Suggestions for precocious 4-year old girl

Greetings wise people,

I would like to purchase a book as a birthday present for my neighbor's daughter, who will be 4 years old in a few days. She is very smart and loves books. She has a lot of Dr. Seuss and other classics. I am just wondering if you could suggest anything that you love. I have no children, so the only books I know about are those that I had as a child (lo these many, many years ago).

Right now she is in a princess stage (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella etc.) but her parents are trying to get her interested in more active female role models (Dora the Explorer, for example). However, that doesn't have to be a consideration.

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Thank you,

k4k

Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? and The Paper Bag Princess would both be great. Princesses and strong females rolled into one.

Does she already have Eloise or Madeline? Olivia? All are great picture books for young (and old!) girls.

An Undone Fairy Tale is a hilarious rewriting (and redrawing) of a standard princess story. My kids loved it.

Stella series!

May I suggest "anything" beyond her suggested "reading range". If she is bright, well it's all in front of her!
And at age 4, well really anything is really beyound her, but
there is our future. I am jealous.

Guido.

Thank you everyone! I will look at these suggestions.

ETA: I know Guido. Today she told me that if I got younger, I could dance with her. Sigh...

I'd recommend anything by Kevin Henkes, but particularly Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Chrysanthemum.

I second Olivia by Ian Falconer as a suggestion. And I understand that the next Olivia book may have something to do with princesses....

It's imporant to get the real Ian Falconer Olivia books, as opposed to the ones written/illustrated by others that are being churned out by the dozens in conjunction with the TV cartoon show. These are the real ones, in my rough order of preference:

Olivia
Olivia Helps with Christmas
Olivia and the Missing Toy
Olivia Saves the Circus

not as strong:

Olivia Goes to Venice
Olivia Forms a Band

A Child's Garden of Verses by R.L. Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor or Gyo Fujikawa. That's a book that she can go back to for many years to come.

Thank you again everyone! It's great to have all these choices. I will save this thread for next year, because I know some of these books will also be good for her 5th birthday.

k4k