Boys and Books
Is There Really a Difference?
The Eye Roll
Up until past few years, boys have been “ignored” in Book World. Why?◦Perceptions and Stereotypes:
…Boys aren’t (often) “ideal” reader
Recent years, Renewed interest
Energy Level Disruption/mess
Reading Choices “Lost cause”
Boys’ ThoughtsA 2001 YALSA Teen Read Week Survey asked
boys, “If you don’t read much or don’t like reading, why?”◦ Boring /not fun (39.3%)◦ No time/too busy (29.8%)◦ Like other activities better (11.1%)◦ Can’t get into the stories (7.7%)◦ I’m not good at it (4.3%)◦ Makes me tired/causes headaches (2.5%)◦ Too much school work (1.4%)◦ Books are too long (.09%)
Librarian/Teacher/Parent Hang-ups
What are some hesitancies that you’ve had or heard from these areas on focusing “tailored” attention on boys?
Generalizations about boys vs. girls, but there are developmental differences
Waffles and Spaghetti
Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Can be “generalized”/stereotypical, but helpful to
understand◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female
brain Corpus Callosum (bridge between hemispheres) less
developed at 5 years old 15-20% more neural activity in girls brain at any given time Girls have greater number of nerve fibers (feel more pain)
Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.
Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and
female brain Girls have more white matter, which is what constantly
networks brain activity to different parts of brain; boys have more gray matter, which keeps brain activity in a single place.
Boys’ brains “shut off” (enter “rest state”) more times per day than girls’
Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.
Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female
brain Boys have more neural centers that focus on how objects
move around physical space Boys process more through amygdala (the
aggression/emotion center)
Waffles and Spaghetti, cont.
Boy Brain vs. Girl Brain◦ Over 100 biological differences between male and female
brain Boys’ hippocampus (major memory center) is generally less
active than a girl’s, especially during emotional/relational experiences
Chemical differences: 10-20% more testosterone (risk-taking/aggression), less oxytocin (bonding chemical), less serotonin (calms us down)… especially in frontal lobe (decision making center)
What does it all mean?
Practical Implications Boys need to be led to
emotional/motivational/purposeful experiences by mentors to learn how to function purposefully
Boys do before talk, so boyhood experiences often based on trial and error
Many parts of brain are set after first few years, but hippocampus (memory center) is constantly creating new neurons
How does it affect us as librarians? We need to engage boys in reading, which requires AND encourages “fuller usage of brain”
Boys and Books
Reader’s Advisory◦Preferences in formats and genres
ProgrammingGaining AlliesWELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
Boy-friendly Formats
Pictures: picture books, graphic novels, comics, manga, hybrids
Audio: books on tape/cd, podcastsOnline contentNewspapers and magazines
Boy-friendly Genres
Adventure FantasyHumorNon-fictionScience fictionSports
Adventure39 Clues seriesEoin ColferCharles Higson (Young Bond series)Will HobbsAnthony Horowitz (Alex Rider)Gary PaulsenRick Riordan
FantasyDave Barry and Ridley PearsonEoin ColferChris D’LaceyCornelia FunkeDerek LandyBrandon MullPhilip ReeveJ.K. Rowling
HumorMac BarnettAndrew ClementsDan GutmanGordon KormanJosh Lieb Dav PilkeyLouis SacherJordan Sonnenblick
Pseudonymous BoschJack GantosJeff KinneyJarrett KrosoczkaDavid LubarDaniel PinkwaterJon ScieszkaEric Wight
Non-fictionLearning how to do anything they’re
interested inLearning history/facts behind somethingAutobiographies/biographiesHow to make thingsGross-out
Science FictionOrson Scott CardJames Patterson (Maximum Ride series)Star TrekStar Wars
SportsTiki and Ronde BarberMatt ChristopherJohn CoyTim GreenDan Gutman Mike LupicaJames PrellerJohn Ritter
ProgrammingWhat can you do in a school? ◦Boy friendly topics, instruction styles ◦Guys Read/Boys Only, ◦Male teachers/staff
Gaining Allies
ParentsTeachersAdministrationPUBLIC LIBRARY
Welcoming EnvironmentEasier said than done… take a look at
your space, your response… roll eyes?Boys AND fathers
Boy-friendly Programming at LML
Daddy and Me storytimes quarterlyDaddy Catcher DaysIncorporate active/boy friendly topics
into programming scheduleUse non-fiction in storytimes Be welcoming of boys and dadsInformation source/anxiety ease-r for
parents
Boy-friendly ActivitiesChessScavenger huntsMake a desktop catapultGross out special effectsCreate-a-sportMagic tricksJoke-telling/creating
Guys Read GroupsGuys Read website: www.guysread.com
Guys Read GroupsContacted schools in East Penn for initial
interest of male teachersDisplay, collected interest from patronsStarted in spring and ran for four months◦We saw a HUGE difference in attitudes toward
reading and the library right away◦Moms emails
Emails from ParentsEmails began to pour in from parents before
9am the next morningResponses to reminders were “wouldn’t miss
it!!”, “my son’s been asking me non-stop when the next club meeting was”, and if they couldn’t make it because of something coming up, parents were saying their sons were “mad” at them!
“You’re Not Alone”Resource for parentsOffer reading lists in libraryAlso talk to teachers
Resources Bronzo, William: To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteens in Active
Literacy Eliot, Lise: Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome
Gaps– and What We Can Do About It Gurian, Michael:
◦ Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A Guide for Teachers and Parents; ◦ The Purpose of Boys: Helping our Sons Find Meaning, Significance and Direction in Their Lives; ◦ The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional
Men; ◦ What Stories Does My Son Need? A Guide to Books and Movies that Build Character in Boys
Knowles, Elizabeth: Boys and Literacy: Practical Strategies for Libraries, Teachers and Parents
Smith, Michael: Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men Sullivan, Michael:
◦ Connecting Boys with Books: What Libraries Can Do; ◦ Connecting Boys with Books 2: Closing the Reading Gap; ◦ Serving Boys Through Readers Advisory
http://www.literacycouncilofalaska.org/guysread.html - Has a link to Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries GR Manual (with info for school)