Girls Read | Guys Read: Videos and Education Resource Materials
At the heart of the NCBLA’s mission is our goal to encourage all young people across the United States—all boys and all girls—to become lifelong readers, proficient writers, and deft communicators. And though we aim to inspire our kids to read widely, we understand that many boys favor reading action-packed graphic novels and nonfiction, whereas many girls tend to enjoy more character-driven fiction. As adults who live and work with young people, how do we get our kids to read as much as possible, to try new books, and to hone their writing skills?
With these questions in mind, the NCBLA gathered two star-studded panels of authors and illustrators for young people in 2017 to dig deeply into these topics and to discuss and brainstorm ideas for encouraging all of our kids to become eager and proficient readers. Our two events—Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction and How to Get and Keep Boys Reading—presented diverse groups of book creators discussing their own work, as well as books by many other authors, in dynamic conversations regarding how authors, illustrators, and all adults who live and work with young people can create and empower life-long readers who choose to read beyond perceived gender barriers and their own comfort zones to ultimately explore an unlimited range of characters, experiences, plots, and topics.
We invite you to watch the event videos and hear what all of the participating authors and illustrators have to say about getting and keeping both girls and boys reading and reading widely. We also encourage you to browse our extensive, complementary education resources, which we hope will inspire you to share the literary and artistic work of all the participating authors and illustrators in your classroom, library, and home.
Event Descriptions and Speakers
• Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction
• How to Get and Keep Boys Reading
Watch the Event Videos
• Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction
• How to Get and Keep Boys Reading
Education Resource Materials
• Education Guides by Author and Illustrator
• Articles from the NCBLA
• Articles from Reading Rockets
• Graphic Novels and Comic Book Resources
• Blog Posts from Reading Rockets
• Video Interviews with Authors and Illustrators
Event Descriptions and Speakers
Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction
Acclaimed authors for young people KATHERINE PATERSON, RITA WILLIAMS-GARCIA, JEANNINE ATKINS, and HEATHER LANG and award-winning illustrator EKUA HOLMES gathered at An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe in Plainville, Massachusetts on May 4, 2017 for the NCBLA panel discussion Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction.
This panel discussion, created especially for teachers, librarians, and parents, was created to highlight the literary and artistic work of this extraordinary panel that is of special interest to girls and young women, work that celebrates heroines in fact and fiction. Discussion topics ranged from the characteristics of a heroine, to how authors choose what to write, to how to encourage boys and girls to read all kinds of books. Librarian Grace Worcester Greene moderated the discussion.
In photograph, left to right: Grace Worcester Greene, Jeannine Atkins, Heather Lang, Ekua Holmes, Katherine Paterson, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Photo by Richard Groth.
• To read more about each of the event participants, click here.
• To watch the event videos, click here.
How to Get and Keep Boys Reading
Renowned authors and illustrators for young people JACK GANTOS, JEFF KINNEY, JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA, JON SCIESZKA, and the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature GENE LUEN YANG gathered on Thursday, October 5, 2017 for How to Get and Keep Boys Reading.
Our lively panel of authors and illustrators, whose work is of special interest to boys, participated in an informative and entertaining discussion on how to get and keep boys reading. The panelists addressed a wide range of topics, including how to inspire boys to read and write, each author’s own sources of inspiration, the impact of visuals on books, and how to encourage life-long reading. Librarian and Children’s Literature expert Maria Salvadore moderated the discussion.
In photograph, left to right: Jon Scieszka, Gene Luen Yang, Maria Salvadore, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jeff Kinney, and Jack Gantos. Photograph by Richard Groth.
• To read more about each of the event participants, click here.
• To watch the event videos, click here.
Watch the Event Videos
The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance partnered with An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe and WETA Public Television/Reading Rockets to plan and orchestrate these two author events. The professionals at Reading Rockets filmed, edited, and published videos from both Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction and How to Get and Keep Boys Reading. Both event videos have been conveniently separated into thematic segments. Please check out all the video links below!
Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction
The event videos are available to watch here on the Reading Rockets website. The Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction video is separated into four parts based on key topics discussed:
- What Is a Heroine?
- “Girls Books” for Boys
- Reading and Writing About Girls (and sometimes, boys)
- Audience Q & A
How to Get and Keep Boys Reading
The How to Get and Keep Boys Reading event video is separated into six parts. You can watch from the beginning on the Reading Rockets website here. Or, choose which individual segments to watch from the following list:
- Boys Read, Boys Write
- Reading the Pictures
- Screens, Books, and Reading
- Get Kids Reading: Tips from the Authors
- Confessions: Worst Things I Ever Did as a Kid
- Audience Q & A
Education Resource Materials
The following education guides, articles, blog posts, and videos expand and complement the content of both the Celebrating Heroines in Fact and Fiction and How to Get and Keep Boys Reading event videos.
Education Resource Guides by Author and Illustrator
The following education resource guides include discussion questions and activities for use in your classroom, library, or home. Guides are listed in alphabetical order by each author’s and illustrator’s last name. We encourage you to print these guides and store them in binders for quick access. Each NCBLA education guide is formatted to be easily printed double sided.
- Author Jeannine Atkins
Education Resource Guide for Atkins’ nonfiction book Finding Wonder: Three Girls Who Changed Science, including discussion questions, science activities, and art exploration exercises.
- Author Jack Gantos
Education Resource Guide for Gantos’ Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories, including discussion questions, writing exercises, and general writing education tips.
- Illustrator Ekua Holmes
Discussion Guide and Teachers’ Guide (complete with Common Core Connections) for Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer created by Candlewick Press.
- Author and Illustrator Jeff Kinney
Education Resource Guide for Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, which includes discussion questions, interdisciplinary activities regarding topics relevant to the book (the Spanish language, state fairs, and heat expansion), a list of books for further reading, and other resources regarding graphic novels.
- Author and Illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Education Resource Guide for Krosoczka’s Star Wars Jedi Academy: A New Class, which includes discussion questions, classroom activities, and links to online resources regarding graphic novels and comic books.
- Author Heather Lang
Classroom discussion and activity guides for Lang’s books: Swimming with Sharks, Fearless Flyer, Queen of the Track, and The Original Cowgirl.
- Author Katherine Paterson
Education Resource Guide for Katherine Paterson featuring materials regarding The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Same Stuff as Stars.
- Author Jon Scieszka
Education Resource Guide for Scieszka’s Knucklehead, including discussion questions, writing exercises, and general writing education tips.
- Author Rita Williams-Garcia
Education Resource Guide for Williams-Garcia’s novel P.S. Be Eleven, which includes discussion questions, interdisciplinary activities regarding topics relevant to the book (Motown, Vietnam War, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy), and a list of books for further reading.
- Author and Illustrator Gene Luen Yang
Education Resource Guide for Yang’s Secret Coders graphic novel series, including discussion questions, a reading activity, cartooning activity, cartoon lesson plans, and graphic novel booklists.
Articles from the NCBLA
- Set the Stage for Great Writing
- Create a Language-Rich Environment for Your Students
- Motivate Your Students to Write
- Creating a Home Atmosphere that Supports Great Writing
- Helping Your Teens and Tweens Edit Their Writing
- Bibliography of Children’s Books About Strong Girls and Women
Check out this extensive bibliography of picture books, fiction, nonfiction, and websites featuring strong female characters compiled by librarian Grace Worcester Greene and the Celebrating Heroines panel of participating children’s book creators.
Articles from Reading Rockets
- Hooking Struggling Readers: Using Books They Can and Want to Read
- Reading Motivation: What the Research Says
- Graphic Novels for Young Kids
- Graphic Novels for Kids: Classroom Ideas, Booklists, and More
- Boys and Books
- Kwame Alexander: A Metaphor for Life
- Amazing Women Booklist
- Inspiring, Imaginative Women Booklist
- Then and Now: Interesting Girls and Women in Fact and Fiction
- Nonfiction Books for Kids
Blog Posts from Reading Rockets
- What Do Boys Read?
- Boys and Books
- Giving Boys a Love of Reading
- Meet the Middle-Aged Asian Guy Book Club!
- Jason Reynolds: The Beauty of Words Is Magic
Graphic Novels and Comic Book Resources
Graphic novels and comic books can appeal to even the most reluctant reader. Visit our Graphic Novels and Comic Book Resources page to discover a treasure trove of resources—articles, websites, and booklists—to help you make the most of graphic novels and comic books in the classroom, library, and at home.
Video Interviews
Be sure to watch the following selection of video interviews with many of the event participants and share them with the young people in your life.
Jack Gantos on AdLit.org and on Reading Rockets- Ekua Holmes on vimeo, regarding her work as a collage artist
- Jeff Kinney on Reading Rockets
- Jarrett J. Krosoczka on Reading Rockets
- Katherine Paterson on Reading Rockets
- Jon Scieszka on Reading Rockets
- Rita Williams-Garcia on Reading Rockets
- Gene Luen Yang on Reading Rockets
- Jeff Kinney and Gene Luen Yang: “The Wimpy Kid Meets the National Ambassador” on Reading Rockets
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Two National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature, Sitting and Chatting on Reading Rockets
American-born Chinese Gene Luen Yang sits down with Chinese-born American Katherine Paterson to talk about the books that most influenced them as readers and writers. Paterson—the child of Christian missionaries—spent her early years in Huai’an and Shanghai. Her first language was Chinese, but the books that she remembers most vividly from her childhood were the works of British writers such as A.A. Milne and Robert Louis Stevenson.
The Girls Read | Guys Read logo was created by Christopher Eddins.