Little Feminist Book Club: Edie

I am loving all the enthusiasm for the Little Feminist Book Club posts and Twitter chats - it's great interacting with all of you who are raising little feminists, boys and girls. I recently read (last night) 'We should all be Feminists" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche and it really solidified for me what I think modern feminism is and the sort of feminist I think I am. I didn't agree with everything that she said, but fundamentally it's the sort of feminism I can support. I believe, in the past, men were predominantly in positions of power because we lived in a world where physical strength was the most important attribute for survival, making that person, usually a man, most likely to be the leader. But now, the most qualified leader is not necessarily the physically stronger person, instead it is the most intelligent, knowledgeable, innovative and creative person with integrity and humility. And therefore has equal potential to be a male or a female.

There is no doubting that Sophy Henn's title character, 'Edie' is highly intelligent, innovative and creative, making her a fine candidate as a future leader. And she certainly wants to help everyone. She creatively helps her parents wake in the morning by making as much noise as possible, she intelligently puts on her shoes on the wrong feet all by herself, she knowledgably tells her dad what to buy when at the shops, and she innovatively redecorates the wall with her paint set. She has the integrity to want to do the right thing and the humility to re-think her helpfulness when it goes a but too far. That girl has all the attributes of a future leader. Her helpfulness, though sometimes (often!) misguided is well-meant and when reminded to keep all her skills in balance she is a wonderful little girl who brightens up her families day. Edie might not be perfect, but she's delightful!

The illustrations in this book are truly wonderful and will make you smile! Edie is perfectly depicted in her red pom-pom beret and quirky sense of style as she dresses herself one morning (fairy wings and feather boa included) and her self-righteous expression is spot-on, as well as being adorable. One of my favourite illustrations is the dad's face as he sees the artwork that Edie has helpfully painted all over the wall. It's the perfect depiction of what it can be like to parent a toddler sometimes.

The story is written in rhyme making it a lovely bedtime story to read aloud and it's such a joyful story that will have you laughing out loud and wanting to invite this little feminist round for a chat about how to set the world right (though hide your paints!). A must have for your little feminist book shelf.

Next month we will be sharing 'She's Not Good for a Girl, She's Just Good!' by Suzanne Hemming and Jacquie Hughes, a story about a girl who sets out to prove she's as worthy as the boys in her class at sports. Not just good, for a girl, but just plain good.