fotologic on flickrAs a child, I was not always happy with my red hair.  It attracted lots of attention, both good and bad.  I come from a family of brown-eyed brunettes, so I was somewhat of a surprise. I would like to blame Mary MacLean, my great-great-grandmother, for my hair color, but I know that the blame should really fall on some mutated genes. Growing up in small town Quebec, redheads were few and far between. This did not matter, however, as I always had Madeline, Pippi Longstocking and Anne Shirley to keep me company. Although I was not as adventurous as Pippi or as spunky as Anne, I loved the fact that they had red hair and saw them as "kindred spirits." 

You might be surprised by the number of redheads that can be found in children's literature. Some are famous, some are not. Here is a list to get you started.  

• Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• Anyone But Me by Nancy Krulik
• Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
• Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds by David A. Adler
• Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
• Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
• Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
• Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill
• Every Cloud has a Silver Lining by Anne Mazer
• Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
• Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor
• Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
• The Library by Sarah Stewart
• Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
• Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth? by Louis Sachar
• My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren 
• Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke
• Starting with Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Stella, Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay