By Kristi Boyd
Library Media Specialist
White River Elementary School

It's not a secret that boys enjoy reading different types of books than girls. While girls tend to read for pure fun, boys prefer to read about things that interest them. For instance, if they like sports, boys will read books about their favorite team or sports heroes and books that will teach them to be a better athlete. Most boys also enjoy reading comic books or graphic novels, gross books, and humorous stories. Experts tell us that if we want boys to read, we must honor their choices and make the things they like to read available to them. The following selections will appeal to most young guys.

A Couple of Boys Have The Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
Marla Frazee wrote and illustrated the first selection, A Couple of Boys Have The Best Week Ever. In this selection, Eamon and his friend, James, stay with his grandparents for a week while attending a nature camp. The boys don't really seem to enjoy camp much, but love the time they spend with Pam and Bill (the grandparents) at their beach cottage. They have a blast playing video games, sleeping on an air mattress, watching TV, and eating lots of Pam's good cooking--things all children enjoy about staying with their grandparents. Adults will enjoy reading this tongue-in-cheek tale as much as their children do.

A Couple of Boys Have The Best Week Ever is recommended for children in grades preschool through second. Harcourt published the book in 2008. Its suggested retail price is $16.00 (hardcover).

Dinotrux by Chris Gall
Chris Gall wrote and illustrated the second selection, Dinotrux. In this fantasy, we're told that "Millions of years ago prehistoric trucks roamed the earth." These trans-former like creatures were the ancestors of today's trucks. They were much nastier than today's trucks--they did not get along with each other or with people. For example, the Craneosaurus was always sticking his neck where it didn't belong and the Tyrannosaurus Trux was the "bully of the jungle". Fortunately, a storm helped the smarter ones evolve into today's modern, more helpful vehicles.

Dinotrux is recommended for children in preschool through first grade. Published by Little, Brown and Company in 2009, the book sells for a suggested retail price of $16.99 (hardcover).

Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
Zachary Pullen wrote and illustrated the final selection, Friday My Radio Flyer Flew. In this book, a young boy finds his dad's old red Radio Flyer wagon in the attic one Saturday. Soon, the boy dreams of making the wagon fly. So, for the coming week, he tinkers with it and by Friday, he is ready to take it for a "test drive." This story is a celebration of both imagination and fathers and sons.

Friday My Radio Flyer Flew is recommended for children in preschool through second grade. Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers in 2008, the book sells for a suggested retail price of $16.99 (hardcover).