Girls Take The Lead It’s No Longer Difficult To Find Female Protagonists In Books
Once upon a time, a person had to search far and wide across the kingdom to find a book with a fiery, smart, interesting female protagonist. It was usually boys who got to have adventures and save the day.
This story has a happy ending, however. Children’s books these days are filled with strong girl characters, as evidenced by this batch of terrific new titles.
“Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter,” by Diane Stanley
We all know the original story. A miller’s daughter is locked in a dungeon until she spins straw into gold. When she does (with the help of a little man named Rumpelstiltskin) the king marries her.
When Diane Stanley was little, she couldn’t understand why the young woman would agree to marry a king who locked her up and required her to perform an impossible task. The grown-up Stanley has published a string of wonderful picture-book biographies about William Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Cleopatra and Leonardo da Vinci.
She’s earned enough clout to rewrite the Rumpelstiltskin story in a way that pleased her. In this revisionist version of fairy tale history, the miller’s daughter decides she likes Rumpelstiltskin better than the king. So she marries him instead. The pair live a pleasant country life, growing vegetables and raising chickens - and a clever daughter. Once in a while, when they need something extra, Rumpelstiltskin spins up a little gold. The king gets wind of this and takes the daughter to his castle to spin straw into gold.
The girl isn’t frightened, just mad. On the way to the castle, she had noticed how the king’s greed had beaten the rest of the kingdom into desperate poverty. She devises an intricate scheme to accomplish three things: to share the king’s wealth with his subjects; to change the ruler’s evil ways, and to get the king to propose. In a neat twist, she refuses the proposal and asks to be prime minister instead.
Stanley’s illustrations are delightful. The king has very big hair and an obnoxious little dog. Everywhere in the castle are his portraits (knock-offs of Whistler, da Vinci and Van Gogh). Boys and girls will enjoy this inspired fractured fairy tale. (Morrow, 32 pgs., ages 5 and up, $15.)
“Sing, Sophie!” by Dayle Ann Dodds
Pint-sized Sophie Adams has a huge voice and she loves to sing. Even in the wide-open spaces of the Midwest, her voice drives her family crazy. Her cowgirl songs threaten to wake her baby brother, flatten her sister’s bouffant ‘do, and scare off the fish her big brother is aiming to catch. “My coat is torn, my shoes are wet, my socks don’t match, my rat’s upset; my kite got stuck; I ate a bug; I spilled red cider on the rug,” she bellows. “But I’m a cowgirl tried and true, Yippee-ky-yee! Yippee-ky-yuu!”
No one appreciates Sophie’s songs until a big thunderstorm hits. Baby Jacob is terrified. No one can calm him, until Sophie starts to sing. Jacob begins to giggle, and the whole family sits down to enjoy a show by Sophie. This book is inspiring and funny. Rosanne Litzinger’s watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations are both cartoonish and classy. (Greenwillow, 32 pgs., ages 3 and up., $15.99.)
“Birdie’s Lighthouse,” by Deborah Hopkinson
Based on the stories of several real-life lighthouse heroines of the 1800s, this gripping story is presented as the diary of 10-year-old Birdie and her first year on a tiny, bleak lighthouse island.
Birdie’s father has decided to quit the dangerous life of a fisherman and moves the whole family to the lighthouse. Birdie hates it at first. She has to leave her old cat, and there’s no grass or trees.
As she learns from her father, the new life becomes more interesting. She proves to be a top-notch student. In the middle of a violent storm, her father becomes ill. Birdie must keep the light burning alone.
The fishing boat she guides in safely proves to be her older brother’s. Pen and watercolor illustrations by Kimberly Bulcken Root beautifully evoke the time, place and a young girl’s courage. Hopkinson lives in Walla Walla. (Atheneum, 32 pgs., ages 4 and up, $15.)
“Mangaboom,” by Charlotte Pomerantz
Daniel was walking in the woods one day when he came to a mango tree. At the foot of the tree is an enormous high-heeled slipper. High in the tree is the owner of the slipper, a gorgeous, outspoken bilingual female giant with curly red hair.
Daniel is instantly charmed, as is Mangaboom the Giant. The two become friends, sharing tea at the home of Mangaboom’s Auntie Tia. They laugh over the three sexist suitors invited by Auntie. And Daniel helps Mangaboom find the more enlightened writer of two mysterious love letters.
Sometimes, Pomerantz explains too much, but this is still an entertaining tall tale. Veteran illustrator Anita Lobel’s pictures are fine and expressive, as usual. (Greenwillow, 40 pgs., ages 5 and up, $16.)
Here some more great reads - in brief:
“Mr. Semolina-Semolinus: A Greek Folktale,” retold by Anthony L. Manna and Christodoula Mitakidou
This princess has no shortage of suitors. She likes none of them, so she decides to make her own man. Mr. Semolina-Semolinus is a delicious mixture of sugar, almonds and flour - “five times beautiful and ten times kind.” After a jealous queen kidnaps Mr. Semolina-Semolinus, the princess must use her wits and courage to get her man back.
Elegant illustrations by Giselle Potter grace this folk tale retold with a modern twist. (Atheneum, 40 pgs., ages 4 and up, $15.)
“Cool Ali,” written and illustrated by Nancy Poydar
It’s a blazing hot, big-city afternoon. Ali’s mom tells her to go outside with her chalk. Lots of folks are outside, fussing and wilting in the heat. Ali comes to the rescue. She draws a lake around Mrs. Frye’s chair, a beach umbrella for Ira Baker, and a blustery wind for Mr. Boyle.
Everybody begins to cool off. Ali is working on polar bears, snow and icicles when a real-life rain washes away the heat - and Ali’s pictures. But never mind, she’s a neighborhood hero. It’s a fresh idea with lively illustrations. (McElderry Books, 32 pgs., ages 4 and up, $13.)
“The Girl Who Lived With the Bears,” retold by Barbara Diamond Goldin
A spoiled chief’s daughter goes out to pick berries. Along the way, she complains about bears, unlike her friends whose traditional songs demonstrate respect for the powerful beasts.
Two young men appear. She joins them, thinking they will take her home. Instead they take her to their village, the village of bears. She eventually has no choice but to marry a man/bear. She enters the marriage with integrity, grows up, and gains respect for her husband and his village. This traditional Northwest Indian Tale is expressively illustrated by Andrew Plewes. (Harcourt Brace, 40 pgs, ages 5 and up., $15.)
“Sleepless Beauty,” by Frances Minters
This rap twist on the traditional fairy tale is a blast to read out loud. Sleepless Beauty is a big city girl who loves rock music and changes her own fate. G. Brian Karas’ illustrations are full of whimsy and colored in sophisticated, big city hues. (Viking, 32 pgs., ages 3 and up, $14.99.)
MEMO: Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly on the Families page.