Most traditional fairy tales aren’t known for their female empowerment! There are plenty of kings who are eager to marry off their princess daughters, and lots of powerless heroines. But the good news is that there are plenty of re-tellings of fairy tales that use a feminist twist. And more and more new feminist fairy tales are being published every year.
I recommend these 12 picture books and chapter books for young feminists (including boys.)
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Feminist Fairy Tales to Enjoy: Picture Books
Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple
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While none of the active, smart princesses in Yolen’s book wear pink, each one of them does sport a sparkly crown. I love this playful book, and I think it gets to one of the reasons so many girls are drawn to princesses: their power. A princess can be a baseball player who “plays in bright red socks that stink.” She can be someone who wears her jewels while she fixes things with power tools. But she always wears her sparkly crown! (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)
Related Post: 5 Ways to Indulge Your Child’s Princess Obsession While Still Raising a Little Feminist
Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa by Niki Daly
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I love this feminist fairy tale because it’s funny and incorporates lots of details from Ghanian culture. Salma’s grandma tells her not to talk to strangers on her trip to the market, but crafty Mr. Dog is determined to trick her and granny. Will granny survive Mr. Dog’s sneak attack? Luckily Salma and her grandpa know just what to do to scare Mr. Dog right out of the house. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8)
Related Post: 19 children’s books that defy gender stereotypes
The Girl with a Brave Heart: A Tale from Tehran by Rita Jahanforuz and Vali Mintzi
Shiraz is a kind-hearted girl living in an family that becomes unhappy after her father dies. In the opening scenes of The Girl with a Brave Heart, Shiraz’s ball of wool falls into a neighbor’s courtyard, and Shiraz must summon up her courage to retrieve it.
The old woman who answers the door is impatient and wild looking. She tells Shiraz she may have her ball of wool back, if Shiraz helps her around the house. The woman asks Shiraz to do strange things, like smash all the dishes in her filthy kitchen with a hammer. As Shiraz decides what to do, she uses her heart to listen to the woman’s requests, with magical results. (Recommended for ages 5 – 10)
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Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen and Kadir Nelson
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From the moment Rose was born, she was powerful. The first child born “free and easy” in her family, she immediately captures a bolt of lightening and sets it on her shoulders. She even chooses her own name, announcing that she’s “right partial to the name Rose.”
Like many heroines, Rose is beautiful and has a sweet spirit. But it’s also quite clear during her heroic feats that match any tall tales that she is “full of lightening and thunder.” (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)
Related Post: 18 Picture Books Featuring Strong, Feisty Girls
Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali and Raphaelle Barbanegre
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The original Snow White could hardly be grouped with other feminist fairy tales. But in this hilarious re-telling makes it clear that no thinking woman would want to take care of a bunch of messy, naughty dwarves who won’t lift a finger to help out around the house. After all, each day there are 77 lunches to pack, “with a sandwich and a juice box in each.” Suddenly, the witch’s offer of a poisonous apple doesn’t sound as bad as it once did! (Recommended for ages 3 – 7)
The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen and Ed Young
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Princess Djeow Seow is the fourth daughter of the emperor. Her brothers are thought of “like four rising suns” in their father’s eyes. Even her older sisters were like “midnights moons” in their father’s sight. But Djeow Seow is so tiny that no one thinks about her very much. She often plays by herself, flying the kite that she made.
But when evil men capture the emperor, everyone else in the kingdom is too afraid to do anything. Because she’s not noticed, the little princess is able to fly her kite with baskets of food that reach the tower her father is imprisoned in. Might she also find a way to rescue him? (Recommended for ages 5 – 9)
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Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne and Giselle Potter
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When Kate climbs the magic beanstalk into the sky, she must overcome even more obstacles than Jack did! When she spots the enormous castle in the sky, an old woman tells Kate it once belonged to a family. The giant who lives their now killed the father. The mother escaped with their child, who she’s raising down below. They are nearly starving, and Kate knows she must return their treasures of golden eggs, coins, and a singing harp to them.
I love Osborne’s humous touch of the giantess who is overworked by the giant because he keeps eating her servants. This funny re-telling is full of generosity and heart as Kate works to help others and not just herself. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)
Related Post: 13 Diverse Children’s Books about Dragons
Feminist Fairy Tales to Enjoy: Chapter Books
Dara’s Clever Trap by Liz Flanagan and Martina Peluso
Unlike many fairy tales that culminate in a marriage, this traditional tale from Cambodia begins with one. This lets us know that Princess Dara has a lot more to do than look for Prince Charming. When Dara goes on a trip to search for white stones she needs to build a beautiful palace for her father, her husband falls victim to a scheme. The king’s wicked ministers convince the king that Rith plans to overthrow him. Rith is quickly sent into exile.
When Dara returns, she naturally sheds some tears. Then she realizes she must quickly get to work if she is to save her husband. The princess quickly puts her engineering skills to work to plan her own trap for the wicked ministers. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)
Related Post: 8 diverse chapter book series for early readers
Wild Swans by Xanthe Gresham Knight and Charlotte Gastaut
Key points of the traditional Hans Christian Anderson tale have been changed to give the story a bold, inspirational, feminist bent. Gorgeous full color illustrations are interspered throughout. As a stepmom, I love that the stepmother figure is no longer evil! She sends her stepdaughter Eliza away from the castle to keep her safe during a terrible plague.
When Eliza’s stepmother dies, Eliza knows that she must be the one to find and rescue her long-lost brothers. Only through bravery, loyalty, and skill will she be able to save her homeland and take her rightful place on the throne. (Recommended for ages 7 – 11).
Thumbelina by Xanthe Gresham Knight and Charlotte Gastaut
Tiny Thumbelina was mostly a victim of circumstance in the original Hans Christian Anderson tale. In Gresham Knight’s version we meet a spunky heroine who reminds us that anyone who’s ever felt small can also be powerful!
Through stunning illustrations and enchanting stoytelling, young readers hear how Thumelina overcomes her fears and stands up for herself. Her clever ideas and persistent spirit are what she’ll need to find her way back home again. (Recommended for ages 7 – 11)
Feminist Fairy Tales to Enjoy: Story Anthologies
Tatterhood and Other Tales by Ethel Johnson Phelps and Suki Boynton
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Johnston Phelps writes that she chose these particular fairy and folk tales from around the world because the heroines fit the original meaning of the word: “heroic women distinguished by extraordinary courage and achievements.”
In the Norwegian tale “Tatterhood,” a princess is determined to dress as she pleases and to take charge in dangerous situations. In the tale “Unanana and the Elephant,” a strong, sensible mother doesn’t panic when her children are swallowed whole by the animal. Instaed, she sets out on a long and difficult journey, to do what must be done. These 25 tales are sure to entertain and inspire young feminists! (Recommended for ages 10+)
Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls by Jane Yolen and Susan Guevara
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This is another excellent collection of feminist fairy tales and folktales from across the globe. We meet Nana Miriam, a young woman in Niger who is acknowleged to be the greatest warrior in all the land. Children hear the Greek tale of Atalanta, the huntress who survived in the wilderness after her father abandons her because she is a girl.
These tales also remind strong girls – and all children – that “there are many ways to be a hero – muscle and magic are not the only roads.” (Recommended for ages 10+)
