Picture Books with Strong Female Protagonists

In this wonderful story about the intrepid Madeline, the city of Paris itself is practically a character. The city's parks, bridges, and squares are beautifully and uniquely rendered by Bemelmans. The pictures, rhyming text, and entertaining twist at the end will engage readers of any age.

Olivia is too smart for her own good. I know why I liked it, but I'll tell you why my 4-year-old liked it: Olivia gets time-outs, too.

Think your daughter is too young to have a conversation about gender roles? She's not. Books like this one, a dear anti-fairytale about a princess who comes to her own rescue, can springboard the conversation. Young girls will intuit the difference between this story and more traditional princess tales, even if they don't have the language to articulate what they're noticing. That's where you come in, Mom.