What books do young girls and boys prefer to read in the initial stage of formal reading instruction?

Abstract

Narrative texts are usually chosen rather than informational texts to promote language in the initial stages of schooling. This is based on the idea that children prefer narrative texts and that they are more appropriate for their age. However, some studies have shown that children not only understand informational texts, but also prefer them. This study examined the book preferences of a group of early readers at two times: kindergarten (N = 395) and first grade (N = 302). In order to test their preferences, each child was asked to review two narrative and two informational books, choose one, and justify their choice. In kindergarten, children preferred informational books significantly more than narrative books. At both times, a significant relationship between gender and book choice was found: boys chose informational texts significantly more than girls. The reasons given by children for choosing a book are not based on the type of text, but rather on the content, theme, and visual aspects, among others. These results are discussed in relation to the book options that are provided to children for their reading activities and the relevance of offering an array of different texts in the initial stages of reading.