Not Your Typical Princess Picturebooks

My little princess is much more likely to get dirty playing in the mud than her big brother, but still enjoys the occasion frilly dress and ruffles. She is far from the typical princess, and I relish that. Like her, I was more likely to be found playing ‘boy’ games then rocking the pick dresses I was often decked out in. I love the independent nature and rough and ready style of my little girl, and want to encourage her to continue being herself and help both of my kids ignore the standard gender roles and do what makes them happy rather than conforming to the roles of pretty princess and brave knight.

In my efforts to find books that break the stereotypes, I have found a large number of books that feature princesses breaking the standard image. Some of the princess are up to saving themselves, and sometimes saving the prince as well, others are just content in being who they really are and encourage readers of all ages to do the same.

Lovabye Dragon by Barbara Joosse; illustrated by Randy Cecil. When a lonely dragon follows a trail of princess tears, a beautiful friendship is born. They march and sing, roar and whisper, hide and seek, then settle into snug companionship at bedtime.

The Pirate Princess by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen; illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Tired of the royal life, Princess Bea boards a pirate ship and sets out for adventure on the high seas but soon finds she is not good at swabbing decks, cooking in the galley, or keeping watch from the crow’s nest.

Princess Peepers by Pam Calvert; illustrated by Tuesday Mourning. When the other princesses make fun of her for wearing glasses, Princess Peepers vows to go without, but after several mishaps–one of which is especially coincidental–she admits that she really does need them if she wants to see.

Part-Time Princess by Deborah Underwood; illustrated by Cambria Evans. A girl escapes her annoying little brother and the drudgery of school and home life when she travels to a magical kingdom each night and embarks on a series of adventures.

Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole. Not wishing to marry any of her royal suitors, Princess Smartypants devises difficult tasks at which they all fail, until the multitalented Prince Swashbuckle appears.

Thankfully books like these are becoming easier to find, books where a princess (or any girl) is measured by more than her looks and ability to be sweet and quiet. Here are some more great books about princesses that break the mold; The Barefoot Book of Princesses retold by Caitlín Matthews; illustrated by Olwyn Whelan, The Storytelling Princess by Rafe Marti; illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root, The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray, Do Princesses Have Best Friends Forever? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle; illustrated by Mike Gordon and Carl Gordon, Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin, Princesses are Not Quitters! by Kate Lum; illustrated by Sue Hellard, Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funk ; illustrated by Kerstin Meyer; translated by Chantal Wright, The Paper Princess by Elisa Kleven, The Paper Bag Princess written by Robert N. Munsch; illustrated by Michael Martchenko, and Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated by Florence Parry Heide; illustrated by Lane Smith.

 

Book Club Picks – Action/Adventure

book clubIs your book club looking for a little excitement?  Here are some action/adventure books they may be interested in.

Suspect by Robert Crais – LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Nine months ago, a shocking assault by unidentified men killed his partner, Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty—until he meets his new partner.

Into That Forest by Louis Nowra – Two girls survive a terrible flood in the Tasmanian bush and are rescued by a pair of Tasmanian tigers who raise them in the wild. Their story of survival is remarkable, as they adapt to the life of the tiger, learning to hunt and to communicate without the use of human language. When they are discovered and returned to civilization, neither can adapt to being fully human after their extraordinary experience. Totally believable, their story will both shock and captivate readers as it explores the animal instincts that lie beneath our civilized veneer.

timeTime and Again by Jack Finney – When advertising artist Si Morley is recruited to join a covert government operation exploring the possibility of time travel, he jumps at the chance to leave his twentieth-century existence and step into New York City in January 1882. Aside from his thirst for experience, he has good reason to return to the past—his friend Kate has a curious, half-burned letter dated from that year, and he wants to trace the mystery.

The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell – The last unvanquished piece of England, Wessex is eyed hungrily by the fearsome Viking conquerors. A dispossessed young nobleman, Uhtred is tied to the imperiled land by birth and marriage but was raised by the Danish invaders—and he questions where his allegiance must lie. But blood is his destiny, and when the overwhelming Viking horde attacks out of a wintry darkness, Uhtred must put aside all hatred and distrust and stand beside his embattled country’s staunch defender—the fugitive King Alfred.

First to Kill by Andrew Peterson – Ten years ago, a botched mission in Nicaragua ended covert ops specialist Nathan McBride’s CIA career. Now he utilizes his unique skill set in the private sector—until the night Frank Ortega, former director of the FBI, calls in a favor. A deep-cover federal agent has vanished, along with a ton of Semtex explosives, and Ortega needs them found—fast. Because for him, this mission is personal: the missing agent is his grandson. And Nathan McBride is the only man he trusts to save him.

The Broken Places by Ace Atkins – A year after becoming Tibbehah County sheriff, Quinn Colson is faced with a pardoned killer’s return to Jericho. Jamey Dixon now preaches redemption and forgiveness, but the family of the woman he was convicted of killing isn’t buying it. They warn Quinn that his sister’s relationship with Dixon could be fatal. Others don’t think the new preacher is a changed man, either—a couple of dangerous convicts who confided in Dixon about an armored car robbery believe he’s after the money they hid. So they do the only thing they can: break out and head straight to Jericho, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

The Body Departed by J.R. Rain – When a killer broke into James Blakely’s apartment and fired twelve bullets into his body, it was the end of James’s life—but just the beginning of his journey to redemption. Sentenced to burn in hell for a crime he cannot remember, James is given the choice to proceed immediately to the afterlife or haunt the world of the living in search of his killer. Electing to return to Earth as a ghost, he attempts to solve the mystery of his own murder, visits the living—starting with his daughter and ex-wife—and confronts the sins in his past that put him on the fast track to eternal damnation.

It’s Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be With You!

May 4 is unofficially “Star Wars Day.” It’s the one day a year when Star Wars fans are encouraged to REALLY let their devotion to all things Star Wars out to play. Cheshire Library has got you covered, young Jedis – we have Star Wars items in just about every section of our collection. Here’s a very small taste of what you can find in our corner of the galaxy:

ADULT SCIENCE FICTION:

TEENS:

CHILDREN’S FICTION:

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EASY READERS:

NON-FICTION:

DVD:

 

Middle and Upper Grade Books About Kids Doing Good

Are you trying to encourage volunteer work and the idea of paying it forward with your older children and teens? One of the best ways to do this is to offer role models that behave in the manner you would like them to. Sometimes reading a great book about someone else in a similar situation, or with similar interests, doing good things can inspire those that read the book to follow suit. Here are some novels that might inspire some good deeds.

The Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe (YA)
On his sixteenth birthday, still trying to cope with the unexpected death of his father, David Schumacher decides–or does he–to change his name to Blue Avenger, hoping to find a way to make a difference in his Oakland neighborhood and in the world.

Regarding the Fountain: a Tale, in Letters, of Liars and Leaks by Kate Klise, with illustrations by M. Sarah Klise (J)
When the principal asks a fifth-grader to write a letter regarding the purchase of a new drinking fountain for their school, he finds that all sorts of chaos results.

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors (YA)
Sixteen-year-old Katrina’s kindness to a man she finds sleeping behind her grandmother’s coffeehouse leads to a strange reward as Malcolm, who is actually a teenage guardian angel, insists on rewarding her by granting her deepest wish.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli (J)
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff’s optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.

Gracie’s Girl by Ellen Wittlinger (J)
As she starts middle school, Bess volunteers to work on the school musical in hopes of fitting in, but when she and a friend get to know an elderly homeless woman, Bess changes her mind about what is really important.

Again, this list barely scratches the surface of great books about older children and teens doing good things and just being great people. Here are a few more from our collection; Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (YA), Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road? by Gordon Korman (J), Three Good Deeds by Vande Velde, Vivian (J), and Daddy’s Little Angel by Shani Petroff (YA).

Please mention any titles that we missed in the comment section so that others can enjoy them as well!

 

Wacky Weather Picture Books to Share

Even without the snow filled and freezing cold winter we have just had weather is always an interesting topic to discuss with your children. From snow storms and the school free days they often bring to sunny days at the beach weather is always with us and affects our daily lives and activities. Here are some picturebooks about wacky weather than can make children of all ages laugh and start a discussion about nature and weather in your house.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett; drawn by Ron Barrett. Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers–until the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Hello, Sun! by Dayle Ann Dodds; pictures by Sachiko Yoshikawa. A young girl and her cat must change clothes many times as the weather goes from sunny to cloudy to rainy to snowy.

Aunt Minnie and the Twister by Mary Skillings Prigger; illustrated by Betsy Lewin. After a tornado rearranges their Kansas house, Aunt Minnie and the nine nieces and nephews living with her add on a much-needed new room.

Un-brella by Scott E. Franson. In this wordless book, a little girl uses her magic umbrella to give her the weather she wants, regardless of what the conditions really are outside.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. The King, tired of rain, snow, sun and fog, commands his magicians to make something else come down from the sky, but when oobleck falls, in sticky greenish droplets, Bartholomew Cubbins shames the King and saves the kingdom.

As usual, there are too many great books to limit myself to the size allotted here, so I will offer a few more and invite you to offer more suggestions in the comments. My other suggestions include; Sector 7 by David Wiesner, Miss Mingo Weathers the Storm by Jamie Harper, Sun, Snow, Stars, Sky by Catherine and Laurence Anholt, Mouse & Mole and the All-Weather Train Ride by Doug Cushman, and The Magic School Bus Kicks up a Storm adaptation by Nancy White and illustrated by Art Ruiz.