The Kingfisher Book of Great Girl Stories: A Treasury of Classics from Children's Literature

From Library Journal Grade 3-6-Sixteen excerpts from classic stories that feature girls as protagonists. The selections, each illustrated by a contemporary British illustrator, are from classics such as Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna, and Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins. In spite of the brief introductions, most of the stories don't provide enough context for readers to understand their circumstances and characters. Only a few, such as Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, stand alone. Joyce Lankester Brisley's "Milly-Molly-Mandy," with its archly sweet tone and simple plot, seems a quirky individual choice. Each story has several illustrations set into the text and pages bordered with strips of small, simple pictures. Among the best are Quentin Blake's illustrations from the original publication of Roald Dahl's Matilda, Tony Ross's giddy take on Ramona, and Alison Jay's neo-folk art for the piece from Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did. Some of the original novels are no longer available, which may be a sign of their inaccessibility to modern readers. For the rest, children will be better served by the original books and better able to appreciate these memorable girls within the context of their times.Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Product Description Bringing together all of the most popular girl characters from children's literature, this gorgeous anthology features feisty heroines such as Ramona Quimby, Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking, and Anne of Green Gables. The attractively illustrated extracts offer the perfect introduction to stories that have enchanted generations of young girls. Review “Girls will likely enjoy the excerpts from 16 stories gathered by Rosemary Sandberg in The Kingfisher Book of Great Girl Stories and illustrated by a variety of children's book artists. ” ―Publishers Weekly“As a way of introducing some favorite girl storybook heroines, this book works well...The notes on the authors at the end of the book are both intriguing and informative. ” ―Children's Literature About the Author Rosemary Sandberg has worked in journalism and publishing and now runs her own agency for writers and illustrators.