Last night, I read The Little Engine That Could to my two-year-old daughter, and I wondered: Would this spectacular story (about a determined engine who overcomes all odds to save the day) even find a publisher today?
Strike one: The Little Engine is female. If this book were published now, the marketing department would consider it “just for girls.” Everyone knows that boys won’t listen to stories about female heroes. Parents can’t do a thing about it, either. Boys are just born that way. Girls, on the other hand, don’t mind if bedtime stories (or Hollywood movies) don’t include them at all. Go figure.
Strike two: The Little Engine is a train. Everyone knows it’s boys who like trains. Even girls won’t be interested in this story.
Need further proof that The Little Engine That Could was written by a radical lesbian who refers to parents as “breeders”? Here you go. Strike three: The Little Engine is blue. Blue. How subversive can you get?
Reel Girl rates The Little Engine That Could ***GGG*** for triple girlpower. If you don’t own this timeless classic, proceed immediately to the bookstore and buy it for your son or daughter today. If it’s on your bookshelf, read it to the family tonight.
Just smiling, I thought of this book earlier and when describing it to a co worker I said “I remember a blue girl train that carried animals” the male I was talking to didn’t remember a girl, he referenced Thomas the train. I was happy to find this tonight!
I’m loving your post. My daughter is still very young but I’m trying to find books that allow her to be everything. If you haven’t read/reviewed ‘I Like Myself’ by Karen Beaumont, it is awesome. Really awesome. One of the things I like about it is the story is about a little girl, but honestly, everything it says can be applied to both boys and girls.
LOVE! I will totally get this. I just did a little booklist too and books like this that don’t seem to be radical at all, kind of are now a days.