Breaking Free from the Gendered Book List
The following suggestions are designed to get gatekeepers — parents, teachers, and librarians — to expand their thinking about the books they introduce to kids:
- Ask questions about dialogue and action, rather than the characters’ gender
- Focus on genre and setting
- Seek titles related to the child’s special interests
Gender stereotyping restricts a person’s full potential. If readers believe they can only read ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ books, then they miss out not only on great pieces of literature, and learning, but they continue to believe and live by the gender myth on what defines male and female. (YALSA The Hub)
