The 13 Books Im Saving for My Daughter

The 13 Books Im Saving for My Daughter Obviously, I hope my daughter someday loves every single book I also love. That way, I can look forward to a future in which we sit around in our matching cat slippers and fleece pajama pants while braiding each others hair and debating the relative merits of psychological horror versus supernatural horror. In reality, I know my daughter will develop her own interests, wholly distinct from mine. How else to  explain her obsession with  poop-themed picture books and her enjoyment of the outdoors? Still, there are some books I read and enjoy  and immediately think: Emily will love this someday. Or: Emily will  need  this. For the moment, Em is at the stage (2 and a half) where shes still merely memorizing all the words to  The Saddest Toilet in the World,  rather than actually reading them. But in preparation for the day when she no longer needs me to read aloud to her, Im stockpiling the following books: Dana Simpsons Phoebe and Her Unicorn. I was charmed by this comic about a young girl and her best friend: a magical unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils (teehee). Like Calvin Hobbes, but with an infusion of girl power, Simpsons comic tackled loneliness and blooming friendship in a way that gave me the warm fuzzies when it wasnt making me snort laughter. Noelle Stevenson and Grace Elliss Lumberjanes.  Of course, Phoebe is merely the precursor to my true obsession. I am madly  in love with Lumberjanes,  a middle grade comic about a group of BFFs  battling supernatural beings at a summer camp vaguely reminiscent of the one I attended as a Girl Scout. Im saving every single volumeâ€"about friendship and loyalty and kicking assâ€"for my future warrior. Michael Endes  The Neverending Story.  Before I started reading horror and only horror, and before my parents started worrying that their daughter was a bit morbid, my favorite childhood book was  The Neverending Story. For one, its a book about a bookâ€"irresistible for a book nerd. For another, its epic tale of  bravery and the magic of imagination was one I couldnt help coming back to again and again. I saw myself in Endes lonely, bullied, bookish young narrator, and it was wildly gratifying to see his growth throughout the course of the book. Sandra Cisneross  The House on Mango Street.  Endes book was all plot, but Cisneross writing is pure poetry. It came into my life at the perfect time for a young girl who was growing to love words, and gave me a window into the life of someone whose day-to-day looked very different from my own. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies  Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions.  This letterâ€"which is being released as a book this coming Marchâ€"was initially a response to a friend who wondered how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. The suggestions Adichie came up with are pure brilliance, and the perfect road map for any mother / daughter duo to follow on the way to full-fledged womanhood. Alida Nugents  You Dont Have to Like Me.  I mentioned in a previous post that this book reminded me of my own feminism primer back in the day, Jessica Valentis  Full Frontal Feminism.  Obviously, I plan to pass it along to my daughter. Roxane Gays  Bad Feminist.  And since were on a roll with essential feminist texts, she just  has  to read the book that made me feel better about  being an imperfect feminist. I first claimed the identity of feminist for myself when I was 22. Then, over time, I started to suspect I was too flawed to be a  true  feminist. Gays essay collection has helped me reclaim feminism at a time when womens rights are facing a devolution. Cheryl Strayeds  Tiny Beautiful Things.  This is the book I gift to every woman in my life. And Em is the most important woman in my life (and also the most adorable). I find that this book is the perfect balm when Im going through a rough patch. It imparts both perspective and wisdom. Heather Corinnas  S.E.X.  You may have noticed in past posts of mine that Im a huge proponent of sex ed from an early age. When Em has graduated from the board books, Ill pass along this book from the founder of Scarleteen for her to read in her own time. Laurie Halse Andersons  Speak.  And because fiction can also impart important lessons, Ill also suggest  Speak.  I read this one at the end of 2016.  It’s a YA about a year in the life of a teenage girl who is sinking under the weight of a big, terrible secret: her rape at the hands of a high school senior the summer before. This book was gripping and true and heartbreaking and insightful, and the narrator is exactly who Id want my daughter to be going on this journey with. Claudia Rankines  Citizen.  I waited far too long to read Rankines much-lauded prose poem about experienced racism in our culture. I wont let Em make the same mistake. Isabella Rotmans  Not on My Watch.  This comic artist regularly does artistic collaborations with Scarleteen. But I actually learned about her myself when I interviewed Erika Moen of  Oh Joy, Sex Toy.  This slim graphic manual is the perfect how-to on consent and responsible bystander-ship. Jolie Kerrs My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag and Other Things You Cant Ask Martha.  Finally, in the event Emily ever moves out (a reality thats difficult to imagine at a time when Im counting down the days til we send her to preschool) shell need this. Because she certainly wont learn how to clean from me. Im useless in that department. At least Im teaching her how to cook. And to read, for that matter.