Thursday, July 13, 2006

Guys Like Me



Jon Scieszka grew up with five brothers. Taught elementary school for ten years. Has been writing books for kids for fifteen years.
The most popular being

As a result, he thinks he has an idea why boys might not like reading.

Jon like so many understands that boys often
have to read books they don’t really like. They don’t get to choose what they want to read. And what they do like to read, people sometimes tell them is not really reading. (comics, graphic novels, baseball & rap magazines.)

GUYS READ website was made to help with all of those things.
at guysread you will find links to authors of Guys of all ages read
with an inpressive list of of authors that inspire guys to want to pick up a book

Most impressive is the message to get guys to read

Men: get off your. . . busy schedule. . . and read with your boys. Be a role model. Talk about reading. Let boys see you reading. Acting as a positive, literate role model is the single most important thing you can do to help boys read.

• Booksellers: have male staff members highlight their favorite books for boys. Make a display of GUYS READ books.

• Teachers and librarians: Take another look at your required reading lists. Imagine how many of the books would appeal to you if you were a boy.

• Let boys know that non-fiction reading is reading. Magazines, newspapers, websites, biographies, science books, comic books, graphic novels. . .are all reading material.

• Form a father-son or parent-son Bookclub. Meet at an indoor soccer facility or gym to talk about books, and then run around too. Be a model for how to read a book and talk about it.

• Look at the recent literature on the psychology of boys (some titles listed below).

A FEW OF JON’S FAVORITE BOOKS FOR GUYS
For Young Guys
The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss. Illustrated by Crockett Johnson.Go, Dog. Go!, by Philip D. Eastman.The Stupids Die, by Harry Allard. Illustrated by James Marshall.Grimm’s Fairy Tales
For Early Readers
Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days, by Stephen Manes. Illustrated by Tom Huffman.Flat Stanley, by Jeff BrownThe Hoboken Chicken Emergency, by Daniel Pinkwater. Illustrated by Jill PinkwaterScary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Alvin Schwartz, editor. Illustrated by Stephen Gammell.Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar. Illustrated by Julie Brinckloe.The Twits, by Roald Dahl. Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
For Older Guys
Oddballs, by William Sleator.Tangerine, by Edward Bloor.Watchmen, a graphic novel by Alan Moore.
Poetry
Kids are the best judge of the poetry they like. I like the funny poetry of Douglas Florian, Colin McNaughton, Jack Prelutsky, and Shel Silverstein.
Nonfiction
Choose books based on the subjects they care about. Look at books by Russell Freedman, David Macaulay, Jim Murphy, and Seymour Simon.


A FEW GOOD BOOKS ABOUT GUYS
Gurian, Michael. The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young MenGurian, Michael. The Wonder of Boys: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Boys into Exceptional MenKindlon, Daniel J.; Thompson, Michael; et al. Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of BoysPollack, William S. Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of BoyhoodPollack, William S. Real Boys' Voices
I could go crazy trying to squeeze in more of my favorite books. Check these out for starters.

• Check in to www.guysread.com to hear more from experts, find out what other guys are doing, get recommendations and booklists, share your successes and failures.

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