Books like Stephanie's Ponytail
By Robert Munsch
For the kid who notices exactly what everyone else is wearing (and has strong opinions about being first) — this one's about owning your own style. Sassy, funny, and full of playground energy.
Same confident heroine calling the shots, but here she outsmarts suitors instead of copycats. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole keeps that grinning independence going.
Same confident girl energy, but Cinder Edna: A Funny, Spunky Cinderella Story for Kids by Ellen Jackson gets there through tuna casserole and hard work instead of a hairstyle everyone wants to copy.
If your kid liked Stephanie standing her ground against the copycats, Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming gives her a whole town to argue down instead.
When a wild wind blows away the washing, a determined boy sets off across the world to track down his favorite superhero underpants, from the Serengeti to the mountains of Nepal.
Stephanie shrugs off the crowd without a worry, but Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber lets a kid actually sweat the social stuff before it works out fine.
Stephanie shakes off her copycats loud and proud. The Humble Pie by Jory John is quieter, about a pie learning it's okay to want credit too.
The rhyme and repetition roll along just as easily, though Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen launches the whole crew skyward on a whale's back instead.
Stephanie owns a room with her hair. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner does it with a cape and a Spanish accent nobody asked for.
Both build on one silly idea repeating until it snowballs, but There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold piles on animal after animal instead of copycat hairdos.
Less strutting confidence here. The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson gives you a small character being brave in the dark woods instead of owning a hairstyle.
The friends keep piling on just like Stephanie's copycats, except in Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson every new rider actually saves the day.
Reach for I Knew You Could! by Craig Dorfman when you want the same pride-in-yourself feeling but for a bigger life moment, not a hairstyle.
