Women Explorers – Perils, Pistols & Petticoats tells stories of pioneering women explorers before 1900. A great read for girls aged 10+ (£7.35 Amazon). Helen Thayer’s Artic Adventure tells the real life story to 7-10 year olds of Helen Thayer, the first woman to travel solo to the magnetic North Pole pulling her sled with no outside help (Amazon £6.79).
We all want our girls to be confident, daring and bold. Don’t we?
Boys have Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider to fan the flames of literature whilst Bear Grylls is revered as Chief Scout by thousands of boys across the UK. Brownies lack no real figurehead with which to electrify & inspire and gutsy heroines seem rather thin on the ground since Nancy Drew.
After attending the Shextreme film festival in Bristol a couple of weeks ago, it struck me again how vital it is to have female explorers and adventurers as role models for young girls.
If you’re looking for stocking fillers, here’s my top 6 picture books of real life pioneering women to encourage your girls to break boundaries.
2 comments
I really enjoyed this blog and it gave me some great ideas for books to get my daughter when she’s a little older. Ellen MacArthur was always a female adventure icon for me. She has several incredible books to inspire kids when they are a bit older than they are now.
Thanks so much Katy. Yes! Ellen MacArthur – such an inspiration! I haven’t read any of her books so will definitely look those up. Thanks for the recommendation.