Category Archives: Cool and radical girls

Brave Margaret

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***GGG***

Brave Margaret is one of the best kids books I’ve come across. It’s a Celtic fairy tale, a true adventure story– exciting and beautifully illustrated. Margaret faces stormy seas, a terrifying serpent, and a self-serving sorceress. The story is completely centered on Margaret’s journey, though it does end in a happily ever after scene with a prince. Still, Simon is a hottie (I have a soft spot for Irish men) who obviously loves and admires Margaret for her bravery and her brains which makes the story romantic enough so the ending fits. Also– I love Margaret’s look. Yes, she has long flowing hair but it’s all kinds of shades of fiery red. One of my pet peeves with children’s books is that even when there is a girl in constant action, the pictures are of the moments she happens to be stationary: smiling, hugging, sitting, whispering, or brushing her hair (this is true even if the girl characters happen to be ponies, cats, fairies, bugs etc). Not so with Brave Margaret– most illustrations are action shots: Margaret galloping on her black horse, brandishing a sword; rowing a boat on her own in the stormy sea; swinging an ax by a serpent’s mouth. My friend who recommended this book bought it at a garage sale for $1. It’s copyright is 1999. I hope it’s still available, I want to get my own copy. Please give suggestions for girl power kids books you love. They don’t have to be new.

Hayao Miyazaki

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Awesome. I adore this guy. He’s the best– both in animation and girl power. I know he’s a guy, so that’s the only drawback I guess, but that can be a plus too, that he has that kind of insight. Spirited Away, his classic, is my favorite. It’s just beautiful to watch. And Sen, the main character, is brave and cool and also emotional and real. Her parents turning into pigs did freak my kids out, it freaked me out; that scene is intense. I also love Kiki’s Delivery Service. recently, I saw Ponyo in the movie theatre whichw as such a great, powerful take on the lamest of movies– The Little Mermaid. My only issue with MIyazaki is you have to be in the mood, it s a commitment to watch one of these epic films and sometimes my mind drifts. And I suppose, with Ponyo, it really was much more about the animation that the story, there wasn’t much tension or conflict. The boy– I forget his name right now– is in love with Ponyo the fish, and his love is tested but you never doubt that this earnest, sweet boy’s love is true. Miyazaki gets my highest rating GGG.