You all know by now, I am a total book nerd. For more evidence, you can check out this post. or this one or this one! And in my humble opinion, vintage books are the best ones. I don’t know why, but something about the illustrations and the language just draws me in more than most modern books I’ve read. Since we (currently) only have little girls around here, we have quite a few awesome little girl focused books. Don’t get me wrong, we read a very wide variety of books, including a lot of ‘boy” books, but there’s no denying that little girls are attracted to pretty pictures and relationship-based storylines. A post on the ten best vintage books for boys is in the works, so if you have a house full of boys like Coley, never fear! But for now, here are my 10 favorites for the little ladies in your house.
1. Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow – A little girl learns about the seasons, holidays, and the passing of time. This was one of those books that the little people demanded that I read (heehee) over and over. Charlotte Zolotow is a master, and the illustrations by Garth Williams who also illustrated the Little House series are soooo sweet. How could you not fall in love with pictures of little girls in those short little dresses with miles of petticoats underneath.
2. Helga’s Dowry, written and illustrated by Tomie de Paolo – A beautiful but poor troll resourcefully builds her own dowry so she can marry the man of her dreams. When she completes her task, she learns that she deserves to be loved for who she is, not what she has. This has been one of my favorites since I was little. It’s a great story with lots of potential for conversations about the nature of love, especially for little girls. And Tomie de Paolo’s illustrations are so much fun.
3. A Birthday For Francis by Russell and Lillian Hoban – I love all the Francis stories, and have even learned some parenting strategies from her parents! A Birthday For Francis is about family, jealousy, and Chompo bars. Oh yeah, and learning to share with your little sister. This is a great one to read to siblings. Extra points for leaving the Goodwill sticker on the cover.
4. Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans – I don’t even know what to say about my girl Madeline. She’s not afraid of mice , and she loves winter, snow and ice. And my little girls love her. In fact, we have a full set of Madeline dolls and all the furniture for her house. There’s even a Miss Clavel doll. Oh yeah.
5. Lucille, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel – I included Lucille in my last list of awesome vintage books but I just had to put it in here. Lucille, a plain, happy horse, learns that she doesn’t have to wear a pretty dress and uncomfortable shoes and act like a lady to be happy.
6. The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr – The Little Bee has an obsession with tigers, and a stuffed tiger collection to prove it. I found this book just a few months ago while looking for inspiration for her tiger – themed birthday party and fell in love. When a tiger rings the doorbell during tea time, chaos ensues, but all is well when Daddy comes home and takes the fam out to dinner.
7. Mother Bear’s Robin, by Elise Holmelund Minarik – I have a deep love for all things Little Bear, and this a poignant story about Little Bear’s Mama, told to Little Bear by his Grandma. It’s included in the Little Bear’s Visit collection. The Little Bee literally had this story memorized word for word when she was three. Just ask me, I’ll show you the video. That’s what happens when you read a book to a child 3 million times.
8. Katy and the Big Snow, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton – Katy is a beautiful red crawler tractor, who perseveres through a snowstorm to save the city of Geoppolis. I refer back to Katy all the time when trying to guide the girlies through something they find tough or boring – “Let’s be like Katy and clean up the playroom!” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but Katy is definitely one of the original strong female characters.
9. A Little Golden Book Collection of Eloise Wilkin Stories – Oh those Little Golden Books! I love the sight of that gold spine on my bookshelf. There are nine super cute stories included in this collection, all with the most adorable illustrations of babies ever imaginable. The Baby Bee loves babies as much as the Little Bee loves tigers, so this is one of her favorites. My favorite is We Help Mommy, which I read to the littles whenever I know I’ll need a little more cooperation than usual. And yes, she wears those footie pajamas constantly. I get her dressed every stinkin morning, but after a few hours, she disappears and then emerges wearing these.
10. Big Sister and Little Sister, by Charlotte Zolotow – Not gonna lie, I bawled like a baby when I read this book for the first time. It is, hands down, the sweetest story I have ever read. Big sister always takes care of Little sister, until Little sister gets tired of always being taken care of. She hides in a field of daisies, but in the process, both sisters learn that they can take care of each other.
Did I miss any? I’d love to hear about your favorite books!
Happy reading!