I think that they just-- among girls, that is-- disproportionately appeal to more androgynous/bright children who tend to reject typical gender stereotype-driven culture. Boys who don't like guns and superhero play, for example, and girls who aren't into pink and codependent princesses, seem to find animal personification a great alternative.
I think it's entirely possible that part of the appeal for female children in this particular context is about the social connection serving as a sort of secret club password. This was a significant means for my DD to establish who was most likely to be "friend" material for her and who wasn't. It still serves that way as a point of shared history, to some extent.
What a great insight. You are absolutely describing my DD, who has verbally and specifically rejected gender stereotypes since she was tiny. Admittedly, some of this is probably my influence, but I have heard things come out of her mouth that I know for certain she didn't hear from me. Also, she is pining for a Warriors "club" and goes around asking other kids if they read the books. She's desperately trying to get her best male friend into them (no luck--he's a Harry Potter dude).
Now there's a question--is there a difference between Harry Potter kids and Warriors kids, or do they generally overlap? (DD won't read HP, partly due to resistance to the perceived male focus, partly due to fear of them being scary, partly due to being intentionally resistant to things she perceives as very popular. I think she'll eventually cave and will enjoy them, though I will discourage from reading past book 4 till she's a little older.)
