Best Girls Books: Picture Book Picks for Young Readers
These are the best girls books that have been special to our family! This list is pretty eclectic. Books that are inspiring, visually imaginative, and have solid writing. I want my daughters to read books that portray courage from worthy heroines. Inspiring tales that give them examples of kindness, creativity, and thankfulness. I also tried to include books that you may haven not already seen on other booklists, from my previous lists or from others. These books would be great for ages 5-10. Some are on the younger side, but several are great for ages 10-12 as well. I hope you will take a look at these books!
Choosing Books for Girls
I had a harder time choosing books for girls more than I did for the boy booklist. There are so many books geared toward girls this age, and I wanted to make sure that the ones that I chose promoted kindness and good character, and had lovely, inspiring illustrations. In addition, a few are filled with lots of American history. I even added this version of Cinderella because it is the original fairy tale version.
Diversity in Children’s Books
I am thankful for other mamas who have prioritized giving their children books that have diversity in them. It has really inspired me to research and make sure that I have books in our home library that have people in them that look and have different backgrounds than we do. As parents, we have to be intentional about exposing our children to ethnic and cultural diversity in their books and education.
Patricia Polacco is an author that has been a wonderful addition to our home library as she incorporates a lot of of her Russian heritage in her writings. Also, the author of the book Rosa, Niki Giovanni, is an American poet and activist that is well known as being one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Beautiful women that I am thankful have shared their writing and point of views so that I can share those with my girls.
Sourcing Picture Books
- Local Libraries
- Yearly library sales
- Thriftbooks
- Abe Books
- Ebay
- Facebook Marketplace
- Amazon
“We read to know that we are not alone.”
-C.S. Lewis-
Picture Books for Girls
- Angelina’s Ballet Class by Katharine Holabird : This book has such sweet illustrations. The little mouse named Angelina is also kind to her younger cousin, Henry. There are more books in this series.
- Rosa by Nikki Giovanni : This is an illustrated story of Rosa Parks and the historical Montgomery bus boycott. It’s a very inspiring version.
- A New Coat for Anna Harriet Ziefert : This story is about Anna and her mother in a European city during WWII, and how they trade for supplies for her new coat. It is a really insightful story that makes you feel thankful for what you have.
- Cinderella translated by Marcia Brown: This is the fairy tale version of Cinderella. The illustrations are really lovely.
- Winter Days in the Big Woods illustrated adaptations by Laura Ingalls Wilder: This is a part of the the My First Little House Books series. These are great introductions to the Little House on the Prairie series.
- Meet Felicity, An American Girl by Valerie Tripp: The is the first book in the American girl series. This series portrays early American history and the stories are very engaging.
- Lola Dutch by Sarah Jane and Kenneth Wright : This is a newer book that follows the creativity of a little girl names Lola Dutch and how she goes about finding the courage to be creative.
- A is for Annabelle by Tasha Tudor: Anything by Tasha Tudor has beautiful illustrations. This book is a dolls alphabet book and has a picture for each letter. This book is better for the younger girls. Other books by Tasha Tudor will be better suit older girls, such as A Time to Keep.
- Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully : This story follows a little girl and her tenacity to walk on a high wire. She is brave and persistent.
- The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco: A book about taking a family’s items… shirts, blankets, tablecloth.. and making a quilt that gets passed down in a Russian family.
- Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty: A great book for those little girls who question everything! This story follows a girl named Ada as she answers her questions through the scientific method.
- Eloise Wilkins illustrated Little Golden Books (( My Little Golden Book about God, Birds, The New Baby )) : I included these Eloise Wilkins books because they are just lovely. They are full of sweet and idyllic scenes of childhood. The illustrations depict amazing vintage details, which I love. And they promote beautiful family bonds!
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I hope this resource blesses you and your family this year!
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More Booklists to Enjoy:
12 Picture Books to Welcome Fall