaps she's working away. Or she's gone to visit her friends in the big city.' and dd says, ruthlessly, 'Nah, I think she's dead.'

Jesse's Dream Skirt by Brice Mack, about a boy who gets his mum to make him a technicolour skirt to wear to school. It was one of my favourites growing up. Very old school.