Books for Boys

Mums of boys will know how difficult it can be to engage them in reading. My two love books but they have definite likes and dislikes when it comes to subject matter. As my eldest, now aged 7, has progressed through school I've been frustrated by the limited nature of the books he's brought home, which often seem very geared to female readers. He's not so much a reluctant reader as a lazy reader and we've had to work hard to bring him up to speed, something I don't think has been helped by the - frankly - often boring nature of his school reading books.

So, at home we've followed a policy of letting him read whatever takes his fancy (within reason of course!). He definitely veers towards non-fiction and loves a comic-book format, something that other mums I've spoken to say is true of their boys too. Below are some of my recommendations for books for boys, suitable for early readers or to share together:

• An atlas - our two love looking at maps. A good children's atlas seems to really engage them, but you've got to choose something with lots of illustrations and short, snappy text. We gave our eldest the DK Pop-up, Pull-Out Picture atlas as a starting school present. When he wanted something a little more comprehensive, we moved onto the Kingfisher World Atlas.
• Tin Tin- since the age of about 6 1/2 plus our son has been a Tin Tin obsessive. Yes, some of the language is a little outdated and some kids might not get on with the format, but if you fancy trying something a bit different, give these a go.
• Traction Man series - a hugely imaginative, humorous take on the action-hero genre. Short snippets of text are ideal for young readers, plus the detailed illustrations are packed with weird and wonderful characters.
• A book of poems, particularly anything by Michael Rosen. Mr Rosen 'gets' what makes boys giggle, and his poems are just the right length and a teensy bit rude - my son loves the poem entitled 'Properties of Matter' in his book Michael Rosen's Big Book of  Bad Things, which talks about freezing farts...it'll make you laugh too.
• I really think adults need to engage with their children's books too, and I'm sure if I can't abide a book it rubs off on the kids. I love anything to do with travel, plus I'm a sucker for retro-inspired illustration. Thankfully the boys share my enthusiasm so together we've enjoyed a fab series of books I really urge you to check out. M. Sasek's 'This Is...' series covers cities such as London, New York, Paris and Rome. They were first published back in the late '50s so some of the text is a little quaint, and some factual info is no longer accurate (this is made clear in the books' appendices) but they really are lovely books and the illustrations are just gorgeous.
• In the same vein, another great book for non-fiction lovers is Piero Ventura's Book of Cities. Again, it has a retro vibe with unusual pictures, packed with minute detail. It looks at the workings of the city - its buildings, transport, houses and green spaces.

I would also recommend visiting the children's section of the Tate bookshop. We were down at the Tate Gallery in St Ives and I found some really unusual books for kids here. There are some fab arty books as well as more general fiction and non-fiction, and they're just a bit different from what you get at the local Waterstones. You can buy a small selection of books - particularly good for younger kids - online.

Happy reading!