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RE: Books for boys
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From: Arethna, Armin <AArethna_at_ci.berkeley.ca.us>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:41:56 -0700
I agree with Lisa about recommending books to young kids regardless of gender stereotypes. Unfortunately, I often find that young boys, who are eager to read a book with a girl protagonist after I give a short booktalk, will turn it down when the adult says "Oh, he prefers books with boys in them."
I read regularly to both my children together when they were younger, books with both girl and boy protagonists. As teenagers today,they are both voracious readers; my son, who reads anything and everything, has continued reading "girl" books, much to the delight of our entire family. He will readily discuss with his sister and me all the books that he reads and he agrees that he really enjoys some of the "girl" books (some of them, like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the Twilight books he admits he reads just to find out what all the hype is about).
Thanks for the thought provoking discussion! Armin
Armin Arethna Children's Librarian Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, California
________________________________
From: Lisa Hobbs
Sent: Sun 4/25/2010 12:15 AM To: ccbc-net_at_lists.education.wisc.edu Subject:
Books for boys
This discussion has been a great reminder for me to reflect on what I recommend to the youngest students in my K-5 library. It can be easy to put the shark book in the hands of a kindergarten boy and a princess book in the hands of a girl. If I recommend titles that conform tightly to gender stereotypes when the children are very young, why would I expect more flexibility when they're older?
When my son was around 5 years old, we frequently visited the public library. One of the children's librarians recommended many books to him that I still remember because they defied rigid gender assumptions - things like the Fairy Realm series by Emily Rodda and Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep. I can't tell you how much I appreciated the librarian's thoughtfulness and the fact that she tuned in to what my son was interested in at the time, rather than simply adhering to gender expectations. I hate to think what he might miss if adults only recommend "boy books." Conversely, I hate to think what my daughter might miss if she's always directed toward "girl books."
Lisa Hobbs Crocker Highlands Elementary School Librarian Oakland, CA
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:41:56 -0700
I agree with Lisa about recommending books to young kids regardless of gender stereotypes. Unfortunately, I often find that young boys, who are eager to read a book with a girl protagonist after I give a short booktalk, will turn it down when the adult says "Oh, he prefers books with boys in them."
I read regularly to both my children together when they were younger, books with both girl and boy protagonists. As teenagers today,they are both voracious readers; my son, who reads anything and everything, has continued reading "girl" books, much to the delight of our entire family. He will readily discuss with his sister and me all the books that he reads and he agrees that he really enjoys some of the "girl" books (some of them, like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the Twilight books he admits he reads just to find out what all the hype is about).
Thanks for the thought provoking discussion! Armin
Armin Arethna Children's Librarian Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, California
________________________________
From: Lisa Hobbs
Sent: Sun 4/25/2010 12:15 AM To: ccbc-net_at_lists.education.wisc.edu Subject:
Books for boys
This discussion has been a great reminder for me to reflect on what I recommend to the youngest students in my K-5 library. It can be easy to put the shark book in the hands of a kindergarten boy and a princess book in the hands of a girl. If I recommend titles that conform tightly to gender stereotypes when the children are very young, why would I expect more flexibility when they're older?
When my son was around 5 years old, we frequently visited the public library. One of the children's librarians recommended many books to him that I still remember because they defied rigid gender assumptions - things like the Fairy Realm series by Emily Rodda and Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep. I can't tell you how much I appreciated the librarian's thoughtfulness and the fact that she tuned in to what my son was interested in at the time, rather than simply adhering to gender expectations. I hate to think what he might miss if adults only recommend "boy books." Conversely, I hate to think what my daughter might miss if she's always directed toward "girl books."
Lisa Hobbs Crocker Highlands Elementary School Librarian Oakland, CA
---Received on Sun 25 Apr 2010 02:41:56 PM CDT
