Literacy Toolbox Review: Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Pam Allyn here on Literacy Toolbox.  In that Q&A session, she shared her professional insight into what has influenced her work with boys, any misconceptions society has about boy readers and her advice to parents of boys.  I’m delighted to have been able to read her new resource for educators, Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives (Scholastic 2011) and review it here.

About the Book: In this resource, Allyn thoughtfully begins with the why.  Why the focus on boys?  It’s an age old question at this point.  How do we get boys to read as much as girls?  Why is there a disparity between boys and girls in reading?  In the second section, she provides the reader with 24 questions and answers related to reading and boys, such as: How can we make boys comfortable with reading?  Does online reading count? How can I celebrate and affirm boys’ achievements in reading?  Allyn ends with an extensive annotated list of books that boys may enjoy.  She explains a coding system – labeling books with E-for Emergent Readers, D – for Developing Readers, and M – for Maturing Readers – that has more to do with a boy’s emotional development rather than his chronological age.  Books are listed by genre – genres that boys typically like.

My Thoughts: This is a fantastic resource for any educator who is interested in motivating boys to read.  It’s an easy read and provides thoughtful, ready to implement ideas to motivate boys to read in the classroom.  And, while it’s technically a resource for educators, I think parents can certainly glean useful information from this resource as well, in terms of ways to encourage reading in boys.  The language is not written in “educator vocabulary,” but instead, is rather parent friendly.  If you have sons or are a teacher of boys, I highly recommend you read Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys: How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives!

About the Author: Pam Allyn is the Executive Director of LitWorld. She is also the Executive Director of LitLife, a nationwide education professional development consultancy.  Pam has written several books for teachers including the curriculum development guide entitled “The Complete 4 for Literacy” (Scholastic 2007) and one for parents, caregivers and educators entitled “What to Read When” (Penguin 2009).  

Disclosure:  I received a copy of the book from the publisher. 

©2011 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Reading Resources for Parents: Blogs

This month I plan to post resources to help parents as they try to raise a reader.  Perhaps through the resources I share, you’ll find something to help you engage your child in reading over the summer (and beyond!).  A few web-based resources for your perusal today:     

PBS Booklights Inspire a love for reading in your child with help from children’s book experts!

Jen Robinson’s Book Page Jen, a lifelong reader, recently became a first time mother!  Yay, Jen!  She has promoted the love of books by children and the continued love of children’s books by adults for many years now.  She is a “go-to” person in the field of children’s literature and she is now happily raising her own little bookworm!

The Book Chook Susan Stephenson is an Australian teacher, author, and editor who is passionate about children’s literacy.  She offers book reviews and tips for parents on her blog.  She is also the editor of Literacy Lava, a free PDF for parents that offers tips and literacy activities to share with kids!

Teach Mama Amy, founder of Teach Mama, is a reading specialist who sneaks learning into her children’s every day.  On her blog, she shares all of her tips and tools so that you may sneak learning into your child’s day as well!

We Teach Ning Amy also created this awesome resource for parents and teachers.  Here is a forum for parents and teachers to come together to share all the ways we teach and learn with our children.  There are currently 27 groups geared towards all the ways we can engage children in learning.  Check it out!  You won’t be disappointed.  Chances are if you have a question about something related to your child’s learning, a We Teach member can help!

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.