Published: December 19, 2007 03:15 pm         

Girls have heart

What’s a parent to do? You want to raise a girl who thinks of others, makes good decisions and puts more thought into what she can do than into her looks, but it’s hard with the outside influences today.

Thankfully, more and more books are centered around girls who are strong role models and teach the readers life lessons.

One of those is the Only Hearts Club series, which follows six girls who all have different interests but are very close friends. Their motto is “Encourage one another to listen to their hearts and do the right thing.”

Those who are familiar with the American Girls series will see many parallels. The Only Hearts girls are apparently pre-teens and what is emphasized is their relationships with their girlfriends and families, and learning how to handle different situations with consideration and with a feel for what’s best.

Unlike the American Girls, who are from different periods in history, the Only Hearts girls’ stories are set in the present day, helping their readers relate to them better because they are facing some of the same things they are.

There’s bound to be at least one Only Hearts girl that your girl can relate to because of a shared interest.

Taylor Angelique loves animals of all kinds. Anna Sophia loves to cook. Briana Joy is the athlete of the bunch. Olivia Hope is crazy about horses. Karina Grace is into music and dancing. Lily Rose would rather be outside in nature, hiking or camping.

In “Peep for Keeps”, Lily and Taylor are out hiking when they find a baby bird which has apparently fallen out of its nest.

Lily wants to take the bird home to protect it but it’s against the rules to take any animal out of the nature preserve. Should she follow the rules or make sure the bird is safe?

There’s no author listed so I’m not sure who wrote this 43-page, 4 1/2 by 6 inch hardcover book, but they did a good job of walking Lily through her decision-making.

Lily isn’t just a cardboard figure acting out a morality play, she’s a little girl with feelings and some things in her past that influence those feelings. It’s a difficult decision: how can you leave a little bird who might be hurt — what is the right thing to do? Lily has to do some thinking, but she finds her way in the end.

The Only Hearts Club would be good for all ages. It’s an engaging story that can be read to a little one or read by the girl herself, maybe with a little help from an adult.

They will learn the meanings of words, like “fledgling”. Also, in this book, readers get a lesson about nature and wild animals and what’s best for them, which is very well-done.

If you’re looking for a well-written story with good role models for little girls, try the Only Hearts Club.