Anyone seen the new RedHouse brochure?

[IAmRubyLennox]

You know, these people.

Double page thing devoted to 'Brilliant books for boys' (blue background, text box saying how difficult it is to drag boys away from their footballs and computer games and, heavens, make them read a book), which includes titles such as 'Fantastic Mr Fox' and ''Magicalamity'.

Opposite page (would it surprise you to learn that it's a pink background?) has the headline 'Perfect for little princesses', and includes Silver Dolphin books, something about a kitten and something about a princess.

They do concede (in small print) that girls might like the 'boys' books too.

Actually, they say "Packed with humour, action and adventure, they'll be popular with confident readers (and girls) too!" I've decided to put this unfortunate juxtaposition down as poor copy-writing, rather than any implication that being a confident reader and being a girl are mutually exclusive!

I was going to email them to complain, but my DD has already composed a letter to them .

and do they also say in small print that boys might like the girls' books?

take a wild guess...

(Although it is one of the things that DD has pointed out to them in her letter, namely that her brother likes animals, and perhaps if these books weren't so heavily branded as being 'girls' books' then he would read them, and they would sell more books!)

Ugh.

I can tell you outright that "boys" love dolphins too. I do a lot of sailing and everyone on the boat is on deck when we have visitors. Nobody gets bored of seeing them.

FFS, will people just pack it in with all of this shit.

Oh, and did you see the link to the competition on the website home page?

"Win a trip to Disneyland Paris for your little princess!"

These people are just lazy.

DD's letter to them:

Dear Mr Webb

The page in your catalogue with books for boys and books for girls made me very angry. I am a 7 year old girl but I like all sorts of exciting books. My nanny bought ?Magicalamity? for me and I have read a book about Harry Potter.

I am very good at riding my bike and I can run very fast. My brother who is 6 likes pink and so do some of my friends who are boys. I know a little girl who likes Thomas the tank engine. It is silly of you to say that all boys like the same thing and all girls like the same thing. My brother really likes animals so if the covers on books like the Silver Dolphin books weren?t always girly then he would buy them and read them and then you would sell more books.

If I had to pick out of all the books on the lists I would rather have the boys ones because girls like adventures too. I tried some books about puppies when I was in year 1 but they were a bit pathetic and always the same.

I know you put that the boys books could be for girls too but it was in very little letters and looked like you only remembered about girls afterwards.

Books are for girls and boys and even for grown ups if they would enjoy them too.

Please don?t do this again!

Yours sincerely

RubyLennox's DD
Age 7 and a half

just to interject,

has your DD read any of these books, our boys love them but the spydog and hero is a girl dog!

Well done Ruby's DD!

It makes me so angry that 'girl's things' (and girls by extension) are presented as naff/boring/pathetic and generally inferior to boys things. Had CBeebies on this am and one of the programmes (just caught the end) had girls presented as only interested in appearance, a bit precious and not very nice except for the hero who is 'like a boy' and therefore cool and likeable .

And I don't even have a daughter yet!

Oh and that the boys are described as 'confident readers' with girls added as an after thought (as if they aren't likely to be as confident!)

What a lovely letter. :)

Thanks, everyone - DD is very excited that you liked her letter!

MummyBerryJuice, that thought crossed my mind too.

BythePowerofGreyskull (great name btw), we haven't had any Spy Dog. Going to the library later today so I'm going to see if they've got any. I think my DD and DS1 would both like those.

Oh, and while we're all in high dudgeon about girls' reading, DD told me that in guided reading this week in school, they were given a Rainbow Fairies book to read.

Great letter. It's a shame that that section spoils what is otherwise a good catalogue.

Interestingly, there are lots of pink backgrounds throughout the rest of catalogue, including pink backgrounds round books which would traditionally/conventionally be regarded as appealing to boys, eg the 'Hot Wheels Activity Book set' on pg 15 is depicted on a pink background. Also on pg 15 they use gender-neutral language describing 'My First Ballet Book', ie 'aspiring ballet dancer' (as opposed to ballerina), 'encourage children to take their first steps in dance'. Shame that they couldn't apply that approach consistently.