Oh, Boy! Let's Read!
by Carl A. Harvey II
Library Media Specialist, North Elementary School, Noblesville
When I was a youngster, I checked out tons of picture books. I’d take the stack home, and Mom would read them to me. I vividly remember my second grade teacher, Ms. Tarplee, reading aloud to us books by Beverly Cleary or Astrid Lindgren. That was definitely my favorite part of each day. But, somewhere along the way, I got into the habit of reading only materials required for school. In junior high and on through high school, I read only the novels or textbooks that were assigned. The thought of checking out a book and reading just for fun rarely, if ever, crossed my mind.
In college I happened to pick up a mystery book and found myself quickly hooked on the suspense and determined to solve the crimes. Fortunately, my course work reminded me of many of the great books I missed as an adolescent growing up. I somehow got back on the reading track, and now just like many of you, I read books written for both kids and adults and always have a growing pile of titles waiting for me.
The troubling question is why do we lose boys as readers—especially during those middle school years? What can we do to try to keep them on the path to becoming life-long readers? There are countless research studies and articles about boys and their reluctance to read. Like most problems in the world, it is unlikely that we will find that one silver bullet that provides the solution either.
Educators continue to encourage our boy readers. This year, for example, we made a display called “Books Transform Imaginations.” We began with books from the movie “Transformers” and will move to other books during the beginning weeks of school. As an added attraction, I included toy robots in the display. We’re also looking for ways to display more books by their covers instead of just showing their spines. Our goal is to make the titles jump off the shelves into the arms of young readers. Last year we did a major overhaul of our non-fiction, weeding and purchasing new material, especially updating sports, cars, and other areas that sometimes get overlooked as we focus on curriculum. As a result, our circulation shot through the roof.
We continue to grow and add to our graphic novel and graphic non-fiction sections. While the GN section has only 288 titles, the total circulation for that section was almost 3000 items. Almost all of those checked out from that section were by boys. We’ve also added Playaways™ to our collection and have iPods available for circulation to the classrooms. These audio devices have also proven to be a big hit with our boys.
None of these ideas are anything new or revolutionary. We’ve tried to be aware of what we do each day and how we can make our library media center an inviting place where all students want to come, want to check out materials, and find materials they want to read. Below are some links to lead you to more ideas and suggestions about engaging boys with reading in your classrooms and library media centers.
<http://www.guysread.com/>
Created by John Sceizka, this site is devoted to providing resources and book lists to help promote reading among middle grade readers.
<http://www.maine.gov/msl/nmld/biblio/boysreading.htm>
Northern Maine Library District bibliography of professional reading material about boys and reading.
<http://www.readingrockets.org/article/23978>
Article titled “Boys and Books” by Jann McFann on Reading Rockets website.
<http://www.k12academics.com/education-issues/boys-literacy>
This website provides concrete ideas for finding ways to turn boys into readers.
<http://www.boysread.org/index.html>
Another organization that provides ideas and resources for helping boys develop the love of reading.
<http://www.readkiddoread.com/home>
Author, James Patterson, has created this website and community to talk about and develop life long readers. Children’s literature expert, Judy Freeman, is a frequent contributor/advisor.
<http://gettingboystoread.com/>
Here’s another website offering many practical ideas and strategies from educators all over the world. You can even follow them on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with new postings.