What Do Boys Read?
By July Douglas, Family Program Specialist
If you’ve been listening to the media the past few weeks, you may have heard the news. Boys are in trouble. According to Peg Tyre, author of The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do, “boys across the nation and in every demographic group are falling behind.” Tyre writes in a 2006 Newsweek article that “the kinetic, disorganized, maddening and sometimes brilliant behaviors” are hard-wired in boys and a big part of what makes the way they learn different than the way girls learn.
Author Jon Scieszka would probably agree. Scieszka has launched an online literacy program aimed at boys. The goal: to get boys to read. “Guys Read” www.guysread.com offers reading recommendations to boys of all ages. But not just any books. Guy books. Scieszka hopes that by expanding the reading choices available to boys to include things they really enjoy, more boys will get hooked on reading.
So what exactly DO boys like to read? Research shows that boys’ tastes run towards stories with more action, and less emphasis on how a character is feeling. Boys like facts; they devour good, well-written non-fiction if given the opportunity. Graphic novels are also a hit. Because boys tend to be more focused on motion than on color and texture, they like illustrations that depict action. Boys love humor and are not afraid of what adults might view as gross or distasteful. And boys do love a good story; they are just more interested in having things happen in the story than in exploring the characters’ motivations and emotions.
Take a look at some of the types of books that appeal to boys. Note: girls like these, too! This list is in no way intended to be sexist or gender-biased, or to imply that only certain books are good for boys. But if you find that a boy in your life is not as enamored with reading as you had hoped, maybe he just hasn’t discovered the kinds of reading materials that really speak to him!
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas (Harcourt Children's Books, 2007)
No one wants to be underneath Fat Cat when he sits down. The characters’ facial expressions make this book laugh-out-loud funny.
Rattlesnake Jam by Margot E Finke, illustrated by Kevin Scott Collier (Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc, 2008)Calling this book totally disgusting is a compliment! How do YOU like your rattlesnake?
What Did I Look Like When I Was a Baby? By Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Tony Ross (Putnam Juvenile, 2000)Like most kids, little Michael is curious about how he looked when he was a baby. This book humorously explores infancy in the animal kingdom.
When I Was a Boy . . . I Dreamed by Justin Matott, illustrated by Mark Ludy An old man reminisces about adventures he dreamed of as a young boy, such as fighting ferocious dragons and riding an elephant through the jungle.
A Day at the Police Station by Richard Scarry (Golden Books, 2004)Richard Scarry draws children into his books with lively, interesting illustrations. The busy-ness of the illustrations is particularly appealing to boys!
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems (Hyperion 2005)No list of books for boys would be complete without at least one book from Mo Willems! Leonardo is a scary-monster-wanna-be who discovers he is better at being a friend.
Meet Wild Boars by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Henry Holt and Co. BYR, 2005)If you are looking for uncouth behavior, foul odors, and a rude lack of manners, you’ve come to the right place. Even a cautionary note at the beginning of the book warns us not to befriend the characters in this hilarious look at reaaaalllly bad behavior.
