Five years ago I wrote about the experience of taking a baby to the Lake District. We go annually and some years the hills and meres are flooded with glorious light. Some years they are simply flooded. At present we tend to holiday in England, and whilst we've loved recent trips to Dorset, Norfolk and Kent, it is to the Lake District with its tempestuous weather and gloriously vibrant natural highs and lows that our spirits belong. Rightly, this summer it was inscribed as a world heritage site. There is no place like it. And it is here that we come closest to our dream of offering our little ladies the sort of authentic childhood that will allow them to feel truly free. The old-school, dam-building, boat-sailing, hill-climbing, nature-loving,
camp-building natural education.
Culture-Grandad's favourite
childhood book was Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons,
set around Coniston. I loved the '70's film as a child too and from the age of two Culturetot in particular fell completely and, perhaps unexpectedly for her age, in love with it. Likewise, with the advent of the new film, Culturebaby (now of course no longer that - a rapidly growing nearly six year old) has busily been trying to institute a Wildcat Island in her own school playground. This morning, bleary eyed, she arrived in our bedroom clutching Ransome's sequel Swallowdale. I fear I shall be bulk-buying the DVD as birthday gifts for her classmates.
Last year we hired a boat and channelled Swallow. This year we tracked down a holy grail for Ransome Fans - Bank Ground Farm - the farmhouse where the children first plotted their adventures and from whose boathouse Swallow was first launched in the 1970s adaptation.
We also visited Blackwell near Bowness (the town featuring as Rio for the eagle eyed). Selfishly I adore this exquisite arts and crafts building and visit annually, but this year we were all delighted to discover that it was running an exhibition about Swallows and Amazons featuring props from the latest film and objects from the Ransome archive (borrowed from Blackwell’s sister museum, the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry in Kendal), a semaphore trail and themed arts and crafts activities. A friend also took part this year in a Wild Cat Island Adventure. This is definitely one for next year's list.
In addition to our specific Ransome-themed adventures we've also been taking the time to live more like the children whilst we've been in the Lakes. We've donned our wellies and explored in all weathers, bathed in rivers (ok not me but the rest of the rabble did), set out on long walks, swung on rope swings, built dams and dens and generally taken the time to stop and look at nature.
Three walks I'd particularly recommend with little ones no longer in back packs are:
1. Walk from Elterwater to Ambleside (or vice versa) and do the return trip on the bus. It is around 4.2 miles and with some short exceptions, it is predominantly flat. The girls had the additional incentive of a trip to the lovely cinema in Ambleside as a reward for their efforts. The route takes you past Elterwater, a waterfall on the River Brathay and near a Roman Fort outside of Ambleside.
2. Pick up a Windermere Cruises Walkers' Ticket and follow a part-cruise and part-walking route from Ambleside. Depending which way you choose, this begins with a ferry ride across to Wray Castle,
run by the National Trust. This Victorian mock-gothic building, complete with fake
arrowslits, has been set up as a playground for children (of all ages) with dressing-up and games, a Peter Rabbit imaginative play experience, castle building and a great outdoor adventure playground. The Castle also has
stunning views over Windermere and a much needed tea shop for this side of the Lake.
From here you walk the 4 miles to the Ferry House.
This is a pretty gentle stroll and many also follow a similar route with bicycles. You can hire bikes and trailers from Lower Wray Campsite. We did this last year and it was an enduring enjoyable memory for the girls.
3. A favourite ramble is the walking route up the Langdale Pikes. The walk is quite hard work,
with sections that need to be scrambled up, but both children managed it well. Compared to some of the more lengthy walks, this one has a clear target (the tarn), which kept them motivated. This walk really has it all - a river and sections of waterfall, a
good climb,
stunning views all the way up, and a tarn half way up the mountain which transports you
right to Middleearth (you half expect to stumble across the door to
the mines of Moria round the corner). For the pre-history buffs amongst you it is also a hugely
important heritage site: the Langdale Axe Factory. In the Neolithic
period, the 'new stone age' (from 10,000 years ago), people were
beginning to learn to farm and stone tools were needed to exploit the
land or clear areas of forest. Early Cumbrians mined the hard greenstone
in the remote volcanic rocks of Langdale to produce axes,
and the evidence can still be found today (though despite being an
archaeologist I have sadly never yet spotted an axe as I've treked the
pikes). It is unclear whether these particular axes were used for work
or whether they had a more ritual significance (they seem at least to
have been exported out of Cumbria),
but if the latter, it does make sense to me. You can clearly see as you
gaze from the mountains across the panorama of the heart of the Lakes
below, that this is truly an extraordinary, even other-worldy place. The
climb back down always seems a little longer, but there's the promise of a cuppa or icecream at the bottom. The National Trust owns The Sticklebarn pub at the base of the pikes. It's friendly and you know your money goes towards caring for the local environment.
This year we prepared for the Lakes with a back-pack of relevant reading material. We read some Beatrix Potter and about the Stone Age before we went, and took Ransome's Swallows and Amazons with us for bedtime. However, for our walks we wanted to observe as we went and took an explorers kits, complete with binoculars, torch, insect observation pot, tape measure and set of interactive books. For the last couple of years Culturebaby has loved the Usborne spotter guides. We have a couple of vintage ones and some of their new series. We included Wild Flowers, Country Walks and an Insect Sticker Book in our pack, along with a guide to trees. Both Nosy Crow and The National Trust, and Walker Books, have each brought out their own guides to help children learn, experience and really look at nature around them. First up is the excellent accompanying book for the National Trust's initiative to get children to have a more outdoorsy natural childhood: 50 Things to Do Before You're 11 3/4. This is a brilliant idea and the accompanying book allows children to work out what sort of explorer they are (and meet associated characters that journey with them - which is always a winning formula). For each activity achieved from blackberry picking to cycling, climbing a tree to growing butterflies, the child has a space to record the date, any notes and gain a sticker. This was the most used of our guides this year as it can be easily completed on the go. Recently published to accompany this is the Go Wild in the Woods adventure guide. With great illustrations and full of facts it details how to get along in nature. The children are particularly taken with the sections on which vegetation makes good toilet paper and how to determine which animal has been in the area from their tracks and poo. They also received an Out and About Night Explorer set with torch, backpack, measuring equipment and book which covers everything from nocturnal animals and plants to spot to star charts. It's an exciting package and makes an excellent present.
Walker Books' version is similar in intent but different and complementary in execution. The books are based on the classic We're Going on A Bear Hunt, and they include a beautifully illustrated guide to what you may find in nature (this is great and covers topics as wide as the water cycle and weather to rock composition) and a project book based on each of the challenges the children in the classic book face. Little scientists are invited to measure rainfall and observe cloud formations, and there are activities for every season. One parent wondered whether the connection to the childhood classic alongside more advanced scientific content might put off a school child, but I think it would depend on the individual. Culturebaby is rather nostalgic and the theme and well known characters actually captured her interest.
I've found having little ones, rather than proving restrictive, has immersed me in nature more than I may have otherwise been. They want to splash in puddles and ride their bikes in the rain, snow is something to be sought out, autumn leaves are a joy and the first flowers of spring are anticipated and observed. They want to know the names of plants and I've had to reacquaint myself with the long forgotten names of scents. And everywhere I must slow down to the pace of miniature wellington boots. I need these guides as much as the children and the bonding activities they contain will hopefully provide for the children treasured memories like my own, of a childhood spent under the elements.
Disclaimer: We received copies of the new Walker and Nosy Crow books for review purposes. All other materials are our own, as are all opinions.
We've recently been invited to review a range of children's performances at one of our local theatres - The Rose in Kingston. It's a lovely child-friendly theatre with a children's area, cafe and programme packed full of family performances. Founded by Sir Peter Hall, and modelled on the original Elizabethan
Rose Theatre on London’s Bankside, Rose Theatre Kingston is the largest
producing theatre in South West London.We feel very lucky to live so near.
Last weekend the girls and I headed over to see The Night Pirates, based on the children's picture book by Peter Harris and Deborah Allwright.
Surprisingly for a family of bookworms, this isn't a story we had encountered, but for a pair of little ladies living every day in their imaginations on board the Swallow, battling the Amazons for Wildcat Island, this was a perfect choice. Delightfully it was not only a jolly good piratey story, complete with an excellent message for little women and for the boys around them, but it was also a energetic and engaging musical adventure. The girls declared it a triumph. Still chatting about it two days later, three year old Culturetot and I wrote up her own review in her Today Book:
The girls were particularly pleased that Tom, the little boy hero of the piece, was invited to join a gang of little girl pirates on their
adventure across the high seas. Delightfully inclusive, the crew didn't question his gender but only his sense of adventure and justice. Determined to set the world to rights, recapture stolen treasure from a rabble of silly grown-up pirates, and return it to Tom's home town, the crew set off to an island across the seas on a ship shaped like a house. Using energy and wits (of course) they save the day.
As Charlotte Cooper, a cast member and one of the little girl pirates herself noted in an interview, "The fact that it is noteworthy that these pirates are girls, proves we
have a long way to go before gender equality is truly realised. I think
it is superb that the pirates in this story are female. They are the
sort of rolemodels I would have loved as a child- strong, fun,
adventurous AND female! The significance should only be in that they are
a reminder that gender should not be a barrier to anything." Absolutely.
Particularly satisfying was the encouragement at the end of the tale for the every child in the audience to become author and storyteller of their own adventures. The story never need end as we exit the theatre, or remain static while we close the book, but it can continue in our own imaginations. Each child was invited to write the sequel at home - where might Tom's next adventure with his new friends take him?
Touring Dates of The Night Pirates can be found here.
Family Show listings at the Rose in Kingston are here. We'll be covering more in the coming weeks.
For some inspiring reading for your little girl pirates (as well as the boys in the crew) see our post here on an essential library for mighty girls. And frankly there's also no better place to start than Arthur Ransome's classic Swallows and Amazons and its TV and Film adaptations.
Disclaimer: We are delighted to be local reviewers for the Rose Theatre, and do so in exchange for the chance to view the performances. All reviews and views are entirely our own. Performance photographs were provided by the Rose Theatre. Child's review was by Culturetot.
Yesterday in a local shop Culturebaby (now five) pointed to a greetings card featuring two defiant-looking young women from the early 1920s wearing purple, white and green. She immediately declared their status as 'Suffragettes'. Whilst the sisterhood of political emancipation had witnessed huge strides by this point, and this pair were not officially clad as suffragettes, my mighty little woman catalysed a discussion between impressed strangers, each delighted that a five year old knew this essential history. And a hundred years later, the battle is not yet won. Each election we don our literal or metaphorical colours, not those of transient party politics, but the eternal symbolism of these brave warriors of equality. With this in mind, I've spent a few years amassing a library of essential reads for my little women. The list could be longer, and no doubt I'll update it regularly, but this pile of inspiration gives plenty for every young girl, and indeed the men in their lives, to ponder and draw on for every eventuality. From the bookish to the brave, the scientific to the sporty, from political pioneers to the conscientiously kind, this selection showcases a host of role models and the brilliance of writing and illustration out there for the very young. There's even the odd princess.
1. Lottie Solves a Mystery- Lucie Braveheart (Penguin)
The inspiration for this post came from the publication of a new picture book series for girls from Puffin, featuring Lottie of the well known toy brand. I was delighted to find that this first story is replete with positive female role models and has a healthy focus on nature, adventure and friendship. It's a breath of fresh air (literally) and echoes the idea behind the dolls - inclusive, ethnically diverse, age appropriate, and based on the scientific proportions of a nine year old child. The vision from Arklu was that these dolls might empower children to be themselves, to be imaginative, adventurous and have fun doing what they enjoy. To date they have won over 35 international toy awards. In this story Lottie finds a suitcase belonging to her Great Aunt, an explorer. Amongst the fascinating items she uncovers a notebook with photographs and fieldnotes. Following a chat about this fabulous ancestor with her mother, Lottie and her friends are inspired to become wild beast explorers themselves and, tracking a set of footprints, set out to find the Beast of Branksea.
2. Little People Big Dreams (Frances Lincoln)
This exquisite set of books are some of the most inspiring and beautifully designed titles we own. Bound for posterity and the brain-child of one of our favourite publishers Frances Lincoln, I've swiftly become an evangelist for this series which is growing all the time. The vision for these books, created by a selection of different authors and illustrators each with their own distinctive and scrumptious style, is that young children can easily, through these simple and engaging biographies, discover the lives of outstanding people. From
designers and artists to scientists, activists and authors, every featured mighty woman went on (often despite the odds) to achieve
incredible things. Each had a dream and a passion and they followed it. The first book, a staple favourite in our household, follows Coco Chanel, from her early life in an
orphanage – where she is a genius with needle and thread – to her time
as a cabaret singer, hat maker and, eventually, international fashion
designer. Each miniature biography comes with
extra facts about each inspiring woman at the back. The girls love the photographs and timelines. They also include motos that the women themselves believed. For Coco Chanel it was "To be irreplacable one must always be different", for Amelia Earhart it was "If you want to do something, do it. You never know how far you will get". For Maya Angelou, with her difficult journey of overcoming extreme violence and racial prejudice, but culminating in her delivery of her poem at the inaugaration of President Clinton, it was a reminder to "lift up our hearts" - "there is nothing I can't be". For Frida Kahlo, surviving a terrible accident in her youth and channeling her fight for survival into her now world famous art, it was "Live Life". Finally in our set, the brilliant young woman Marie Curie who vowed to herself she would be a scientist not a princess and moved countries and learned a new language in order to be able to gain a degree, discovered elements that have been used to save so many people. She trained other women and advised every new student that "in life there is nothing to be afraid of, only many things to learn, and many ways to help those in need."Amen Marie.
3. Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo (Penguin)
Next up, and rightly so, is the most highly funded original book in the history of crowdfunding. Raising over a million dollars on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, this stunningly illustrated title features short biographies of 100 extraordinary women from around the world from rappers and gymnasts, to explorers and monarchs, Hadid to the Brontes - success stories spanning time and in every field imaginable. It is easy to dip into for an appropriate tale. Before swimming a couple of weeks ago the girls and I enjoyed the inspiring journey of Yusra Mardini, the young Syrian refugee who pushed a boat of people for three hours to safety and later swam in the Rio Olympics. We've already bought this as a present for some of the young women we love and it is going to our Goddaughter too. The diversity that the book encapsulates so well, also weaves through its beautiful design. The women are not always those we might expect, which is refereshing, and each story is accompanied by a full page portrait produced by one of 60 female artists. And it is just that. A work of art. As the authors themselves note - it's the book they wish they had when they were growing up, and it has been so successful the second in the series has been announced.
4. Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst (Bloomsbury)
A second collated biography recommendation for slightly older readers is cute, compact and cartoon-like. The paperback is cheap and portable, making it a great present for classmates. Taking thirteen pioneering women who changed the way we think, challenged social norms and fought for their passions, Kate Pankhurst (descendant of the indomitable Emmeline) looks at how and why these women became so great. Full of facts and personality, quotations and speech bubbles, this mildly irreverent and quirky book also showcases that kindness as well as courage and self belief can never be underrated.
5. Emily Davison by Izzi Howell (Wayland)
The Funeral of Emily Davison
A couple of weeks ago in the library we discovered a series of factual books about great characters from Wayland books' Fact Cat Series. Culturebaby found them intriguing and accessible with their simple text, photographs and source materials, fact boxes and, frankly, exciting content. She devoured the biography of Emily Davison - her fight for the vote and her tragic end.
6. Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, Illustrated by Julie Morstad (Chronicle Books)
Next in our set of brilliant biographiesis the poetic and exquisitely illustrated story of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova. Chronicle books feel and look beautiful and this title has echoes of the Little People Big Dreams series above. The Culturebabies love their ballet classes and regularly turn our days into a musical. Anna's story of a poor girl with an unwaivering dream to dance captures that first moment of falling in love with your life's vocation. Jumping in a sleigh one evening and taking Anna to the Mariinsky theatre her mother prophesied "you are going to enter fairyland" and as Tchaikovsky begins and Sleeping Beauty opens her eyes "...so does Anna. Her feet wake up! Her skin prickles. There is a song suddenly inside her. Now Anna cannot sleep. Or sit still ever...." Anna works and waits, waits and works until she is accepted into the ballet school, and then... her Swan takes flight.
She was born for this. However, Anna never forgets her roots and feels acutely for those who have never heard the music. So she travels, she meets people, performs in odd places, and devotes her life to the dance. She shared her gifts with the poor as well as the rich. She inspired people wherever she went as she believed that ballet had changed her life and felt it could do the same for others.
7. Georgia's Bones by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Bethanne Andersen (Eerdmans)
I bought this beautiful picture book about the artist Georgia O'Keeffe to accompany the Tate Modern's exhibition late last year. We often associate Georgia with her series of flower paintings, but this picture book explores the inspiration behind her love of nature and her interest in collecting objects - sticks, stones, flowers and bones. Culturebaby, who had recently been on a mudlarking trip to Tower Beach that had utterly inspired her, (displaying her shoe-box of antiquities to anyone who visited), and seeing a kindred spirit in the young artist, declared "she's me!". Georgia grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and, answering those who teased her for her interest in shapes and sizes, said that "someday I'm going to be an artist"; and that is what she became. This sumptuously illustrated story charts her childhood where "shapes often drifted in and out of Georgia's mind" all the way to New York, whose forms she also captured. Then on to New Mexico with its rolling colours and desert full of bones, which she collected, cleaned and incorporated into her art. This book, as its author notes, was inspired by Georgia's "commitment to life as an artist at a time when few women were taken seriously as artists". She was a pioneer.
8. The Fossil Girl: Mary Anning's Dinosaur Discovery by Catherine Brighton (Frances Lincoln) A perfect companion to the last item is a favourite with the girls, the story of the Regency period scientific pioneer Mary Anning told in cartoon form. We recently went on a trip to Lyme Regis where Mary lived as a child and where she found her first Ichthyosaur in 1810, a discovery which changed science forever. Mary lived at a time when scientists were working on a new idea that evolution was the answer to the plethora of discoveries of ancient lifeforms, a theory which was shocking to some as it wasn't featured in the Bible. Mary also lived at a time when it was mainly men who worked in fields such as these, and rich men at that. Coming from a poor family, Mary and her brother collected fossils to sell in their shop, and following a storm and flood that wrecked their home, with a new urgency and vigour, she sought items that would impress. She couldn't have imagined the scale and importance of her consequent find of the first whole Icthyosaur - now in the Natural History Museum, or the others that followed. Captivated, Mary devoted the rest of her life to the study and collection of this pioneering area of science and as my little ladies scrambled over rocks discovering ancient ammonite after ancient ammonite, they too (and I with them) experienced that utter thrill of the discovery of the ancient and precious.
9. Speed Bonnie Boat Illustrated by Alfredo Belli (Picture Kelpies)
The girls love to finish every bedtime story session off with some song, and they particularly love illustrated traditional ballads. I discovered this brilliant picture book earlier this year, which combines the Skye Boat Song with a story inspired by the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie from the Battle of Culloden, supported by the brave young Flora MacDonald and her loyal family. Flora's spirit and courage became legendary and there are memorials both to the Prince but also to Flora throughout Scotland. "Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep watch by your weary head." They also paricularly like that we have MacDonald ancestry.
10. I am a Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers, Illustrated by Sam Winston (Walker Books)
Before I move on to a set of fiction books with positive messages for young women, I'd like to dwell on the stunning recent addition to the treasured shelf from much-loved author Oliver Jeffers. Peppered with real quotations and featuring many of the authors' favourites this unique meditation on the rewards of reading and sharing
stories, takes us on a lyrical journey into the wonderland that is the written word. "I am a Child of Books. I come from a world of stories, And upon my imagination, I float." A little girl sails her raft "across a sea of words" to arrive
at the house of a small boy. There she invites him to come away with
her on an adventure. Guided by his new friend, the boy unlocks his
imagination and a lifetime of magic lies ahead of him…Some people have forgotten the joy of reading, perhaps some have never discovered it, but this is a joy to be shared "for this is our world we've made from stories, our house is a home of invention, where anyone at all can come. For imagination is free." It's an inspiring read for all children. Being bookish is cool.
THE FICTION LIST
Next I plan on whizzing more quickly through a set of stories that have positive messages for all children, both more generally and also specifically in relation to being a young woman. I've selected them for their empowering messages, inspiring heroines, often counter-cultural messages, and not least because they are excellent reads. So here's the fiction list:
1. Oh the Places You'll Go! by Dr Seuss (Harper Collins)
Chosen for: its message that you can be whoever you want to be. You don't have to wait for life to pass you by - sieze it! At times you will be alone, stuck in the mire, confused or tired, but "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." We can forgive Dr Seuss the 'guy' and insert girl. This was a gift for Culturebaby at Christmas from her Montessori nursery and it was recited at the naming of a friend's child. It was an excellent message to tackle anything life has in store - get on your way.
2. Zog, and Zog and the Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson and Illustrated by Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
Chosen for: its brilliant heroine, Pearl, a princess who is determined to be a doctor. In the first title she supports a young dragon through his challenging and demoralising training to be fierce, nursing his friends and refusing to be rescued by a prince and return to "prancing round the palace in a silly dress." Surprisingly she finds her soul-mate behind the rescuer's visor and both head off with Zog their friend, as flying doctors. When they return in the sequel, successful doctors, expert in their fields, the challenge to overcome is her own Uncle, the King, and his misplaced idea that princesses can't be doctors. Determination and skill triumph and he is convinced. An important message, that no-one, whoever they are, should dampen our dreams.
3. Sir Lilypad, a tall tale of a small frog by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie (Simon and Schuster)
Chosen: with it's prequel The Worst Princess for its swashbuckling female; another royal rebel who refuses to be saved, but equally understands the importance for her attempted rescuer of belonging, friendship and dignity. This book is funny and has great illustrations but it also has the important message that standing up for the weak and having no tolerance for bullying is hugely important for those in positions of leadership.
4. Jill and the Dragon, and Jill and the Lion by Lesley Barnes (Tate)
Chosen for: its eponymous heroine, her attitude to those who feel lost and out of place and her quest to bring out the best in them and help them to find their dignity and true place in life. Tate books are consistently unique and stunning, and this pair from award-winning illustrator Lesley Barnes are no exception. Uniquely shaped and exquisitely designed, these titles leap off the shelf. Tate describes Jill as "a feisty, independent-minded new character", who reminds us that everyone has a talent, however well hidden, and that it is a special person that can help others to uncover it.
5. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Harper Collins, abridged version illustrated by Christian Birmingham)
Chosen for: Lucy: the pure of heart, the valliant, always faithful and whose belief in Aslan returns her to Narnia again and again. Her heart enables her to see the king, when others are no longer able, and her consistent honesty reveals to us the nature of true faith. Culturebaby has long been a resident of the land beyond the wardrobe, and at three, this
beautifully illustrated Harper Collins version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a perfect way in to the classic for her (which we are now reading in its original form). "Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a
king or queen..."
6. Ada Twist Scientist, and Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts (Abrams)
Chosen for: its mould-breaking young scientific women who encourage us to stand and cheer at each perfect failure,
get up and try again. The mighty girls masterpiece Rosie Revere Engineer features a girl who loves making
things; gadgets and gizmos and machines for doing wonderful things. She
hides them under her bed where no one can see. She was once unabashed
but, after she created a wonderful gift for a favourite relative who
laughed at her offering, she lost her confidence to share her
inventions. Then one day she heard the dream of her great great aunt
(herself once an engineer) to finally fly and set herself the task to
create a flying machine and propel the old lady into flight. With the
wisdom and support of this wonderful old lady Rosie discovers that true
failure can come only if you quit. Then comes Ada Twist, a scientific genius who needs to know 'Why'? I particularly love this title because her parents believe in her, allow her to experiment and learn and, although they become frustrated, they too recognise they are on a journey. They learned to truly support her passions - figuring it out as they went along. "...because that's what you do when your kid has a passion and a heart that is true. They re-made their world - now they're all in the act of helping young Ada sort fiction from fact." It's as much a book for the parents of exceptional and inquisitive young women, and the rhyming text and fabulous illustrations are a hit with everyone.
7. Sleeping Beauty: A mid-century fairy tale by David Roberts and Lynn Roberts-Maloney (Pavilion) Chosen for: its quirky brilliance and beautiful period illustrations, re-inventing
a classic tale in mid-century style and with a refreshing feminist twist. Beginning in
1930's at a Christening, and stretching to the 1950s for the 16th
birthday, Sleeping Beauty (Annabel), carefully protected
from needles by her adoring aunts, pricks her finger on the
stylus of a record player - a gift from the evil Morwenna. Annabel had dreamt of seeing the future and her wish unexpectedly comes true as her rescuer, 1000 years into the future, is no prince, but a girl named Zoe who has a passion
from the past and scours the library for evidence of why a giant
thorn-tree is found amidst a futuristic high-rise landscape. The aunts
equally take on a delightful role as protectors who ultimately sacrifice
themselves for their beloved ward. It's a great re-telling anyway, but
the period details confirm this picture book offering as a 20th Century
historical tour de force. There are three others in our collection - an Art Deco Cinderella, a 1970s Rapunzel, and a male Red Riding Hood, 'Little Red' from the 18th Century. They are all brilliant.
8. Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes (Walker Books)
Chosen for: its glorious historical illustrations from the ingenius and talented Shirley Hughes and an encouraging tale that with loyalty and dedication anyone can change their own circumstances. Daisy comes from a poor family and, forced to leave school and the books she loves, she must work as a scullery maid in a large house with stern employers. It's work she doesn't enjoy, and isn't brilliant at either, but she works hard and is allowed books to read in her spare time. Books take away her loneliness and give her a challenge and hope. Despite a number of disasters Daisy, through her quick thinking, is able to save the household from a fire, and in saving the day she is rewarded with her greatest dream - a place at a school.
9. The Fairytale Hairdresser and Aladdin by Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard (Picture Corgi)
Chosen for: their lighthearted and enjoyable tales about a creative and strong young woman. The author Abie Longstaff, has aimed with this series to demonstrate that fashion and fun can be combined with courage, quick thinking and self-determination. Her series of ten books subverts traditional fairytales and creates a Fairy
Land where princes work, women don’t necessarily choose marriage ahead of
their careers and the justice system is more focused on rehabilitation than punishment.
10. Olivia (and sequels) by Ian Falconer (Simon and Schuster)
Chosen for: their glorious turns of phrase, delightfully educational content and sage message behind
the mirth. Olivia is a piglet.
She's also a toddler. Fiercely independent and in danger of wearing out
the naughty step, Olivia's exploits in the pursuit of individuality
cannot fail to make even the most despairing parent chuckle. When Olivia decorates her bedroom wall with splodges of black
and red paint, this is no graffiti, but an experiment emulating
Pollock. In Olivia and the Fairy Princess, we are presented with
Olivia's incandescnce at the sole aspiration of her peers to be pink
tutu-clad princesses in need of rescue. She presents alternatives,
explores stark modern dance, and considers a future as a reporter
exposing corporate malfeasance. These books are utterly brilliant. Buy
them immediately.
Chosen for: the heartwarming father and daughter relationship, gorgeous illustrations, and brave female role model. Originally a video game, creator Hastings has turned the adventure into a book about a young girl who lives alone with her fisherman father. Each day he heads out to sea to catch fish while Merryn tends her garden, and every night he comes home and sings to her about a mysterious world that lies below the waves. Then one day he doesn't return, and Merryn, recalling his dangerous realm of serpents, merrows, monsters, and a sunken city made of gold, sets out to rescue the one she loves. Clever Merryn constructs a vessel and heads off on a strange and beautiful adventure where her kindness and care for others, however terrifying, ultimately reflect back to her in her moment of need.
I'm delighted to say that Penguin and Arklu have offered my readers an exclusive and exciting competition to win one of
• 1x copy of Stargazer Dress-up Sticker Book, Lottie Solves a Mystery,
and a Lottie Autumn Leaves Doll • 1x copy of Stargazer Dress-up Sticker Book, Lottie Solves a Mystery,
and a Finn Kite Flyer Doll
Plus a couple more copies of the books for the runners-up. To be in with a chance to win please tell us what you'd add to our Mighty Girl Booklist in the comments below and then enter using the Rafflecopter.
Disclaimer: Whilst we already own a good proportion of these books, several have been sent to us over the last couple of years for the purposes of review. However, the selection in this post represents what I believe to be the very best of everything we have received and own on the topic. Many thanks to Picture Corgi, Walker Books, Pavilion, Abrams, Tate, Simon and Schuster, Penguin and Frances Lincoln for copies of some of these titles. Huge thank to Lottie, Penguin and Arklu for their brilliant competition prizes.
Culture-Grandad's favourite
childhood book was Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons,
set around Coniston. I loved the '70's film as a child too and from the age of two Culturetot in particular fell completely and, perhaps unexpectedly for her age, in love with it. Likewise, with the advent of the new film, Culturebaby (now of course no longer that - a rapidly growing nearly six year old) has busily been trying to institute a Wildcat Island in her own school playground. This morning, bleary eyed, she arrived in our bedroom clutching Ransome's sequel Swallowdale. I fear I shall be bulk-buying the DVD as birthday gifts for her classmates. 
In addition to our specific Ransome-themed adventures we've also been taking the time to live more like the children whilst we've been in the Lakes. We've donned our wellies and explored in all weathers, bathed in rivers (ok not me but the rest of the rabble did), set out on long walks, swung on rope swings, built dams and dens and generally taken the time to stop and look at nature.
1. Walk from Elterwater to Ambleside (or vice versa) and do the return trip on the bus. It is around 4.2 miles and with some short exceptions, it is predominantly flat. The girls had the additional incentive of a trip to the lovely cinema in Ambleside as a reward for their efforts. The route takes you past Elterwater, a waterfall on the River Brathay and near a Roman Fort outside of Ambleside.
2. Pick up a Windermere Cruises Walkers' Ticket and follow a part-cruise and part-walking route from Ambleside. Depending which way you choose, this begins with a ferry ride across to Wray Castle,
run by the National Trust. This Victorian mock-gothic building, complete with fake
arrowslits, has been set up as a playground for children (of all ages) with dressing-up and games, a Peter Rabbit imaginative play experience, castle building and a great outdoor adventure playground. The Castle also has
stunning views over Windermere and a much needed tea shop for this side of the Lake.
3. A favourite ramble is the walking route up the Langdale Pikes. The walk is quite hard work,
with sections that need to be scrambled up, but both children managed it well. Compared to some of the more lengthy walks, this one has a clear target (the tarn), which kept them motivated. This walk really has it all - a river and sections of waterfall, a
good climb,
stunning views all the way up, and a tarn half way up the mountain which transports you
right to Middleearth (you half expect to stumble across the door to
the mines of Moria round the corner). For the pre-history buffs amongst you it is also a hugely
important heritage site: the Langdale Axe Factory. In the Neolithic
period, the 'new stone age' (from 10,000 years ago), people were
beginning to learn to farm and stone tools were needed to exploit the
land or clear areas of forest. Early Cumbrians mined the hard greenstone
in the remote volcanic rocks of Langdale to produce axes,
and the evidence can still be found today (though despite being an
archaeologist I have sadly never yet spotted an axe as I've treked the
pikes). It is unclear whether these particular axes were used for work
or whether they had a more ritual significance (they seem at least to
have been exported out of Cumbria),
but if the latter, it does make sense to me. You can clearly see as you
gaze from the mountains across the panorama of the heart of the Lakes
below, that this is truly an extraordinary, even other-worldy place. The
climb back down always seems a little longer, but there's the promise of a cuppa or icecream at the bottom. The National Trust owns The Sticklebarn pub at the base of the pikes. It's friendly and you know your money goes towards caring for the local environment.
This year we prepared for the Lakes with a back-pack of relevant reading material. We read some Beatrix Potter and about the Stone Age before we went, and took Ransome's Swallows and Amazons with us for bedtime. However, for our walks we wanted to observe as we went and took an explorers kits, complete with binoculars, torch, insect observation pot, tape measure and set of interactive books. For the last couple of years Culturebaby has loved the Usborne spotter guides. We have a couple of vintage ones and some of their new series. We included Wild Flowers, Country Walks and an Insect Sticker Book in our pack, along with a guide to trees. Both Nosy Crow and The National Trust, and Walker Books, have each brought out their own guides to help children learn, experience and really look at nature around them. First up is the excellent accompanying book for the National Trust's initiative to get children to have a more outdoorsy natural childhood: 50 Things to Do Before You're 11 3/4. This is a brilliant idea and the accompanying book allows children to work out what sort of explorer they are (and meet associated characters that journey with them - which is always a winning formula). For each activity achieved from blackberry picking to cycling, climbing a tree to growing butterflies, the child has a space to record the date, any notes and gain a sticker. This was the most used of our guides this year as it can be easily completed on the go. Recently published to accompany this is the Go Wild in the Woods adventure guide. With great illustrations and full of facts it details how to get along in nature. The children are particularly taken with the sections on which vegetation makes good toilet paper and how to determine which animal has been in the area from their tracks and poo. They also received an Out and About Night Explorer set with torch, backpack, measuring equipment and book which covers everything from nocturnal animals and plants to spot to star charts. It's an exciting package and makes an excellent present. 
