Plenty of feisty female roles in books

I am all for children’s and young adult literature that includes girls, so sat down to enjoy the feature in The Press on Saturday (Mar 17). Did anyone involved in this article ask good bookshops, libraries, school librarians or anyone who has researched children’s literature for their opinion?

There are plenty of books with feisty girl heroines and it isn’t new. It was Gretel who rescued Hansel. Girls feature in picture books such as The Man Whose Mother Was A Pirate, written by our own Margaret Mahy (pictured).

As for dismissing Hairy Maclary, how did the writer know that they were all male dogs and does it matter? Local author and illustrator Gavin Bishop features women and girls in his books.

Novels with feisty girls abound for older children. They were around when I was young; Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, The Wizard of Oz, etc. My own daughters enjoyed John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When The War Began series, Cynthia Voigt’s Tillerman Cycle series, Carole Wilkinson’s Dragonkeeper series, Roald Dahl’s Matilda all featured adventurous and brave girls.

I shall certainly be buying Barbara Else’s book Go Girl and strongly support girls and young women’s rights, but please do not confuse this battle with the rights of the reader to enjoy all the wonderful books available to them.

Sheila Sinclair Former owner, The Children’s Bookshop