Author Jon Scieszka taught elementary school for 10 years. During that time, he learned a valuable lesson: Too many boys struggle with reading. So he wrote The Stinky Cheese Man, The Time Warp Trio series and other books that he thought would appeal to boys who otherwise don't like to read. Part of what's missing for boys, Scieszka told TFK, "is that motivation to want to be readers."
The U.S. Department of Education's reading tests show boys scoring lower than girls in every age group every year for the last 30 years. Scieszka thinks the low scores have to do with different learning styles and interests. "It's not to say that boys are worse at reading," he says. "They just need things structured differently."
In general, boys are more likely than girls to read how-to manuals, comic books and sports news instead of fiction. Nonfiction articles and humor pieces are not always seen as acceptable book-club material. "We have to expand what we call reading," Scieszka says.
Scieszka recently started a nonprofit literacy effort called Guys Read that aims to connect boys with books they will enjoy. It includes a website, Guysread.com, and a new book, Guys Write for Guys Read.
The book is a collection of illustrations and essays created by--you guessed it--guys. Scieszka edited the book, which comes out in May. Contributors include the authors Gary Paulsen and Daniel Handler, as well as the artists Matt Groening and Mo Willems. They share their own important, funny or embarrassing experiences as guys.
Scieszka says he chose only male contributors because they could serve as role models: "I thought the boys could see themselves in all these different guys."