It is often said that it is more difficult to get boys into reading than girls.
Girls read more than boys – The Observer:
More girls than boys spend at least 30 minutes a day reading for pleasure in all OECD countries with the exception of Korea, according to Knowledge and Skills for Life: First Results from PISA 2000.
There is also a concern that the literacy gap is linked to the achievement gap that is rising between boys and girls in school.
Renaissance Learning, “What Kids Are Reading And Why It Matters”:
- Girls read 800,000 more words thank boys do.
- There is a strong connection between how much girls read and their higher scores on standardized reading tests.
Encouraging My Boys to Read
G1 has always had a natural inclination towards books. G2, on the other hand, is not quite the reader that his brother is. We have had to work hard to build his interest books and maintain it. I’ve always found humour to be an easy way to draw my boy’s attention. There is a reason why G2 has such a fondness for funny books like:
Another author with a knack for writing funny stories is Colin McNaughton. McNaughton also wrote Nighty Night – another of G2’s favourites.
G2’s new favourite series is McNaughton’s Preston Pig Stories. I cannot recall when we stumbled upon “Oops!“, but G2 enjoyed the story so much that we have borrowed it several times from the library since we discovered it.
About Oops!
Preston Pig is walking through the woods to take his granny a basket of food. ‘Hmm…red hood, basket of food, granny’s house? That reminds me of a story, but which one?’ says Mister Wolf. Can the cunning Mister Wolf catch Preston this time, or will the little pig outwit him again…?
Oops! will leave your little reader in stitches – here’s a sample page:
Readers familiar with classic fairy tales, like “The Three Little Pigs”, will be tickled by the twist in this story…
I think G1 found the book entertaining as well because he went looking for more books by Colin McNaughton and found “Suddenly“. Although he claims he borrowed it for his brother, I noticed that he, too, enjoyed reading the book.
About Suddenly
A little pig is walking down the street, unaware of the hungry wolf waiting around the corner. SUDDENLY, the pig remembers he has left something behind and turns away at the last second, leaving the wolf to fall flat on his face. The wolf pursues the little pig throughout the day, but the pig, quite unaware, evades him every time. In the end the wolf gets his come-uppance in an unexpected and hilarious way.
Since discovering that Preston Pig has a series of story books, G2 is now on the hunt for the rest of the series:
Here’s hoping you boys enjoy these books as much as mine did…
Related:
- Boys and Books – why boys don’t like reading and what we can do about it
- Jeff Gunhus’ Tips for Reaching the Reluctant Reader
- Early Literacy – How Important is it to get an Early Start?
Nurture for the Future 