11 Absolutely Amazing Ways to Find the Best Books Young Boys Will Love
Where are all the books for young boys? Seriously, where are they? As the mother of a young boy, I have been shocked at the lack of books, especially diverse books, for young boys. It gives me the same feelings I have whenever I try to shop for my son’s clothing. Enter the kids section and there are endless rows and aisles for girls, carrying everything from tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories and more, but step over into the boy section and you see one or two aisles, maybe a shelf. The options are usually not that exciting and are very limited. With this reality, it is no wonder that we have so many boys who don’t see reading as something for them. There simply aren’t enough books for young boys.
This problem with books for young books is not new. I have been an educator for 16 years and for the majority of that time I have worked, designed and participated in literacy and reading initiatives. The schools where I have worked serve students who receive free and reduced meals and who typically do not have great exposure to books and reading before coming to school. Knowing this, I am especially determined to provide these students with high quality books. It is just a much greater challenge when locating books for young boys.
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Best Books for Young Boys
When people think about the best books for young boys, certain titles and topics come to mind. They think of animal, adventure, sport or even science books. Boys, unfortunately, get stuck in one “reading box” and sometimes don’t get to truly pick and read the types of books that they’re interested in. This is a huge problem because it directly affects the feelings that young boys have about books and reading.
The topic of finding good books for young boys is even more important to me now because of my son. I have noticed that his reading interests are almost limitless. We have books on sport stars, animals, comic and tv characters, space, different cultures and places, food and the list goes on and on. He enjoys books with rhyme and without rhyme and for the most part I do not try to steer him in one way or another. If you’re looking for advice on the best books for young boys, here is my answer. The best book for a young boy is one that he will enjoy reading and that will help him to develop a positive relationship with books and reading.
What are some good books for young boys?
Now, that being said, if you’re not a teacher, a new teacher, a first time parent or maybe had girls before then you may be truly struggling to find good books for boys. In that case, I’m happy to give you some ideas of good starting points.
How to find good books for young boys?
If you need help finding books for young books here are some tips that you can use.
First, speak to your child. Make sure you have a solid understanding of things they like and ask them what they think they might want to read about.
Next, take your child to local bookstores or the library and let them look at and look into different books. Do not go out buying books without doing research. Your child may not like them and then you will be stuck with books and be out of money.
Ask librarians or teachers, in your child’s age group, for recommendations. If the person you speak with is not familiar with your child, be sure to share a little about your child’s interests. When my son and I first started going to our local library, he was a huge fan of the tv series Puppy Dog Pals, so we were encouraged to get books on dogs and animals and rhyming books to help him learn new words. I remember rereading Go Do Go, Paw Patrol and Puppy Dog Pals books over and over because that is what he was enjoying at the time.
Be patient with yourself and your child. Finding good books, especially good books for boys can take some time, but it is so worthwhile in the end.
As my son got older, my opinion on good books for boys changed slightly. We started to include more non rhyming books and also mixed in more non-fiction because he started to become curious about animals like squirrels, turtles and birds because of our morning walks. He also had questions about people, buildings and many other topics, so it made sense to both of us to make that transition.
So, again my answer when it comes to picking the best book for young boys and good books for boys is to involve them in the decision making process. Start out in a library or other space where your child can see and feel the book, help them to look at the picture and read the summary (on the back of the book) to them to give them an idea of what the book is about. Then, start choosing and reading some of those books.
Your child or children’s opinion on good books and the best books, will change, for both boys and girls and you should be prepared to embrace and encourage those changes with them.
Good Books for Boys
If you are dealing with older boys the question of good books for boys becomes trickier, but the added benefit is that when they are older they may have specific interests and you can use this as a guide to help you in choosing or helping them choose good books for boys. For example, as an elementary teacher, I interview all of my students ( second through fifth grade) at the beginning of the year with an interest survey. That survey helps me to take a snapshot of my students’ interests and to make good decisions about the types of books they will enjoy. I also make a habit of asking them about past reading: What authors do they like reading? What types of books have they enjoyed before and also What books they did not enjoy. I will be honest this is more difficult with my boy readers than my girl readers.