Saturday, May 28, 2005

Boys and books--again


Here is another good article about boys and reading: the grosser the better!
...some teachers are loading up on "boy books." They feature sports, adventure, blood analysis - even the science of scabs and snot.

"My boys are obsessed with a non-fiction series called 'Grossology,' " says Tracy Moran, a fourth-grade teacher at Summit Elementary School in Anderson Township.

"It's stuff like, 'Why do burps happen?' "

Moran recently attended a conference on connecting boys to books. Female teachers, she says, have traditionally gravitated toward girl-oriented literature - plots built around characters and social interaction. Such plots bore boys and might permanently affect their interest in reading, experts say.

2 comments:

Kelly said...

Hi Camille!
I think some of this is true. How else can you explain "Captain Underpants" (although they are pretty funny!)
But, the bookish boys do like books that appeal to boys and girls, like the books on "Guys Read."
These burp type books are reaching a wider market I think.

Kelly
P.S. I have a 4-year old guy who likes both types of books.

Camille said...

I agree with you. I know lots of guys who love high fantasy and other very challenging books. They are my Redwall/Guardians of Ga'hoole/Star Wars/Eragon/Pendragon guys who love reading for pleasure.

I love Capt. Underpants. He has done more for boy's literacy than Harry Potter. It is my experience that nonreader guys greatly outnumber the readers. The trick is to find what they are willing to read and want to read. I think the "grossology" and "bam" "pow" "kerblam" books grab their interest. I love hearing, "I didn't know you had books like this! Cool!" They also like scary stories.