Boys and Reading Motivation

Abstract

As a children’s librarian, I am painfully aware of how outnumbered the male population is at our library. The girls flock to the American Girls, Junie B. Jones, and Olsen Twins series. The boys trudge in with their mothers and grudgingly ask to see their accelerated reader list. At some point in time, boys lose the enthusiasm they once had for Clifford the Big Red Dog and become reluctant, almost embarrassed to be caught with a book in their hands. The issue of boys and literacy is in need of some serious attention. We all like to complain, discuss and berate the fact that we never see boys reading, but what are the real issues and how can we as librarians work toward improving the situation?