Reading for Boys

It is well documented that boys are generally less inclined to read than girls, preferring more active pleasures such as cycling, kicking a ball and running around for entertainment. For many boys reading is an obstacle to academic success. In addition to the fact that many boys find it harder to learn to read, they are also lacking in motivation to do so. For many boys who are struggling to read as they move up through their primary years, they are provided with books that have a story which is too young for them, aimed at early readers and therefore not sustaining their interest.

Research suggests that boys who are offered reading material that they enjoy, are more likely to be hooked into the world of reading and want to do it more. Boys want to lose themselves in the imaginary world of superheroes, space and adventure. Encouraging boys to read books about these subjects will inevitably lead them to want to find more of the same, developing their literacy skills whilst providing pleasure.

Jonnie Rocket books – early reading for boys

Children love to read stories that they can relate to; a character they can empathise with. Which boy hasn’t ridden his bicycle and allowed his imagination to take him on an adventure? Jonnie Rocket is a young boy who loves being outside and who heads off on exciting space adventures.

Children who are finding reading a challenge love the comic strip presentation of Jonnie Rocket. The joy of comic strip stories is that children are able to ‘read’ the story by using the pictures alone. One of the earliest literacy skills is to be able to tell the story in a book from the pictures. Picture books allow children to create meaning from the pictures, interpreting them by creating their own story to go with the illustrations, thus developing their imaginative literacy even further. Children then progress to relying on the pictures to assist in the decoding of the words, before they are then able to move onto books with fewer pictorial guides.

Being able to pick up a book and read it independently is an enormous boost to any child and with this in mind, Jonnie Rocket is perfect reading material.

Jonnie Rocket encourages every child to have self-belief