Do you assign books that are generally considered books favored by the opposite gender? For example, do you assign something like Anne of Green Gables to a boy or The Three Musketeers to a girl?
I admit I have my ds10y read more "boyish" books or at least they had a boy as the one of main characters or were gender neutral.
I assign both. I probably lean toward boy, yes, but I buy and encourage both equally (Little Women, etc.).
I've found that girls are more likely to enjoy "boy" books than the other way around. I would assign a "boy book" to my girls much quicker than a "girl" book to Phillip. For example, I'm trying to decide on a book for literature next year. I've got a literature guide for Caddy Woodlawn, but I can't see Phillip reading it.
My son will read books geared towards girls, but he doesn't enjoy them as much. So I do encourage him to read other books, but he likes what he likes. I would rather him read something he likes willingly, then something he hates. I don't think I would assign him something to girly for a year long study or something like that. Maybe just for him to read, but not really study.
Yeah, Aggie, I think that's how Phillip is, too. He doesn't like to read much to begin with, and giving him something too "girly" would just make it worse.
I've assigned both "girlish" and "boyish" books to my son. He likes them both and is currently reading Anne of Avonlea and Lord of the Rings and trying to listen in while I read Heidi to my younger son. Of course there are books that he hasn't liked that we shelve, but it isn't because they are too girlish. I think "girlish" books have a benefit for boys - they help them understand the opposite gender a little better. My other son vocally prefers boyish books, but secretly enjoys the girlish stories too. He just won't admit it
We tend to do the "girly" books as family read alouds, and the reading assignments and books they are required to read tend to be the "boy" books.
I will assign a "boyish" book to Ems without any problems. I do not have any boys so I do not know how they would handle it. However, Handsome has read many of my "girly" books and enjoyed them.
When they were younger, I helped them pick books according to their likes, so while both ds and dd read the little house and ramona books with me, my ds veered off to fantasy/adventure quickly (which do tend to be a bit more boy oriented) while my dd reads a lot of mermaid and fairy princess books. A few they both read: books encouraged for history/science/literature for school - for example, they both read "Sarah Plain and Tall," "The Witch of Blackbird pond," "Sign of the Beaver," and "The Golden Goblet" - regardless of whether or not it was geared more of boys or girls. For classic interests, the gender bias does appear again - my ds likes the action adventure of Stevenson, while dd really liked "Little Women"
Gwenny, has your daughter read Shadow Spinner? That's one of my favorites!!! It's more of a "girl" book, but not so much your son wouldn't like the story.
DS has mainly read boyish books, but we have Ramona and Little House books on our list for next year's reading.
