Gendered Book Lists: What If The First Manosphere Is A Bookshelf

“Boy or girl?” sounds like a helpful question in a bookshop, but it can be the start of a much bigger problem. After watching Inside the Manosphere, I couldn’t stop thinking about where boys first learn the idea that empathy is weakness and softness is shameful. Long before algorithms and influencers, those messages show up in less obvious places: toy aisles, classrooms, and the way we sort children’s books into pink shelves and “poop and fart jokes” shelves.

In today's episode, I dig into the gender divide in children’s books and why it isn’t just a quirky marketing trend. We talk about how publishing and retail use gendered marketing to maximise profit, why “books for boys” lists can narrow a child’s identity, and how self-censorship keeps kids from trying stories they’d genuinely love. I also unpack what research actually suggests about average differences, neuroplasticity, and socialisation, plus why the phrase “that’s so girly” carries such a heavy insult.

And the best part, I get practical with book recommendations that cut straight through the stereotypes, from classics to middle grade series and graphic novels, and I share simple ways to talk about themes instead of gender. If you’re a parent, teacher, librarian, or caregiver who wants inclusive children’s literature, healthier masculinity, and stronger reading habits for boys and girls alike, this one is for you.

Subscribe for more bookish conversations, share this with a fellow parent or educator, and leave a review if it sparks a rethink of your own bookshelf. What “wrong gender” book did you secretly love as a kid?

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder. 

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill. 

Transcript

Scary Shows And A Bigger Question

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I recently watched two shows that are way more scary than any horror show you will ever encounter. The first one, the movie Adolescence, and now the documentary called Inside the Manosphere. Both these speak to a dark and way too accessible part of the internet where boys and men are being told over and over and over again that empathy is weakness and masculinity means dominance. To say that it's extremely unsettling is an understatement. But what if one of the most powerful messages boys receive about themselves and about masculinity isn't actually coming from the internet? What if it starts way earlier than that? Earlier than social media, earlier even than high school? What if it starts in our homes? What if it starts on our bookshelves? Every single time a child hears that a story is quote unquote for boys or for girls, we're not just organizing books on a shelf. We are teaching children who they're allowed to be. And obviously, I'm talking about books. I had already recorded an episode all about the gender divide in children's books, but I actually parked it for a later date. But after watching this docky, I realized that I can't wait to publish this episode. There is more urgency than ever to rewrite some archaic ideas that we all have about kids and especially about kids lit. In Inside the Manosphere, journalist Louis Thoreau investigates a growing online movement of influencers who are teaching young men what it supposedly means to be a quote-unquote real man. One of the most striking things about the Manosphere movement is the way it frames masculinity. In these spaces, young men are often told that being emotional is weakness, that empathy is feminine, that kindness is soft, that vulnerability is shameful. And anything associated with girls, well, that's something to avoid. And here is the question I am asking myself. Where do these ideas start? By the time boys encounter those messages online, many of them have already been hearing a version of the same thing for years and years. Don't cry, that's for girls. Boys don't play with those toys, boys don't have pink lunchboxes, boys don't read books like that. Long before algorithms start feeding boys videos about masculinity and telling girls what they are allowed to think, we've already been teaching children which stories they're allowed to love. Today's episode is about the gender divide in children's books and why that divide might be far more harmful than we realize. Alright, picture this. You walk into a bookstore. On the left, a pink shelf with sparkly covers, unicorns, friendship, Tyres, you name it. On the right, darker tones, explosions, monsters, poop jokes. You ask the sales rep for a book for a nine-year-old. Boy or girl, they ask. Welcome to the gender divide of children's books. But is that division real or is it manufactured? So I usually keep things pretty cozy on this podcast, as you know, but I also believe in keeping it real, especially when it comes to parenting in today's world. So today we're digging into the big one. Why are children's books so heavily gendered? And what is that actually doing to our kids? Polarizing? Maybe. Important to chat about? Absolutely. I will often find book lists that will say something along the lines of books for boys or books for girls, and it always makes me furrow my brows in anger. As a parent, we want our kids to be exposed to the best in literature regardless of what their biological sex is. And yes, it irks me somewhat when I see these lists because I feel that I have to work extra hard to look for the truly great books. And you can bet that I am looking at all the lists, whether someone says it's for boys or for girls. As a mom of two boys, if I stuck to the boy lists, my kids would have missed out on Mussi Watson, The Little Miss Series, Anne of Green Gables, The Vanderbeekers, Ivy and Bean, and I can go on and on and on. These are all absolute gems. These stories aren't just for girls, they're for readers. Full stop. Thanks to outdated stereotypes and slick marketing. Many kids and adults think certain stories, certain styles, and even certain emotions don't belong to them. Yes, we have entered Bizarro Land. So let's ruffle some feathers. You might be tempted to turn off the show, but trust me, like everything I post about reading, this episode is backed by the best research. Not just a cursory Google search, not just reading one or two scientific papers. Because I want to give you the best knowledge at my fingertips. I've scoured the literature to get my head around this topic for myself, for my kids, and I just want to share this with you so that you can make the best decisions for your family. The first thing I have to point out is that this idea of for boys and for girls when it comes to toys, and especially when it comes to literature, is a social construct, not a biological necessity. And that social construct has been driven by extremely clever marketing. And that alone. Don't believe me, you can read tons about this with a cursory Google search. But forget that. Just go onto any shopping app. Look for a simple kids item, laptop cover, kids ATM, kids toy phone, kids fluffy toy, anything. Something that you could buy for a girl or a boy. You will quickly see that depending on whether you choose pink or blue, the prices are different. Try it. Try it right now on your Take A Lotto Amazon app and you'll see. The first point it's all about profits. Historically, publishing, toy, and even clothing industries have used gender as a marketing shortcut to sell more products by targeting narrower audiences. Pink princesses for girls, action and adventure for boys, tutos for girls, while boys get your standard denim shorts fare. In a nutshell, narrower audience equals more profit. Any marketing course will tell you this. So when you are browsing in a bookstore looking for a birthday present or a book to buy for a boy or a girl, and when you see something like stories for seven-year-old boys, you think this must be good. It's specific and it takes the stress out of finding that good book for the seven-year-old boy you know. Right? Wrong? I have read so many of these such books, and one specific one, exactly called Stories for Seven-year-old boys, is 100% simply a collation of chapters or parts of books from other books. And also not always gendered books. And worse, oftentimes it's almost a reader's digest version of the story. And why do publishers do this? Throw a few stories together in a slapdash manner with little to no thought? Simple, for profits. So why should we care, right? Why should I be bothered if it's making decision making in a store that's filled with books easier? Well, this strategy has led to some really damaging ideas related to books and reading, like gender stereotypes being reinforced. Example, girls are emotional and relational, boys are active and competitive. It's resulted in limited exposure to different genres and themes for all kids. A boy might love a heartfelt story about friendship, but might not pick it up if it's pink and glittery. And also self-censorship, where children feel that they shouldn't read certain books because they're for a different gender. Worse still, and extremely problematic, all these forced divisions perpetuate toxic masculinity and outdated patriarchal ideas that have been shown time and time again to be harmful to creativity and inclusivity. No matter what you think about gender stereotypes or what you think about gender at all, and even if you are someone who buys into that Andrew Tate stuff, you have to admit that what you have grown up to believe as being for boys and for girls has always been cooked up by clever propagandists who want to maximize profits. Even the influencers in the manosphere, I'm saying influences, and in my mind I'm putting in quotation marks because really. So even these influencers in the manosphere, the ones selling this idea of how to be male, the ones rising to the top because of their jump scare antics that the social media algorithms seem to love, all of these guys have an upsell. They are not selling ideology to change society for what they think is better. It is not at all mission-driven. It is 100% profit-driven. The Andrew Tates of the world all have crappy products that they want you to purchase. Dubious online courses about how to suppress women and become successful, like they supposedly are. How to be a pump, yes, this is 100% factual. Questionable crypto projects, more dubious FX trading platforms, it's all so strange. Why are they doing it? To promote a mindset or change a society? No. It's for profits, just like all the marketing about what is for boys and what is for girls. So are there actual scientific differences in interests between boys and girls? What does the research actually show us? Sure, there are some average psychological and developmental differences between boys and girls, but these are statistical trends, not absolutes, and so many of them have already been disproven. So here are some of these statistical trends. Number one, language and verbal development. On average, girls tend to develop language skills slightly earlier and may perform better in early verbal tasks. Number two, visual spatial skills. Boys have shown to, on average, score slightly higher on spatial reasoning tasks, example, like things like mental rotation. Number three, play patterns. Boys may gravitate toward more physical or system-based play, example, building, while girls might engage in more relational or pretend play scenarios. But if the studies are focused on the littlest kids, there's actually no difference at all. Why? Because as early as three and four and five years old, social constructs already start to mess with our kids. When our three-year-old boy asks for mom's makeup or to wear a tutu, we say, that's not for boys, or that's only for girls. And that little boy starts to think that certain clothes are wrong. When your girl child wants to play with monster trucks, we call her a tomboy and laugh it off as a temporary cute thing. Crazy, right? It's just clothes and it's just toys. But we have been saying these nutty things for so long that even we believe in it. And number four, empathy versus systemizing. Some studies suggest girls show higher empathy and boys show more interest in systems. But this is super highly contested and not at all clear-cut. I have one extremely sensitive boy who plays rugby and loves killing things in Fortnite, but movies are emotionally draining because he has such high empathy for all the characters, human or otherwise. You know, those labels like this series is for boy or this book is perfect for girls, it might sound harmless at first. But we have to unpack why this idea might be outdated and even limiting for all our young readers. When we dig deeper, we realize how much weight this carries. They shape how our kids see themselves, how they see others, and even what they believe is possible for their own futures. The science tells us again and again that neuroplasticity and socialization are deeply influential. In other words, many of the so-called natural preferences aren't so natural at all. They're shaped powerfully by environment, by culture, and by exposure. Take reading preferences, for example. When we strip away gendered expectations, what we see is that kids enjoy a much broader range of stories than we give them credit for. Girls love action, adventure, and science fiction. Boys, boys often gravitate towards stories with emotion, relationships, and tenderness when they're given the chance, the opportunity to do so. I've seen this firsthand in my own home. We've never bought into the idea that pink is for girls, and one of my sons absolutely adores the colour. And why shouldn't he? It's just a colour, it's not a character trait. But colours, clothes, books, toys, they all come bundled with a message. And sometimes that message is unbelievably limiting. So let's talk about that infamous phase. That's so girly. How many times have you heard that's so girly used as an insult? And what's the implication? That to be a girl is to be less somewhat? When a child comes home and tells me someone said that the book that they love or the way they dressed or the toy that they chose is for girls, I don't just hear teasing. I hear the echo of a culture that still links femininity with inferiority. And here's the fallout. Generations of boys raised to believe that emotions are weakness, that softness is shameful, and that to cry is to betray your gender. One of the most interesting things highlighted in the documentary Inside the Manosphere is how these online spaces teach boys that anything associated with girls, emotions, kindness, vulnerability is something to reject. Sound familiar? Because that messaging actually starts much earlier than TikTok or YouTube. It starts in toy aisles, it starts in classrooms, and yes, it starts on bookshelves. And it's not just a feeling. The statistics around male mental health, violence, and suicide, they're heartbreaking. And they're rooted in this very issue. We tell boys to man up, to suppress their emotions, and then we're shocked when they struggle to connect, to communicate, to cope. Just in the last six months, I have heard of eight separate incidents of boy children, ages ranged from eight to seventeen, that have attempted suicide. This culture of manning up is leaving our precious boys in positions that are so vulnerable for all the negative thoughts and feelings to take hold because God forbid they allow themselves to be human. So no, pink is not just for girls. Historically, it wasn't even a feminine color. It has symbolized everything from holiness with purity, with Jesus and nature to aristocracy and even violence during World War II. Its associations have changed across centuries and cultures. The idea that it now belongs exclusively to one gender, that's a recent and frankly absurd invention. And it doesn't stop at color. Makeup is not just for girls. Do the research and you'll see. Doors are not just for girls, nail polish is not just for girls, dresses and skirts, not inherently feminine. In fact, globally and historically, men have worn garments far more flamboyant than anything that you'd find in my closet today. When boys grow up hearing that anything feminine is inferior, that pink is embarrassing, that feelings are weakness, that stories about friendship are for girls, we are teaching them that same hierarchy that those online influences shout about. And the hierarchy goes like this masculine equals strong, feminine equals weak. And once that belief is planted early, it becomes very easy for someone online to say, see, women are inferior. And that's why this conversation about books matters far more than people realize. So here's where I stand. I'm not telling anyone how to parent. But as a mom of two boys, my job is not just to raise good kids, it's to raise good men, gentle men, who others feel safe around, who will lead with empathy, and who will have tools to express their full range of human emotion. One of my sons plays rugby and the violin. The other wears tutus, paints his nails, and raises monster trucks across the living room floor. They are both whole, they are both joyful, and in their softness lies an incredible strength. They will express who they are without shame and honor that same freedom in others. And that to me is the real goal. So let's challenge those lazy narratives. Let's think a little deeper about what we're teaching, whether we are teaching with words, whether we're teaching with our bookshelves, or even our reactions in the moment. And maybe, just maybe, we'll help raise a generation that's freer, kinder, and more emotionally whole than the last. I'm gonna take a little sip of my tea, and when I come back, we are going to talk about what this means for books. So when I see books for boys and books for girls, I definitely feel the bile rise up in my throats a little because one, gendered marketing narrows the field and tells kids what they should like instead of helping them discover what they actually enjoy. Two, a good book should connect with readers on a human level. Adventure, emotion, humor, mystery, growth. And those are all themes that are not inherently gendered. And three, children are diverse and interests vary more within genders than between them. Just in my own friend circle. If a boy shows a lack of interest in reading and books, it automatically gets labeled as, ah, you know how boys are. I just saw an Instagram post titled, Boys Don't Hate Reading, they just don't like being bored. Well, hello, girls don't like being bored too. I have so many girl friends who don't read. I know so many girl children that are in exactly the same boat. The sad reality is that these stereotypes that we perpetuate actually disadvantage both girls and boys. For boys, it is seen as expected and can't be helped. And for girls, well, they constantly get overlooked completely. It is taken for granted that they will do things like reading. So when that doesn't happen, no one really questions it because no one is willing to notice. And yep, this is the reality we live in. But you're here to break through those glass ceilings and to create a better reality for our children. One of the most sobering things about the documentary is how many of these young men say they were simply looking for guidance about what it means to be a man. They were lonely, confused, and searching for identity. And then the internet filled that gap. So as a mom of two boys, I have to ask myself, if we don't show up for our boys, if we don't show our boys healthier, kinder models of masculinity, who will? Books are one of the most powerful ways we can do that. Stories teach empathy, stories teach perspective, stories show boys that courage can look like kindness, vulnerability, loyalty, and compassion, not just domination. Let's get into everyone's favorite part of the show. The recommendations. Again, if a book is great, it'll be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender. So, first, let's start with books that you are very unlikely to find in any of the best books for boys list, but that are some of the most amazing stories you will ever read. If your kids have already formed a notion of, no, I'm not gonna read that. It's for boys or it's for girls, use that as a great teachable moment. Ask them why they think that. Is it because it depicts a girl on the cover? Is it because it's a book about family and relationships? Is it because it's a book full of battles or fart jokes? Dig deeper to ask them why they feel that way. Does it really make sense that a book is only written for girls because it sent us friendships to boys that have friends? Talk to them about the origins of colours and clothing and watch their minds be blown by this knowledge. Just to note that like with all my recommendations, I have read these books, my kids have read them, either by listening to me out loud, listening to it in audio, or even reading them by themselves. These are books that are well loved, tried and tested, and not some bulleted list that has come off a publisher's website or a Reddit thread. Most importantly, every single book here does not have a defined age group. Everyone can enjoy these stories, from babies to the elderly, and those are always the best books. So let's start with books that are often seen as for girls, but are just amazing stories that, when tried, will be loved by all. Let's start with the classics. Number one, Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Anne is often seen as books for girls because Anne is a female protagonist, and the series has emotional depth, poetic descriptions, and in the later books, romance. But Bookish Friends, Anne is a book that transcends. It transcends because it is a sharp, funny, fiercely imaginative coming-of-age story. All children can identify with Anne's misadventures, her curiosity, and her desire for belonging. The book is an ode to childhood in so many ways, and we are doing boys such a disservice if they don't get to experience this wondrous tale. It's a book for everyone. We have laughed and we have cried with Anne, and through Ellen Montgomery. Words, we are even able to see more beauty in the world around us. There's a whole podcast episode all about why reading classics matters, and you'll get to that one. The next one, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. How crazy, right, that this classic and brilliant tale is often gendered. You will unlikely find this book in any boy book list. Why? Female lead in a frilly dress. Laughable, right? But Alice transcends because it again is an ode to childhood, surreal logic, satire, imagination, and literary nonsense. And all of this is timeless for any curious mind, boy or girl, child or adult. And the last one of my classics is because of Win Dixie by Kate DeCamillo. This beautiful story about a lonely girl and a stray dog who changes her life is really about friendship, forgiveness, and community. Like so many of Kate DeCamill's books, it balances humor and tenderness in a way that resonates with readers of any age or gender. So why you won't find it on any boy book lists? Well, there's a female lead and a female author. Gosh forbid any boy enjoys a story like that. So when it comes to this author, whether it's the tale of Desperaux, Flora, and Ulysses, or the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane, DiCamello's stories explore courage, kindness, loneliness, and hope. Her characters may be mice or children, but the emotional journeys are deeply, deeply human, which is why readers of every gender connect so strongly with her work. Even boys, especially boys, when they're allowed to. So let's move on now to some series. Everyone loves a great series, but unfortunately, our boys are always only recommended Diary of a Wumpy Kid or some fantasy stories like Wings of Fire, and feel like that is the be-all and end all in literature for them. Let's start with The Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale. Why it's gendered? Well, there's Princess in the title, pink on the cover. Then heaven forbid we pick up a book that has pink on the cover. Why does it transcend? This book is jam-packed with ninja fights, monsters, secret identities, and it's hilarious. Boys love the story when the packaging barrier is broken and when they are allowed to open their minds to all the colors. Another one is Zoe and Sassafras by Asia Citro. It's gendered simply because of the female protagonist. Zoe and Sassafras is about a young girl and her cat that helped magical creatures like dragons, monsters, and wishy-poofs solve their medical dramas with science. I cannot count the number of times both my boys have read these since they were around six and four years old and still ask for these tales on the regular. It's also why they score highly in science in school. They have been exposed to science concepts through fun stories like this one. It transcends gender stereotyping because it combines STEM, magical creatures, and scientific inquiry, a great entry point for any curious kid. If you're looking for beautiful friendships and family stories, you have to read Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows. Wow, Ivy and Bean. Bookish friends, I wish you could get into my mind to experience what I experienced when I started reading this to my boys. I was nervous at first because I had never read it before, and it is on all the best books for girls lists. But the premise sounded so interesting that I tried it over supper with my boys. They were absolutely riveted from page one. So Ivy and Bean are neighbors who are like chalk and cheese. One's extroverted and boisterous, the other one is calm and introverted and inward looking. Why it's gendered? Two girl leads. It's often shelved under girl books. I've never seen it on any Books for Boys lists. And if that's how I chose books, my kids and I would have missed out on these brilliant stories. So why does Ivy and Bean transcend their strong personalities, hilarious misadventures, and complex friendships dynamics that any child can relate to. Let's move on now to our favorite book series as a family. If you ask my kids, both of them, they would tell you that the Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Jan Glaser is their number one go-to series. Why it's gendered? This is middle grade fiction about a family that lives in New York City. It's cozy, it's family focused, that's often labeled as sweet girl reads because obviously boys won't want to read relational family stories, right? But this book transcends. The ensemble cast with sibling dynamics, problem solving, and community resonates widely. It is brilliant on so many levels, and I've recommended this book to other families with boy children and girl children, and those kids have loved these tales too. The best part is that it appeals to all age groups. My kids have been listening since they were around five, and they are still listening. It's our go-to audiobooks. And lastly, and by no means least, Mercy Watson by Kate DeCamillo. Yes, I am mentioning Kate DeCamillo again because I truly cannot get enough of her, and it surprises me that there are so many kids who have not read any Kate DeCamillo. This is where it's at, listeners. So this beloved series called Mercy Watson, uh, it follows Mercy, which is a toast-loving pig who constantly causes hilarious trouble. The humor is big, the characters are unforgettable, and the storytelling is delightfully upside. Kids of every gender will love the slapstick comedy and heartwarming neighborhood adventures. Mercy Watson is just brilliant. So before you stress about writing all this down, I've created a list and added it to our show notes. But what about books that's often seen as for boys, that girl children won't sample because it's marketed as not being for them? Yes, because of these horrid gendered lists, girls are also missing out on fantastic stories. So here are books that I have seen in boy lists, but that I have read and recommended for girls, and they have loved them too. These are just universally loved stories. If you have a child that loves sleuths and spies and silly investigators, you have to try Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobel. Why it's gendered? It's marketed towards boys with the classic boy detective angle. The main character is a boy. So obviously the curators of these lists feel like these are boy books. So just like with the Nate the Great books, the Geronimo Stilton books, and the Mighty Robot books, male characters, so obviously girls can't read them. Bizarre, right? But why does this transcend? Fun logic puzzles, short mysteries, and brainy deduction that appeal to all kids who love solving things. Yes, girls and boys. And what about graphic novels? So these books are often marketed for boys because the statistics have shown that boys are reading less. So they're the hook to get boys into reading more. But does that mean that girls don't enjoy graphic novels? So my own reading journey, which I have mentioned on this podcast before, started with comic books because that is what I had available at home. I wasn't reading Disney Princess books or anything of that sort. I was reading Archie and Friends, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Little Devil, and Wendy the Witch. I was a girl who only read comic books for all of my formative years. So take that marketing, guys. So let's look at great graphic novels suitable for the whole family. There's the Investigators by John Patrick Green. Why is it gendered? Comic format plus goofy humor plus reptiles, often seen as, quote unquote, for boys. Why it transcends? It's genuinely clever. Pun-packed mysteries. Yes, I said pun-packed and not fun-packed because these books are just filled with clever wordplay. And this just has crossover appeal. It's great for reluctant readers, which can also refer to girls. Next up I've got Dog Man by Dave Pilke. Why is gendered? Toilet humor, action, and dogs in capes. Often seen as boyish, but why does it transcend? It's wildly, wildly creative. There's emotional arcs and there's themes of redemption. Kids of all kinds just eat it up. Let's move on to some universally appealing series that you will most likely see on Only for Boyless. Series like Warriors by Erin Hunter. So this is often found on your books for boysless because it's full of battles and rival clans and survival in the wild. But at its heart, Warriors is about loyalty, identity, friendship, and moral choices. The characters, okay, the book is actually just a book about cats that are warriors, anthropomorphized cats. And they all grapple with leadership, with belonging, and doing the right thing even when it's difficult. Themes that resonate deeply with readers of any gender. Next up, Wings of Fire. There's dragons, prophecy, and epic battles. And this might make the series look like a quote-unquote boy book. But Wings of Fire is really a character-driven story about friendship, about courage, about questioning the role society expects you to play with a diverse cast of dragon heroes, both male and female. The series explores empathy, justice, and bravery in ways that will captivate all kinds of readers. Currently, my husband and my nine-year-old are reading Wings of Fire separately, but both are equally riveted. And I've said this before, if a book can appeal to adults and children, then you know that it's a good book. Great books do not just appeal to girls, do not just appeal to boys, do not just appeal to kids, do not just appeal to adults. Great books are books that everyone enjoys. And lastly, Red Wall, a classic. With sword fights, feasts, and heroic quests. Red Wall is often shelved among classic adventure stories for boys. But the series is really about community and courage and standing up for what is right. It's filled with memorable characters and humor and rich, rich world building. It offers the kind of immersive story that any reader who loves adventure will fall into completely. I'm now gonna just mention a few books that have always been gender inclusive and they often get overlooked, but these are just such brilliant stories. So I'm just gonna mention them very, very quickly. Charlotte's Whip by A. B. White, Friendship, Mortality, and Wonder just told through the eyes of a girl and a pig. Wild Robot by Peter Brown, philosophical survival story about a robot protagonist, and Wonder by R.J. Palacio, a heartfelt story about kindness and empathy through multiple perspectives. What all these books remind us is something beautifully simple. Children don't actually care whether a story was written for boys or for girls. They care about adventure, about laughter, about friendship, about wonder. A great story speaks to the human experience, and that belongs to all of us. Right at the beginning of the podcast, I said that if a picture book meant for the littlest kids does not appeal to adults, then it is not a good picture book. Now I want to tell you that if a story is only for boys or only appeals to girls, it is not a good story. When we strip away the labels and the laziness of lists for boys and lists for girls, something wonderful happens. Stories open up. Suddenly dragons, detectives, friendships, quests, and magical adventures belong to everyone. And that is exactly how it should be. The truth is this, bookish friends. Stories were never meant to be divided by gender. They were meant to be shared. And the more we allow children to explore stories freely, the more they discover not just new worlds, but new parts of themselves. So what can we as parents, teachers, librarians, primary caregivers, or just book recommenders do? This is murky waters that we are swimming in, but we can all start somewhere. Number one, simply avoid saying this is a boy or a girl book. Instead, talk about the themes. This one's about friendship, this one's about a cool magical quest, or this is a mystery or a whodunit. Number two, model reading widely yourself. Let your kids see you enjoying all kinds of stories. Dad's reading Mercy Watson out loud, or the whole family listening to the Vanderbeekers in the car. Mom's enjoying Greek mythology and laughing out loud at the investigators. Let curiosity lead. If your daughter picks up a book about dinosaurs, awesome. If your son wants a story about a fairy detective, amazing. When you dig deeper, what is the harm in that? And lastly, challenge publishers. Ask for inclusive covers and descriptions that celebrate story over stereotype. Bookish friends. A good book doesn't ask whether you're a boy or a girl before it lets you in. It simply opens the door and says, come in, there's a story waiting for you. I hope to see you back here at Details and Tomes next time for more bookish wonder.