Our two daughters both have big imaginations. One tends more toward storytelling and directing scenes with dolls and stuffed animals, while the other gravitates toward creating games and contests. When they entertain themselves, they sometimes get into mischief. Thankfully, usually the mischief they cause is relatively tame! I was hesitant to introduce our daughters to the mischief makers included below, worried that they would be inspired to wreak havoc and copy behaviors I’d rather not have them learn. My fears proved to be unfounded. Instead, we’ve found that our daughters enjoy living vicariously through the characters in these books and that reading about the adventures of the characters has stimulated their own imaginations!
Ivy and Bean are unlikely friends. Together they come up with unconventional solutions to their problems, such as being left with a babysitter or avoiding a ballet recital. Our daughters find them hilarious, even upon multiple readings. One of their favorites is Ivy + Bean: What’s the Big Idea?, where Ivy and Bean test multiple solutions to climate change. Ivy + Bean Make the Rules runs a close second, where Ivy and Bean develop their own summer camp. While I am all too glad that the disasters Ivy and Bean create remain confined to the pages of a book, the pair never fails to entertain all of us.
Dory Fantasmagory books by Abby Hanlon
Dory is the youngest of three children whose behavior has earned her the family nickname of Rascal. She longs for the friendship of her two older siblings, but they often refuse to play with her, leaving Dory to entertain herself. Dory has an active imagination and a rich fantasy life, so much so that the lines between reality and fantasy often become blurred. Our daughters were captivated by Dory’s adventures and begged for us to track down all of the books after reading the first one. My husband often chuckles while reading these books aloud to our daughters. Most two-page spreads in the books feature at least one black-and-white illustration. We are all eager for the publication of the next one!
—Also on the to-read list for us are the Junie B. Jones books and the Ramona Quimby books. Do you have any favorite mischief-making characters? Please feel free to leave recommendations!
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