resources for finding nonsexist/feminist children’s literature
When we had our baby and started amassing books, I was quite frankly amazed and disturbed at how sexist so many children’s books are. Including books my progressive friends and I remember quite fondly, though vaguely or in gender-ideology-free snippets. Stuff I found myself unable to read aloud with the cheerful, engaging enthusiasm one attempts to inject into even the most exhausted of readings when one hopes to raise a lifelong book-lover. Mrs. Mallard gets the little ducky babies all nice and tidy to meet Dad after his big trip; Daddy drives Mommy and the kids to the grocery store and, wow, Daddy’s such a good driver; always with the pretty-and-nurturing women/girls and strong-and-active men/boys; the sort of repetitive crap that elicits eye-rolling and a sarcastic voice from me. What are feminist bookworm parents to do?
A few useful resources:
- During my pregnancy, I discovered the Amelia Bloomer Project, which creates annual lists of what the committee judges to be excellent feminist literature (divided into fiction and nonfiction within three age categories: picture books, middle readers, and young adult); the project also has a blog. It’s all a component of the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. But, because of the age of the prize/organization, the lists only extend back to 2002.
- Sociologists for Women in Society has some recommendations that are broader in terms of publication date. This page also refers to “Books for Boys and Girls Today: An Annotated Bibliography of Non-Sexist Books for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers,” a 1996 publication for sale through the Wellesley Center for Women. I would love to see a copy someday!
- A 2008 post at Feministe asked for–and got lots of–recommendations for feminist-friendly children’s lit. Tons of neat stuff to check out.
- Here are two more lists, one of books featuring girls behaving nontraditionally (unstereotypically, one might say) and one of books featuring boys behaving nontraditionally (ditto).
- For more of my writing on children’s literature, try these posts.
If you know of great books or of other lists/resources, I’d be very pleased to hear about them.
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- the “that’s not my [whatever]” “Usborne Touchy-Feely” books: That’s Not My Dragon, That’s Not My Puppy, That’s Not My Dinosaur, etc., etc.: I cannot say enough about these books. The babies and toddlers I know LOVE them, and they’re much, much sturdier (and less annoying) than the other touch-and-feel books we’ve had.
- Big/Little and Quiet/Loud (Leslie Patricelli)
- I Love You Through and Through (Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak)
- Picture This (Alison Jay)
- The Rooster Struts (Richard Scarry)
- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle)
- Your Personal Penguin (Sandra Boynton)
- What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby? (Cressida Cowell & Ingrid Godon)
- Where’s Spot? (Eric Hill)
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- Tree Ring Circus and Pssst! (Adam Rex)
- Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Knuffle Bunny, the Elephant and Piggie books, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Mo Willems): Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed is particularly amusing and has a do-your-own-thing/be-nice sort of message.
- The Big Book of Things That Go (DK Publishing)
- Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z (Lois Ehlert)
- Jack’s Garden (Henry Cole)
- The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
- Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?, and ABC (Dr. Seuss)
- Penguin Dreams (Vivian Walsh & J. Otto Seibold)
- The Octonauts and the Only Lonely Monster (Meomi)
- My Puppy Is Born (Joanna Cole)
- Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak): one of the best read-aloud books of all time
- Bruno Munari’s Zoo and ABC: soooo beautiful
- Not a Box (Antoinette Portis): an enticingly-illustrated, simple, brief story about creative/imaginative play
- There’s a Monster at the End of this Book (Jon Stone & Michael Stollin): overcoming unfounded fears
- Sesame Street ABC and 123: two books in one!
- What Can You Do with a Tail Like This? and Actual Size (Steve Jenkins, the former with Robin Page): cool animal facts and great illustrations
- First the Egg (Laura Vaccaro Seeger): brief/simple enough for younger children (and those need-to-do-the-routine-quickly bedtimes, too)
- Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen): books are fun! libraries are fun! lions are fun!
- One Nighttime Sea (Deborah Lee Rose & Steve Jenkins)
- I Spy: An Alphabet in Art (Lucy Micklethwait)
- Flotsam (David Wiesner): wordless and intriguing, so you get to narrate as you wish
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- They’re not chapter books, but the Magic School Bus books are far more text-heavy than the picture books listed above, and they’re great.
- Click here for my reviews of Bruce Coville’s Moongobble series, Ursula Le Guin’s (amazing) Catwings books, and Donna Jo Napoli’s Sly the Sleuth books.
- Click here for my reviews of Cynthia Rylant’s Lighthouse Family, High-Rise Private Eyes, and Mr. Putter and Tabby series. The Mr. Putter and Tabby books are especially lovely.
- Here are some additional ideas.
- At this stage, a whole world of classic children’s literature opens up, depending on the individual child’s interests and sensitivities: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, Edward Eager and Edith Nesbit’s fantasies, E.B White, Roald Dahl, just all sorts of stuff. Much of it is certainly far from feminist, but as I know from classroom teaching, a beautiful book with sexist tics can be the beginning of a great conversation.
One Comment
I had explored your website a bit but didn’t happen upon this page until you left the link on my post today. THANK YOU. This is perfect. I’m excited to add some of these to my ever expanding list of library holds. Especially the ones with boys acting in non-traditional ways!!