Great Picture Book Series for a  Three-to-Six-Year-Old "Girly Girl"

One of the most frequent requests I got as a bookseller went something like this "I'm looking for a picture book for a five-year-old girl who loves princess books and is something of a "girly girl'." The term "girly girl" would often be accompanied by a facial expression that made me think the customer smelled something bad (not me I hope), and the statement would usually be followed by "I'm so tired of princess books" or "I hate that she likes princess books."

Two series matching the "girly girl" and "not-a-princess-book" criteria that always sprang to mind were Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann and Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor. The series I always recommended first was Fancy Nancy, not only because Nancy is an awsomely fierce "girly girl," but because each and every one of her books brings language, other cultures (specifically French), and the fun of learning alive for young readers, while wrapping it up in a package as fancy as Nancy herself. So little girls reading Fancy Nancy can embrace their inner "girly girl" and parents can feel good about the fact that their daughters will be learning about the joys of language and other cultures as well as receiving positive life lessons.

And the Fancy Nancy catalogue now extends beyond the five picture books currently available, Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet being the most recent, to beginning readers and chapter books so that lovers of Fancy Nancy and her expoits (and there are many; parents included) can grow up with her and not discard her friendship once they have put picture books down for good. As Nancy herself would say "Ooh la la"!

I would also like to mention a new series self-published by my friend Brenda Bradley about a little girl named Maya who makes discoveries about the world around her. I haven't had the privilege of reading it yet, but knowing Brenda's sensibilities and her love of teaching, I feel confident that it would be perfect for any little girl interested in the world around her. You will find the link after the Fancy Nancy links.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/426625.Fancy_Nancy
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12264509-fancy-nancy-and-the-mermaid-ballet
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13119928-fancy-nancy
http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=Brenda+Bradley&sitesearch=lulu.com&q=&x=23&y=10