While searching for information on this topic, I came across an insightful and personal article by Anne Namuth from the Metropolitan University of Denver. The article titled "The Change In Children's Literature: What for? goes over the issue of relevant reading material for young children, in particular the roles of women within books.

Namuth combines her academic stature along with her personal views of her own child's collection of favourable books to discuss the importance of the positive and active role of women in literature. It is here that she describes how we are now in a world that accepts many the female characters in books but conversely, these characters 'are less able, less smart, less the main character, less heroic and less a positive role model' (Namuth 2000: 39-40).

By being sure to include how girls can be themselves, be more active, positive and adventuresome within the 'canon of children's literature' (Namuth 2000: 40), we can actually help children to be more aware of the positive roles of women from all diverse cultures.

I found it to be a great read relating to the role model issue in today's world, and it shows how as children grow older, the books they are interested in will always be better than the last.

'The Little Princess' by Frances Hodgsonis Burnett is a positive book for readers that demostrates the strength and real beauty that girls can actually have within themsleves. A young girl named Sara is the protagonist who, although is going through her own dramas, leads by example and brings out the best in all of the girls at the orphanage.

She becomes somewhat of a motherly figure to the girls by helping them, and she has no ulterior motives for it, she is just a good person who inspires others to be great people and live their dreams.

This type of character provides hope to not only her friends but her family and all others that make up part of her life. So in fact, the princess talked about here may well inspire young readers to always treat others as you would like to be treated, and provide an inner strength to be the best you can possibly be in life. On the other hand, it may just be a book that is read and that's that, although a text that contains such a vibrant and courageous young girl should certainly appeal to and have an impact on younger readers. I have the book and movie from when I was a child and I'm still influenced as you can see.

Other books that contain the princess character are those of Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. The many versions of these fairytales can change in detail, but only slightly. In most cases still, there is the young female who is entangled is some sort of dilemma and who is then rescued by a prince riding on a white horse. In the Hans Christian Anderson illustrated version of the Little Mermaid however, no happy ending is ensured for the princess of the sea as she is left without her prince and turns to foam once returning to the ocean. The Disney versions may be responsible for turning stories into the likes of our magazines of today in which a certain 'look' and 'lifestyle' is accepted, but where a princess in a book has to resort to death because she can no longer be with her prince is absurd. Children are either thrown a book that contains a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty who is rescued and lives happily ever after in a romance filled life or they are confronted with death because the princess couldn't have her prince. Great messages to be sending to children, especially younger girls. There are other books out there that contain more graphic and inappropriate material for children to read but these books say it straight. They don't hide the fact that people will die or that the book will contain gruesome material. Fairy tales however, especially the ones that contain a princess, have an underlying message that can lead children to believe that life should be lived a certain way and if not, theres always death or a tragic, tormoiled and lonely life to be lived.