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.

Five Picture Book Poetry Collections That Feature Diversity

There are so many wonderful diverse picture book poetry collections that it was hard to pick five to feature in this post. We'll do at least one more in celebration of April being National Poetry Month here in the U.S., but for now, here are a few that stood out to us for their inclusion of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity:

Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku
by Paul B. Janeczko and J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Tricia Tusa

This collection is a great choice for fans of humorous poets like Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky. Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku features 23 senryū poems which are each three lines of laughs. Senryū is Japanese poetry form similar to haiku but tends to focus on the human experiences as opposed to nature, and are more humorous rather than their serious. This one is ideal for children who are old enough to appreciate puns as many of the poems require an understanding of word play. Tusa's illustrations are just as funny as the poetry and feature a wonderful array of racial diversity.