to believe that books for under 5's are, on the whole, girlcentric?

[mrsruffallo]

Have a look in the library. Almost every main charcter is a girl. I can name loads without even thinking about it; Olivia, Blue Kangaroo, Emily Brown....
Where are the role models for boys? b

Excuse typos

Alfie is a boy. Bit rusty on this as mine are older.

My dd was very smitten with Flat Stanley and Not Now Bernard. And I doubt The Little Blue Tractor was written with girls in mind.

I read to my nephew all the time, mostly boy characters. Let me think.

Harry and the Bucket of Dinosaurs

Where the Wild Things Are

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

I'll come back if I can think of more!

Oh, I spent hours reading that 'Dig Dig Digger' book, and:
Hug
Duck in a Truck
Mucky Duck
Little Red Train
Percy Parkkeeper
but I see your point - clearly animals and heavy plant are role models of boys!

Mine used to really like 'The Bear Under the Stairs.'

That has a boy as the main character.

This has made me feel really sad. I wish mine were really little still.

The Shrinking of Treehorn - best kids book ever!

Bob the Builder

Thomas the Tank Engine etc

Do you mean that there are no boy characters or that the books are aimed at girls?

Alfie, Not Now Bernhard, Percy the Park Keeper?

DS's favourite book at the moment is Quentin Blake's 'Simpkin'. Great illustrations.

Lost and Found
The Way Back Home
The Emperor of Absurdia

Hmmm, I'm interested but not convinced- will have a look next time I'm in the library.
I can think of a lot more animals than human main characters though, so not always immediately clear what gender- Little Nutbrown Hare is male but could just as easily be female.

I see what you mean.

My DS was/is animal obsessed, so on the whole he was happy with animal protaganists - but he did like:

Jack in a Box
Where the Wild Things are
The Night Pirates
some of Harry & his bucket full of dinosaurs
We're going on a bear hunt
Mr Gumpy

Dogger - central character is a boy
Where's my Teddy (several of these now, Eddie is hero)
Charlie & Lola (Lauren Child sees Charlie as being central)
This is the Bear...(Boy & his bear)
Ten out of Bed (Boy & his toys)
Harry (and his dinosaurs)
Horrid HEnry (Yes there is a picture book version)
Charlie Cook's Favourite Book

These are off the top of my head. I think it's pretty equal actually.

Lots of books are not about boys or girls. We liked Ecobabies and pretty much anything with a rabbit in it (whether male or female). Peter and Benjamin it is true do seem to have a more fun time than Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.

Iggy peck architect
leo the late bloomer
Anansi the spider

I have boys and I have never found that.

Umm, most of ours are Boy characters/animals though DS1 went through an Angellina Ballerina phase.
Have had no problem finding books that will excite and engage my boys, truly. I have never really been bothered whether the lead character was male or female though to be honest and neither have my boys.

Oh yes Lionstar How could I have forgotten 'Lost & Found'?

Also,
Mr. Magnolia (Quentin Blake)
The Teddy Robber (Main character Tom)
George & the Dragon
Bringing the rain to Kapiti Plain
Beware of the Storybook Wolves

Am mentally going through my DC bookshelves (2xDS 1xDD)

YABU.
Thomas the tank, bob the builder, how to catch a star, the incredible booke eating boy, the great paper caper, daddy on the moon, harry and dinasaurs, stick man, harry potter....there are millions of books for small boys with central boy characters.
Look harder.

But lots of bears , farmers, park keepers etc but actual boy characters who are boys in the same way as Olivia et al
There are some exceptions here- we love Night Pirates and lost and found, for example
Just seemed different with my daughter, lots of books about clever, sassy girls- animals and dinosaurs do not count

Harry and his dinosaurs- only the first one is worth reading isn't it?

I must check out shrinking of treehorn, I don't know that one

Can't abide Horrid Henry for either sex!

I don't need to look harder thanks
We have loads of books, bought and from the library
I don't think you understand. Surely sticks and trains are neither sex?

Stick man is quite clearly a man, with his stick lady wife and his stick children three!
It makes my eldest boy cry though as hes so sad for the stick children who are missing their daddy!

We have tons of books where the character is a boy.

How to catch a star
Penguin
Harry and .... (I love these books)
The one with the bear where he breaks his Mom's bowl

Gawd, there are loads

Most of them have my boys names as the main character

To be honest, I couldn't think of any girl protagonists, perhaps because I have 2 boys, I don't know....