Here is an article from Robert Gould, founder and CEO of Big Guy Books:
You want to encourage your son to read, but also want to steer clear of The Transformers, G.I Joe, Star Wars and all the other over-marketed, too-violent usual suspects from Hollywood to Hasbro. Well then, here's a selection of topics that boys will love - and actually have plenty of redeeming educational value to boot (go figure)!
Space
Granted, with NASA's recent funding trouble, astronaut is not the career track it was thirty years ago, but still, there's nothing a boy likes more than reaching for the stars. From distant planets to rocket launchers, astronomy and space exploration hold a particular kind of magic for the young male reader.
Cool icons: The Space Shuttle, Apollo anything, planets of the solar system, black holes
Great books from the genre: Georges Secret Key to the Universe, Me and My Place in Space, The Usbourne First Encyclopedia of Space
Dinosaurs
The gold standard of boyhood passions. Not only do dinosaurs help build vocabulary skills, they teach kids about biology, history and geography all in one fell swoop! Plus they pull off the rare feat of crushing/killing stuff while staying somewhat cuddly at the same time.
Cool icons: T-Rex, Velociraptor, Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus
Great books from the genre: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, Dinosailors, Danny and the Dinosaur, Time Soldiers Book #1: Rex, Time Soldiers Book #2: Rex2, Big Stuff: Dinosaurs
Construction
They grow out of this one at a pretty young age, but oh how little boys love big things that move smaller things over to other things. Got that? Big picture books filled with giant trucks and construction sites are an excellent entrée into reading for boys.
Cool icons: Earth movers, Bulldozers, GIANT bulldozers
Great books from the genre: The Construction Alphabet Book, Building with Dad, Big Stuff: Giant Earthmovers, Big Stuff: Tractors
Pirates
Pirate stories do spark a child's imagination -- transporting him to a distant land on the open sea, filled with treasure chests (and free of parent restrictions). Did somebody say "y'argh"?
Cool icons: Tall ships, canons, eye patches, loads and loads of treasure
Great books from the genre: How I Became a Pirate, Treasure Island, Pirate Pete, The Night Pirates, Time Soldiers Book #3: Patch
Ancient Egypt
Here's another category that's got it all. Ancient Egypt always holds a special place in boys' hearts because, well, they wrapped people up and mummified them back then. It's hard to find a boy who doesn't say "whoa" when they learn that little factoid.
Cool icons: Mummies, the Pharaoh, the Sphinx
Great books from the genre: If I Were a Kid in Ancient Egypt, Mummy (DK Eyewitness Book), Mummies Made in Egypt, Time Soldiers Book #5: Mummy
Whichever topics you choose to focus on, the important thing is that you read to your son every day and install in him a love of reading at a very young age. In return, you get a smart, successful well-adjusted child who is just plain great to be around!
Robert Gould
Founder and CEO, Big Guy Books
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Big Guy Books is a children's book publishing company dedicated to solving the problem of boys not reading. We call it Stealth Literacy®, the cure for the reluctant reader. Visit www.FreeDinosaurBook.com to get your FREE e-book now and receive more tips and info on boys and reading.
Copyright 2008, Robert Gould and Big Guy Books, Inc.
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