The first reference of its kind, Great Books for Girls is an invaluable list of more than six hundred titles--picture books, novels, mysteries, biographies, folktales, sports books, and more--that will encourage, challenge, and ultimately nurture in girls the strong qualities our culture so often suppresses. Kathleen Odean, a librarian and former member of the prestigious Caldecott and Newbery Award committees, has gathered and annotated a list of books starring bold, confident heroines for children from toddlers to age fourteen. Here are old favorites such as Eloise, Harriet the Spy, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Ramona the Pest; new inspirations such as Cinder Edna, Sheila Rae the Brave, Herculeah Jones, and Princess Smartypants; and real-life admirable women such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jane Goodall, Toni Morrison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller. In these books, girls and women are creative, capable, articulate, and intelligent, solving problems, facing challenges, resolving conflicts, and going on quests. They are not sidekicks or tokens, waiting to be rescued; they are doing the rescuing. Nor are they waiting for a male to provide a happy ending; they are fashioning their own stories and their own endings. Packed with expert guidance, Great Books for Girls is an essential volume that will give girls of all ages the power of hope. Odean, a children's librarian and reviewer for School Library Journal, has compiled a guide for parents and educators looking for books "about girls who defy the stereotypes about females in our culture." Her work introduces 600 titles, ranging from picture-story books for toddlers to biographies and novels for adolescents that depict girls and women who are self-sufficient, decisive, and assertive (e.g., Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy, 1964; Jane Goodall's My Life with the Chimpanzees, 1988; Beverly Gherman's Sandra Day O'Connor, 1991). Odean's background as a children's book expert is apparent in her well-crafted, descriptive annotations. She supplies publishing data and age guidelines, comments on illustrations, notes award-winning works, and points out content strengths and weaknesses. The introduction and last chapter provide advice about locating good children's books, reading aloud, etc. Highly recommended for public and school libraries and academic libraries with education and library science programs.?Carol McAllister, Coll. of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. “I recommend it for all those who want girls to grow up strong, free bold and kind.” –MARY PIPHER Author of Reviving Ophelia “With superb literary taste and an eye for books depicting strong-minded girls and women, [Odean] recommends more than 600 outstanding titles.” – U.S. News & World Report As the Library Marketing Manager for Ballantine Books and a former librarian, I can assure you that librarian Kathleen Odean's copious selection of must read titles for girls ages from 2-14 are fine selections for home libraries and will encourage kids to develop the reading habit. Parents, grandparents, and scout leaders will delight in reading aloud such classics as Bemelmans' Madeline books (better than the movie). In recommending titles for older readers (ages 10-14) Odean has chosen titles that have withstood the test of time. These are books that many parents may remember from their own childhood such as Harry Mazer's The Island Keeper and Cynthia Voight's Tell me If the Lovers are Losers as well as introducing some newer award winning newer titles like Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Resources and activities that focus on reading offer tips to adults who want to keep their young reluctant readers on the road to making reading a lifelong habit. -- Ellen Libretto, Marketing ference of its kind, Great Books for Girls is an invaluable list of more than six hundred titles--picture books, novels, mysteries, biographies, folktales, sports books, and more--that will encourage, challenge, and ultimately nurture in girls the strong qualities our culture so often suppresses. Kathleen Odean, a librarian and former member of the prestigious Caldecott and Newbery Award committees, has gathered and annotated a list of books starring bold, confident heroines for children from toddlers to age fourteen. Here are old favorites such as Eloise, Harriet the Spy, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Ramona the Pest; new inspirations such as Cinder Edna, Sheila Rae the Brave, Herculeah Jones, and Princess Smartypants; and real-life admirable women such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jane Goodall, Toni Morrison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller.&l Kathleen Odean has been a children's librarian for fifteen years, first in California and now at Moses Brown School, a Friends school in Providence, Rhode Island. She grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Odean th
