Picture Books With Strong Female Leading Characters

The thing I was probably most excited to get back to sharing was children’s books. While we definitely read a little bit of everything, I try my best to sneak in books I know they’ll love with strong female leads that either have a great message or have the ability to start a great conversation. Here’s part 1 of some of our favorites:

“I’m Happy-Sad Today” written Lory Britain illustrated by Matthew Rivera

“And you know what? When I’m older, sometimes I’ll still have different feelings mixed together inside me. And that’s okay!”

“I’m Happy-Sad Today” is just does suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch an incredible job of explaining complicated feelings on a level that really speaks to kids. On each page are different examples that are easilty digestible for kids about how you can feel multiple things at once, and each can be valid. We had the complete luck of having ordered it from the scholastic magazine through school just a few weeks before the pandemic started and we began virtual learning. You can probably see from the creases on the cover how much we leaned into these conversations over the last few years. As adults, we also through how many feelings can exist and be valid at once, and having a book like this to just hand you the language to talk about it in a way that will make perfect sense to little and big kids is invaluable. I feel like this one really gives my daughters their sense of calm back when their little minds are giving them a lot to process at once.

“Reading Beauty” written by Deborah Underwood illustrated by Meg Hunt

“Wait! Can it be … that you can’t read? Don’t worry! I will teach you!”

“Reading Beauty” is one of a few books from Deborah Underwood that takes an old familiar fairytales and turn what was once the part of a damsel in destress into the heroine that saves the day. We’ve come across a few different authors that have flipped these old stories into a new dynamic, but Deborah’s are my favorite by far, because she not only highlights the bravery of the heroine, but she always finds a way to incorporate elements that allow her intellectual and emotional intelligence to be highlighted as well.

“Speak Up, Molly Lou Melon” written by Patty Lovell illustrated by David Catrow

“Her mom always told her, “You have a strong voice. Use it to speak up for anyone who might need your help.””

“Speak Up, Molly Lou Melon” is a really sweet story about a small girl with a really big and beautiful personality. The detailed illustrations in this book are my favorite kind, when they can somehow make it feel cozy and adventurous all at once. They really pull you into the story where despite her size, and not always getting the fair end of the deal, Molly Lou continues to act with integrity, make the best of things, and stand up to a bully on behalf of her friends, all while having space in her heart for redemption.