Books about boys

[isthistoonosy]

DS has just started noticing the diff genders and even though we are lucky that he sees men and women in diff roles - nursery teacher and nurse are men, local farmer and truck drivers that are women this mix isn't reflected in his colouring books and stories very well.
I've found books and TV shows showing brave, smart, strong girls which I will of course also direct him a bit more towards. But wondered can anyone suggest books showing boys and men doing typical girl roles and/or behaviours.

Thanks for any suggestions

I know lots of posters don't like Horrid Henry, but it's good in this respect (probably because it's written by a woman). Henry's dad is always making packed lunches, equally involved in childcare etc. Your DS is a bit young for it now so I'm talking about a couple of years time.

Thanks for all the ideas. Off to Amazon to find some of them.

Any more TV suggestions, the boy is sensitive atm at least, so no robots, monsters, evil witches, etc
Thanks

OP, did you really mean it when you wrote "I'm avoiding trans stuff as I quite frankly think its a crock of shit"? If you do, that seems incredibly offensive to the trans population who are real people with real feelings and enough shit to deal with already. Being generous, I wonder if maybe you're just not ready to talk about this subject with your child at this age. How would you deal with things if your child turns out to be trans/non-binary?

mrsgiraffe there aren't that many children's books about gender dysphoria and many of us are in agreement that gender non-conformity is not the same thing.

I dont beleive a male can become female and I don't beleive gender behaviours are biologically based. So when my boy says he wants to have a baby in his belly, or when his sister 'asks' where her willy is the answers are based on basic biological facts of life.
When the boy plays with dolls or the girl lays with tools that's fine or tbh not worthy of comment because men are dads and women are engineers etc.

Oh and I've know through work and personal life a few mtt and they have generally agreed with me on the basics.

Lol. Being offended on behalf of a group that thrives on being offended at every opportunity is a great level of 'professionally offended' in itself.

When he's a bit older, I find The Secret Garden good for valuing nurturing qualities in both boys and girls.

How would you deal with things if your child turns out to be trans/non-binary?

It is amazing how rarely children who don't have gender roles forced on them turn out to be trans.

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? By Martin Waddell
Edie by Sophy Henn
Baking With Dad by Aurora Cacciapuoti
I Love You Too By Michael Foreman
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

Lily's Driftwood Bay is on Channel 5. I like it as Lily is looked after by her Dad. I like Maisy Mouse as well due to the lack of gender stereotypes.

You mention your little one does not like monsters or witches. I know you didn't ask for book recommendations for that, but I really like the Meg and Mog books and dvds for presenting witches in a non-scary way. Same goes for the Winnie the Witch books by Korky Paul. The Monster and Frog books by Rose Impey have a friendly monster character.

I have deliberately only ever presented witches and monsters in a positive light so far as my child is sensitive too.

I loved Martin Waddell's Little Bear books.

What about Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

Also, Ernest and Celestine by Gabrielle Vincent

Great thread! We are on a similar hunt. DH is a SAHD, which helps, but I want to arm our two DDs with lots and lots of examples of people doing what they want to do, regardless of gender stereotypes. Our focus has mostly been on strong female characters, but I'm going to get some of the books recommended on this thread.

For tv, we like Nellie and Nora. It's just two sisters doing normal things. And Charlie and Lola is also quite good.

YY great thread!

For books, how about Zog by Julia Donaldson? It's ostensibly about dragons and knights and princesses, but the princess wants to be (and becomes) a doctor, while the knight gives up dragon-bothering to become her trainee because he wants to care for people.

For TV, I've found films to be better than short cartoons or series. My Neighbour Totoro has a dad as the primary carer who has some lovely parenting scenes with his daughters. How to Train Your Dragon has a male protagonist who is a geeky, clumsy, gentle boy who people learn to value despite him being the opposite of macho (some of the dragons might be a little scary for some, though).

drspouse - Go away user. OP's son is a toddler but my school aged DS thinks it's OK for boys to play with dolls and nobody has batted an eyelid. If anyone teased him they'd be on them like a ton of (gentle) bricks, based on their responses to similar Neolithic attitudes.

In a perfect world kids would accept others who looked and behaved differently. But in the real world kids are cruel. Would you dye your child's hair bright pink? What right do you have to make your child different from all the others?

In another thread about tomboys Orlantina said "Boys who don't like / have such an interest in such things that they are expected to because they are boys do get people being surprised that they don't. And if a boy wanted to wear skirts or dresses, I strongly suspect they would be under pressure to transition."

It might be acceptable for girls to wear trousers and play football, but a boy who wears a skirt and plays with barbie would certainly be judged. Why even risk giving your kid problems in school? How selfish are you?

Oh wheesht user, that argument just doesn't stack up. My friend's wee boy is the most boy-boy I've ever met, all football and blue shirts and diggers and he got bullied for doing what he was told by the teacher.

Some children are always going to find something to pick on, I suspect that's because they come from homes where picking on difference is celebrated...

The Arabel's Raven books are good for reading to four year olds - other chars fairly traditional but Arabel's babysitter is a teenage boy.

Thanks all both for the book and TV suggestions and the back up with the 'unusual' posters.

User do you want equality? Freedom for our kids to be and do what they want in life?
How do you think that change will happen if no one ever questions the norms?

And as I said my kids do all the normal stuff for their sex and the other sex and when they are older, I hope they can pick what suits them. Not what society tells them is right for their sex.

Oh I forgot he did wear a dress the other day for a dressing up day and he loved spinning in it, so it will be put in the dressing up box.

Although for full disclouser some other boys wore dresses as well so I guess its normal here

Another vote for the Little Bear books by Martin Waddell. It's not made into a big deal, but the books feature a small baby bear which I believe to be a boy, and his/its father. I remember one rather lovely one in which they tidy their cave together and then go out to play. (Lots of good messages about the benefits of being helpful too!)

Found a couple more, and thought back to this thread:-

The Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root
One Kiss, One Hug by Jason Chapman -Shows both parents taking turns to settle their children to sleep.

Can't you sleep, Little Bear? is a lovely one about a baby and his father.

There's also a gorgeous picture book called The Long Weekend about a little boy at the beach. Not specially gender role smashing, but he's a thoughtful sensitive little boy and my ds loved it.

The Long Weekend