Compared to females, males are represented nearly twice as often in titles and 1.6 times as often as central characters. . . We argue that these disparities are evidence of symbolic annihilation and have implications for children’s understandings of gender. Nevertheless, important differences in the extent of the disparity are evident by type of character (i.e., child or adult, human or animal), book series, and time period. Specifically, representations of child central characters are the most equitable and animals the most inequitable. . .This got me thinking - what books include great female or gender nonconforming animals? A few that immediately come to mind for me:
- Koala Lou by Mem Fox
- Louanne Pig in Nancy Carlson's books (esp. "I Like Me")
- Yoko in Rosemary Wells' books
- Charlotte, although Wilbur might really be considered the main character?
What other books can you think of?
