I found this great post from 2015 (I’m not sure who wrote it) and updated it with one of my new favorites at the end.
_________
With so much time spent indoors the past few weeks, my little bookworms are tearing through their bookshelf at a breakneck pace. I’m so excited to start making regular pilgrimages to our local library now that the weather’s warming up! In the meantime, our resident book selectors, C & Z, have signed off on their top picks for March reading. In honor of Women’s History Month, I asked them to pick books with women or girls as their central characters and they did not disappoint their mama. These choices are stellar.
*Please shop local! Our favorite bookstores are the Community Bookstore on 7th Ave in Park Slope and Powerhouse in Dumbo. Check out Indiebound for the bookstore closest to you. Please note the links here are Amazon affiliate links.
The BFG, by Roald Dahl
We tend toward the dark and spooky books these days, so Roald Dahl fits the bill. We own his complete works (an amazing Christmas gift a couple years back!) and we’re tearing through them. While we’ve had stints of obsession with The Twits and The Witches, my five year old, C, currently adores this story of the BFG (that’s Big Friendly Giant) and a little girl named Sophie who persuade the Queen of England to help them stop the hungry giants who are traveling the world and eating “whoppsy whiffling human beans”. But, the true hero of the story is Sophie. Resourceful Sophie, who rides to London in the BFG’s ear to speak to the Queen. As my daughter says, “the BFG says Sophie has squashed flies in her head, but she doesn’t, she has a big brain in there! She saves the human bean children from the other giants!” Even as you stumble over words like swashboggle, snozzcumbers and quagwinkle, you’ll fall in love with this sweet tale of friendship and heroism.
Ladybug Girl & the Bug Squad, by David Soman and Jacky Davis
We all know how playdates don’t always go according to plan. In this Bug Squad tale, Ladybug Girl wants everything to be just perfect which can sometimes mean that she – what’s the word? – micromanages – her friends. This sweet story, with adorable illustrations, of friendship and reconciliation is a must read for boys and girls. Be forewarned, Ladybug Girl’s mom is waaaaay more organized with playdate activities than I’ve ever been. Try not to roll your eyes when she busts out the Pinterest crafts for the kids.
The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton
Published more than 70 years ago, this well deserved Caldecott winner stands the test of time. I love picking up a book that I read as a child and introducing it to my kids. The Little House (a decidedly feminine character, and thus within the boundaries of my Women’s History Month directive), is a tale of a house who watches her quiet hill in the country develop into a crowded dirty city around her. Thank goodness, in the end (spoiler alert), the sturdy Little House is found and moved out to another quiet little hill in the country, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans
The entire series of Madeline books are supremely charming, but lately my girls have been requesting the original story. In this first in the Madeline series, she gets appendicitis and her friends from the orphanage decide they want theirs out, too. Originally published in the 30’s, this is another Caldecott winner that stands the test of time. It’s sweet, concise, and (bonus for the toddler set!) it rhymes. Makes for a lovely read for parents and kids alike.
Maple & Willow Together, by Lori Nichols
I have two daughters and, of course, they often like to read stories about sisters. Unfortunately, most of these books are sentimental and, frankly, irritating. But, I’ll give Lori Nichols a little credit for giving Maple & Willow a little bit of conflict (although they’re best friends again two pages later). And the illustrations are adorable. This is not my least favorite book about sisters, and little kids will love the girls and their “secret language.”
Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
By the author the Gruffalo books, this tale of witches and dragons and broomsticks is an adorable read. Throughout her journey, the Witch, in her unending generosity, picks up every helpful vagabond she meets along her way. Eventually, catastrophe strikes and a big red dragon who likes “witch with french fries” enters the picture. In the end, this is a lovely story of friendship and ingenuity – and it rhymes! The book was also made into an Academy Award nominated short film, just as fantastic as the book (it’s on Amazon Prime and iTunes) voiced by Gillian Anderson, Simon Pegg and a host of other great actors. It’s certainly better than My Little Pony next time your little one requests some screen time.
New addition added by Shelly:
My Father’s Dragon
I read this to my little girl and it was perfect as it was not to scary or hard to understand. It is a great story to practice reading comprehension and introduce the idea of a longer novel through shorter stories embedded in the narrative. The boy does run away from home which is a tough one to explain, but as I was reading it I could gloss over that part. When they are old enough to read it themselves, hopefully they can handle that conceit.