Girls books, boys books--does it matter?

When my DD was born, I learned that our society is in some ways becoming very gender segregated.  Castles come in pink versions and blue versions.  Leap frog toys come in purple and green.  Clothes are not gender neutral, even for babies.  For example, if  I want to buy a red coat for my daughter,  I have to shop in the boys section.  I don't consider myself much of a feminist.  However, there are many wonderful books out there that don't deserve to be gender segregated.  So, I challenge you to buck the trend!

Here are some ways this works for the younger set:
1)  Young children may like a book for quirky reasons.  My boy likes Cinderella because of the dogs in the last picture of our particular version.  There isn't anything about those dogs in the book.  They're just in the picture.  Same thing for his manners book.  There's a part of a truck on one page.  He loves that.  Nothing about trucks in the actual text at all!

2)  A child may like one of the supporting characters more than the main character.  My daughter has a serious fascination with the dragon of St. George and the Dragon.   It is currently chalked (in hot pink) on our driveway.

3)  Some books are just so well written that they speak to everyone!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Author: Richard and Florence Atwater
Lexile measure: 910
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  None.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  being responsible for pets, smoking (mentions that Mr. Popper smokes a pipe), poverty.  Some rudimentary geography helpful (North Pole, South Pole, Antarctica).
Illustrations: monocolor drawings every several pages
Plot: moderately complex.

Though some reviewers call this "humor", I would not.  Its not really funny, so much as lighthearted and a little silly.  But in any case, its a fun story (how could any fiction involving penguins be anything but fun?).   Though the Lexile is high, the reader does not have to possess tremendous emotional maturity to understand this book.  This is a terrific one for the  very advanced, but sensitive reader.   DD and I both give it a "thumbs up".

Should we censor what our kids read?

At some point in every parent's life, you begin to realize that your little kid is starting to get very independent.  Maybe they can reach the top shelf of the bookcase. ( Mine do it by climbing while I have my back turned making sure dinner doesn't catch fire.)  Or maybe they devour books faster than you can vet them for appropriateness.  So why bother censoring what they read when you can't possibly shelter them from everything?  Besides censorship reeks of dictatorships and all things unAmerican and anti free speech.

Except that a family is not a democracy.  We teach our kids how to choose what to eat, what to wear, and maybe even what friends to have.   Most of us have no problem regulating what our kids watch on TV or online, and what movies they watch.  If your child goes to public school, you also may find that some books have been banned from the curriculum.  So, don't feel like you are the bad guy for censoring what your child reads.

Young precocious readers especially need some kind of shielding as they are able to explore things that most of their age peers are unable to do.  We are talking about things that are not only inappropriate from a socially correct standpoint (like rude language and sexual themes, which some parents really don't care about), but also things that may be very scary to younger children (like death, separation from parents, violence, sickness,  bullying/namecalling) which they still do not have the resources to cope with or process.   You may choose to censor books with "mature" content, or you may choose to read them with your child and teach them gently, if its appropriate.   Even if you get to a book after your child has read it, exploring certain themes with your child after the fact can mitigate the negative effects.

When your child is ready, they will be able to make wise choices on their own about what is good reading and what is not.  They will learn that it is ok to put a book down when its not appropriate.  And when they are able to make those decisions for themselves, you will not need to be a censor anymore.

Duck for a Day

Author: Meg McKinlay
Lexile measure: not known, probably around 500?
Language:  No swear words, no potty language.  Mild, infrequent name calling "weirdo".
Violence:  Near drowning (accidental, with prompt rescue).  I think most kids who have been in swimming lessons can relate.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  being responsible for a pet, school.
Illustrations:  black and white shaded drawings most pages.
Plot: moderately complex, several multipaged chapters.

DD liked this and so did I.  It deals with the conflict between a girl who wants a pet, and her parents, who think a pet would be messy.  Its gentle, but not slow and not predictable.  I do think it is more edgy than say, Mr. Putter and Tabby or Frog and Toad, but less than Ruby Lu/Alvin Ho/Ivy+Bean and most others at this reading level.  The main character is a girl, but the second main character is a boy--without any romantic overtones.  The grown ups are a little eccentric, but still respectable.  I think this one would be ok for sensitive little ones if they don't have issues with swimming and water.