One of my key goals as a children's book writer is to present both boys and

girls with stories about strong girls. So I searched in many cultures for stories

that featured feisty females. Here are some of my titles and the strong

girls in the stories:

 

The Warrior Maiden (Bantam Doubleday Dell B-D-D): This tale from the Hopi People tells the true story of Huh-Ay-Ay: the only female who is honored by the tribe with a Kachina, a figure [not a doll] that represents a real girl and is used as a stimulus to tell her story. 

When Apache raiders  attack the Hopi pueblo, the women and old people are inside and the men are far away, doing the farming. A young girl must think fast--and run faster--to save her people. The Hopi value peaceful solutions, not war--and Huy-Ay-Ay finds a way to save the pueblo without anyone being hurt.

 

The Big Idea (Hyperion): winner of the 
Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature for its depiction of a Puerto Rican family. Luz is full of big ideas that usually get her in big trouble. This time she wants to change a trash-filled lot on her West Side street into a community garden. An organization called Green Thumb will help her do it for only $1--she just has to find people to help her clean it up. But everyone is just too busy--how can she find a way to make her garden grow?

 

The Flower of Sheba, written with Doris Orgel [B-D-D): Is King Solomon really the wisest man in the world? The mighty Queen of Sheba declares she will be his match. When she visits  to test his legendary wisdom and his gift for speaking with the animals, Solomon's answers reveal that, even to the wise, small creatures can be great teachers. Inspired by a story from the Old Testament, this dramatic tale introduces the magnificent and beautiful Queen of Sheba to a whole new generation.

 

Sim Chung and the River Dragon (B-D-D): This beloved folktale from Korea illustrates the concept of filial piety through the story of a beautiful young girl who will do anything to help her father regain his sight--even dare to enter the underwater kingdom of the fierce river dragon. As familiar to Korean families as Cinderella is to us, Sim Chung enchants children from any culture, and I have even seen them cry when I read it aloud.

 

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse [B-D-D): My retelling of the long-loved Aesop fableemphasizes the spunk and devotion to home of both the City and the Country Mouse, using the bold illustrations of Holly Hannon to offer readers an unusual mouse's-eye view of the pleasures of the country--firefly lanterns and rose-petal quilts, and of the city--the golden scent of popcorn and the merry hustle-bustle of a big brass band playing
oom-pah-pah under the stars. But although the mice greet each other with hugs and squeaks, the fat orange cat who catches the Country Mouse by her tail sends her running all the way home. Then, each mouse knows exactly where she belongs: in her big bright bustling streets, or her quiet country lanes.

 

My Worst Days Diary (B-D-D): Ever have one of those days when everything goes wrong? Mighty Maureen [Mo] Murphy has them all the time. It's all here, in her "Top Secret" diary. From her first day at a new school when she burps just as she begins to tell her name to her new classmates; to the next weekend when she arrives a day early to the coolest girl's birthday party; and drags dog doo into class during silent reading. But by the end of the school year, she finds new friends who enjoy laughing with her at her blunders and as they all get ready for Day Camp, she buys a sky blue diary--so she can write down her Greatest Days.