Parker Dains knows there isn’t anything she can’t do or anyone she can’t be because of her gender.

That’s why the 7-year-old Milpitas student became very upset earlier this year after a visit to the Milpitas Public Library, when she turned over a book she was reading about insects and saw that it was called “Biggest, Baddest Books for Boys.”

“It made me very unhappy,” said Dains, a second-grader at Joseph Weller Elementary School. “I was like, ‘What the?’ I said, ‘Dad we have to do something quickly.'”

Do something she did. She went home and wrote a letter to the publisher of the “Biggest, Baddest Books for Boys,” ABDO Publishing, complete with illustrations of herself doing homework and at school.

“Dear Publishers: I am a 6-year-old girl and I just read the ‘Biggest, Baddest Book of Bugs.’ I really enjoyed the section on Glow in the Dark bugs and the quizzes at the end. When I saw the back cover title, it said ‘Biggest Baddest Books for Boys’ and it made me very unhappy. It made me very sad because there’s no such thing as a boy book. You should change from ‘Biggest, Baddest Books for Boys’ into ‘Biggest, Baddest Books for Boys and Girls’ because some girls would like to be entomologists too,” her letter read.

The letter dated April 2, was sent to the ABDO publisher, who responded with a typed response letter on April 22 that read, “Dear Parker … We love the way you decorated the envelope — you must be a very creative person! While the envelope was eye-catching what you wrote inside caught our attention even more so. You brought up a very good point: there should certainly be a ‘Biggest, Baddest Books for Boys’ for everyone. After all, girls can like ‘boy’ things too!”

The letter goes on to read, “We have decided to take your advice. Next season, we will have a series simply called, ‘Biggest Baddest Books’ …”

On Nov. 7 Dains received a box of books entitled “Biggest, Baddest Books” with another letter from ABDO Publishing, this time hand-written saying that creating and printing books was a long process.

“You can see that we dropped the ‘For Boys’ from the series name and we all agree here at ABDO that it was a very smart idea on your part. No other school, library or kid will be able to buy these books for another couple of months, so you are the first to read them!”

Dains, who says she likes to read, play soccer, jump on the trampoline and make art, speaks quickly and with energy. She said she was excited to get a response from the publisher.

“I felt happy, and so full of energy like I could run all over the world … I was waiting for the books to come for months, it took a long time from Minnesota to California,” she said on the phone as she kicked a soccer ball around her back yard.

“I think it was so awesome and I even got a letter … they took my advice. I am going to be the best advice giver,” she said, now bouncing on a trampoline.

“I think ABDO learned a lesson … . If boys want to, boys can have long hair, and girls can have short hair, just in case they like to keep hair safe from headlice like some of my friends did in my class.”

Dains, who says she wants to grow up to be an advice giver and artist, said she likes to read “The Dork Diaries,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and the “Amelia” books, which she picks up from the Milpitas library, where she also goes to study and read.

She says that Leonardo da Vinci is one of her favorite painters because of the “Mona Lisa,” a painting she hopes to see at the Louvre Museum in Paris one day.

“The ‘Mona Lisa,’ it’s my favorite, it’s so awesome with the smiles and I love smiles. Mona Lisa has this smile that makes me fall in love with Leonardo, except he died.”

Dains also would like to be a circus owner, but she would treat the animals nicely at “Parker’s Amazing, Dazzling Circus,” saying that no animals would be harmed in the show.

Dains’ parents, Michael and Staycee Dains, also have a 21-month daughter, Tatum. They raised Parker to believe that there are few things that are just for boys, and encouraged her to write a letter to the publisher.

Michael Dains was reading the book with Parker at the library in March, and was also there when the books arrived on Nov. 7. Parker’s parents are very proud of her initiative and commitment to writing the letter and trying to make a change.

“My wife and I agree that there is no reason why she can’t do what she wants to do because of her gender. She is a brilliant kid and she can’t be pigeon-holed.”

Contact Aliyah Mohammed at amohammed@themilpitaspost.com or 408-262-2454 or follow her on twitter.com/Aliyah_JM. Visit us on our social media sites at facebook.com/MilpitasPost and twitter.com/MilpitasPost.