'Gender Issues' in Children's Writing??

Congratulations on the publication. Very exciting. I'll look out for it. My daughter is four and loves books. I'm not sure she has any preference for lead characters being boys or girls. I think she identifies with the girls but asks more questions about the boys. My son is almost two and is getting into books but generally those with trains or dinosaurs in at the moment. He's not bothered about plot. I guess the convention is that it's harder to get boys to read unless there's a dinosaur or something involved. But maybe a bouncing dinosaur (called Daisy?) would alienate girls...? Don't know if that helps any, but it's an interesting question. It sounds better to me with a little girl bouncing but I'm over thirty years outside your target age group so what do I know?

Girl protagonists are really at a disadvantage when getting as many readers as possible. Humans: Girls will read books with boy or girl main characters because they don't see things as girly or boyish. Boys, however, see books with girls as the main character as girlish, so they're reluctant to read them. Animals: Girls will again read boy or girl animal books. Boys are unlikely to read books with a female animal as the main character, but they might. Hope this helped. Good luck and congratulations!

I'd say keep the girl. Of course it may be safer to take the publisher's advice, trusting they know the business; but looking at the 'Daisy' posted on here, which is lovely, changing to an animal or mythical creature would mean some restructuring which might well alter the whole character of the book. After years of dealing with children in that age group I don't think they are that bothered about plot or gender but are generally attracted by the illustrations. Parents and nurseries will do the actual purchasing and reading anyway. Perhaps you should try writing a companion book 'Jimmy loves to Jump'! Many congratulations. Linda

If your book appeals to a wider audience and they sell more books that way, wouldn't that mean more money for you in the long run?

Is it clown-fish that can change gender? you should write about a boy clown-fish and then have him change gender mid-way through once you've got the audience hooked. That's my tip - spend your millions wisely. Good luck with the book, whatever happens to the boy/girl/possum issue. PS - bouncing is a nice gender neutral activity - boys like to bounce - so you should be okay

I think switching genders would confuse children. They barely know the difference between boys and girls.

Brilliant news that it's being published, Hannah. For what it's worth, I think it's a commercial call but one that can also open up the market for more children to enjoy and relate to the book. There are 51 girls to every 49 boys so making it more boy-friendly invites loads more readers on board. That said, it's not an easy balance to make, and girls are much more likely to want to have a picture book bought for them than boys. That's just the way it is. I've stopped trying to tell parents that boys enjoy stories about girls. It can go in one ear and out the other, but there are also many many parents who encourage their children to read all sorts of books regardless of gender. When I say that 'we only get sexist when we grow up', this is usually met with a laugh and agreement. Girls enjoy Superman but certainly not half as much as boys, but boys, for some reason, feel that it's girly to read. I'd like to think that boys' reading will improve in time. They do prefer dinosaurs, trains, cars and pirates, while girls are drawn to princesses, animals, fairy tales and bright colours. I'd try to take on board what your publisher says. Remember that they're on your side, and that they like books that are easy to sell to an entire age-group, ie. girls and boys, but don't lose sight of the inspiration that made this book possible. It's a book about a girl who loves to bounce, and boys love to bounce too. The title might draw boys away a bit but that's to be expected (if a girl was offered a choice of books, one about a lost cat and the other about pirates, I think we all know which one the average girl would want to look at). There is a gender issue going on (mass societal judgementalism fed on religion, creed, colour, class and all the other things we're supposed to have moved on from) and it's horrific to think that the average child can access abuse and porn that shows girls and women being thrown around like ragdolls on the net with the click of a button. That's all down to the government, who seem to be happy enough to let it go on. Parents can certainly be excused for not loosening up and letting their children ride bikes into town and countryside as was the case in my day. The hysteria the media causes (to sell more ads) is the major contributing factor to our constant fear in general, and there are apparently more cases of sexual abuse amongst children than at any other time before (although these figures may be distorted now they're being taken more seriously, which is a plus) but this is quite worrying. hen children can watch abuse on the net, what are the most vulnerable's chances of an even view thereafter? Beasts like the killer of April Jones are on the telly every day. On another note closer to publishing children's books, I publish my own and my second one's about three months away from completion. Coincidentally, I replaced a girl as the lead character's rescuer with a boy (who even goes to dance-class) for two reasons; one, commercial, and two, it felt aesthetically pleasing. People aren't stupid, though, so one has to be careful that the balance is right and that it doesn't seem like a forced thing to claw at increased potential readership. The idea that a boy goes to dance-class and can befriend a girl doesn't seem too strange to me, but I'll have to wait and see what the reaction is. The world is a very box-like place these days, with category and classification ruling over form and content. My books are presented as picture books so their format requires a 3-5 years bracketing, but my stories are over 1000 words, which then puts it in the 5-9 bracket. Personally, I don't see why a child of 4 can't read (or be read to) a book of 1000 words or more. I've read my 'Of Course You Can Meet The Queen' story (1800 words) to over 4000 children in the last year, in classes of around 30 kids ranging from 2 and three-quarters to eleven years, and they all sit tight and listen to the story carefully. Pre-school children are helped along by the visual aid of pictures on a screen but they still enjoy the story immensely. Incidentally, my Queen story is all about a girl whose dream is to meet the Queen, but when I sign copies after school, boys want to have a copy too, so there's hope for the gender issue yet.

A very interesting thread.

My youngest is Hyperlexic and read fluently and with enthusiasm from the age of twenty months. His interest in reading wide and varied fiction and poetry tailed off around the age of eleven, possibly due to the strictures of needing to reprise, précis or de-construct text for education. Quite simply, it stole enjoyment of immersing himself in the tale. Surprisingly, the trilogy that brought him back with vigour has been The Hunger Games. The lead is most definitely female, but a strong character and more importantly, a good read from his viewpoint. To my delight he has followed this up with Zephaniah's Refugee Boy, is starting to express himself in poetry and apparently enjoys reading for reading's sake again. So, gender shouldn't matter, good ripping yarns do. :) x

My youngest is Hyperlexic and read fluently and with enthusiasm from the age of twenty months. His interest in reading wide and varied fiction and poetry tailed off around the age of eleven, possibly due to the strictures of needing to reprise, précis or de-construct text for education. Quite simply, it stole enjoyment of immersing himself in the tale. Surprisingly, the trilogy that brought him back with vigour has been The Hunger Games. The lead is most definitely female, but a strong character and more importantly, a good read from his viewpoint. To my delight he has followed this up with Zephaniah's Refugee Boy, is starting to express himself in poetry and apparently enjoys reading for reading's sake again. So, gender shouldn't matter, good ripping yarns do. :) x