Four Short Story Collections About Strong Women and Girls Around the World

My apologies for the long silence! This is a list of recommendations I wanted to post during Women's History Month, but couldn't get a hold of all the titles in time. That's okay though since we celebrate women and girls all the time on Ink & Pen! So, here are four collections of short stories about strong women and girls who think--and do--for themselves. Many of these tales have been buried or ignored, but we're glad to have them available to us now. Enjoy!

Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls
collected and told by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Susan Guevara

This collection of thirteen tales from Greece, Niger, Germany, Argentina, China, the White River Sioux, the Ozark Mountains, Scotland, Romania, Poland, Japan, France, and England, was by far my favorite. Yolen is a gifted storyteller and chose an array of engrossing tales that left me wishing there were a second collection!

The Serpent Slayer: and Other Stories of Strong Women
written by Katrin Tchana, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

This collection includes 18 stories of strong girls and women from Asia, the Americas, India, the Jewish tradition, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The tales in this collection are fascinating and the girls in them are all strong in unique ways. The illustrations for this treasury are remarkable and the stories fascinating.

Ten Cinderella Tales from Around the World

It's officially summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and we'd like to take this season to focus on folk and fairy tales (and perhaps myths and legends, too) here on Ink & Pen. So, to start things off here are ten Cinderella tales from around the world. Considering that it is widely accepted that the Cinderella tale was first recorded in China, it's surprising that multicultural versions of the story are not more popular, but thankfully there are a multitude of picture book versions from a truly diverse array of countries and cultures.

When I was a teacher, I spent an entire month exploring Cinderella tales with my students and we still didn't get through every culture's version. I found my students open to and interested in Cinderella stories from every culture. In fact, when I began reading them a Perrault version (what would be the "standard" for those of us in mainstream Western culture--except perhaps in Germany) they asked me what country the story was from, not viewing it as more original, authentic, or authoritative than any other version.

Of course, the Cinderella tale can be problematic when it comes to gender, body image, etc. I would strongly recommend that you engage any children you may be reading with in a discussion about standards of beauty as well as any other issues you may see with the tale. It's important for children to know that physical attributes are not an indicator of inner worth, and while some children will come to this conclusion on their own, it is helpful to have a trusted adult either introduce or reaffirm this notion.

I'm not including synopses for these books for though they differ widely in details, they are all versions of the same tale. Here are my top ten (in no particular order):

1. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale


2. The Korean Cinderella


3. The Rough-Face Girl

Five More Picture Books That Celebrate Creativity in Girls

Our previous post about books that celebrate creative girls has been so popular that we wanted to offer you more five more titles in the same vein:

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina
written by Monica Brown, illustrated by Sara Palacios

From her brown skin and red hair, to her penchant for wearing polka dots with stripes, people tell Marisol McDonald that she doesn't match. Marisol doesn't mind though: she likes herself the way she is, but when a friend tells her she couldn't match if she tried, Marisol decides to take up the challenge. But matching is no fun for Marisol who learns that her uniqueness is something to celebrate. Palacios's illustrations are vibrant, colorful, and fun. Includes a note on why the author created a multiracial protagonist, as well as a note on the translation. Bilingual: English/Spanish

Jingle Dancer
written by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying Hwa-Hu

Jenna wants to dance at the upcoming powwow, but there isn't enough time to order the tins to make her dress jingle. Undeterred, Jenna visits family members and friends considerately asking each for only enough jingles to make a row, ensuring no one dress will be silent. Each person who lends Jenna jingles can't attend the powwow and asks her to dance for them. When the day of the powwow arrives, Jenna dances beautifully to the brum, brum, brum, brum beat of the drum, for herself and for everyone that helped her, jingling all the while. Beautifully illustrated by Van Wright and Hu who showcase the diversity of skin tones found among Native American people. Includes an author's note and glossary.

Five Diverse Picture Books for Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Here are five diverse books that celebrate mothers and mother love.

Mother's Day
written by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell

A wonderful book (especially for a classroom read aloud) about students in a very diverse class sharing the kind things they plan to do for their mothers for Mother's Day. The story includes instructions on making a flower with a button, paper and pipe cleaner.

Hush!: A Thai Lullaby
written by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade

A Thai mother tells all the noisy creatures in and around her house to quiet down while her son sleeps. Winner of the Caldecott Honor.