Comments on: Boys and Reading: Tips for Making Reading “Boy-Friendly”

By: spelling games

spelling games — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:44:00 +0000

I agree with your idea of incorporating technology into reading and I want to suggest you to take this one step further, there are some e-readers emerging on the market these days, and provided boys will always love gadgets, this could be a great investment, plus it’s cheaper to buy e-books, and eco-friendly and you can carry them anywhere, they are less cumbersome than a normal book.

By: CJ

CJ — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:52:51 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing-very informative- hope you don’t mind I passed the article on via my blog http://www.growinguptoronto.com.

Cheers,
CJ

By: Dawn Little

Dawn Little — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:29:56 +0000

Thank you so much, Julie! I’m glad you found this helpful and not the “same old” advice! My husband does most of his reading online as well — we must remember not to dismiss this as true reading! I checked out your blog and am so excited to see that your daughter is reading! How exciting! It really is such a joy to see them reading on their own, isn’t it?

By: Bianca Schulze

Bianca Schulze — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:09:52 +0000

We recently upgraded and lost the following great comment from Julie—I’m posting it now:

Fantastic piece with more than just the “same old” advice. I was particularly encouraged by #6 since my husband does most of his reading online. I think we just need to communicate when he is actually reading for pleasure (vs. working, which is also on the computer). Also love the pudding idea! Thanks so much for the inspiration.

By: The Children's Book Review Bianca Schulze

The Children's Book Review Bianca Schulze — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:57:18 +0000

Thank you for your thoroughly thought through response to Dawn’s blog post.

I agree with your point: “I can’t help thinking that what he has given us here is a list a of what boys are *allowed to like* not what they *naturally like* .”

I like the way this was addressed by Dawn: “By allowing boys choice, we are providing opportunities for them to develop reading skills without the added stress of disliking the text.”

By: Lyndsay Moffatt

Lyndsay Moffatt — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:04:52 +0000

Dear Dawn,
I can understand your fears for your son – there is certainly ALOT of media concerning boys and reading out there. As a reader, an educator and a researcher who cares about boys I am also troubled by the statistics. It was this care that caused me to spend some time researching the issue and talking to real kids about their lives in school. Sadly, I came away thinking much of the research out there (including Gurian) is making the problem worse, not better.

Gurian is committed to the idea that boys and girls are inherently different. He is constantly talking about “what boys like” and yet anyone who has worked with more than one boy can tell you that “boys” are a very diverse group of people. They have diverse interests, fears, likes and desires. And they have even more diverse interests etc. when they live in a culture that allows them to think for themselves and be fully human.

I found it particularly interesting to note that there didn’t seem to be a “boy reading problem” in all cultures. Newly immigrated South Asian and Asian boys in the school where I worked as a teacher-librarian were avid readers. My guess is it isn’t a biological issue.

While I applaud your desire to offer practical solutions and I love that you included talking to your son as part of your research, I can’t help thinking that what he has given us here is a list a of what boys are *allowed to like* not what they *naturally like* . The more I talk to boys the more I learn about how cultural pressures on them to be active/masculine/tough/into fart jokes make it difficult for them to be anything else.

My hope is that we can recognize that reading is just communication – and all humans desire to communicate – it is a human impulse. If some of our kids are choosing not to communicate, or not to use a certain form of communication, then we need to ask why they might make that choice and what is at stake for them?

I hope your son benefits from you inquiries – he obviously has a mom who cares and seeks answers.

Respectfully yours,

Lyndsay Moffatt

By: Dawn Little

Dawn Little — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Thanks Holly! I’m glad you liked it! And thanks again, Bianca for the opportunity to share with your readers!

By: The Children's Book Review Bianca Schulze

The Children's Book Review Bianca Schulze — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:52:07 +0000

I’m so glad you enjoyed Dawn Little’s article and have found it useful. Enjoy “growing” your little readers and congratulations on your crusade to “get boys to read”.

By: Holly Jennings

Holly Jennings — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:27:15 +0000

What a fantastic article! I am one of the bloggers for Gettingboystoread.com. I am also the mom of three boys who love to read, but I am always looking for great tips and book recommendations. I will definitely be mentioning this article in an upcoming post on GBTR.