My brother and I filled the tropes perfectly as kids: he was the footballer, and I was the bookworm. So perfectly, in fact, that when I begged my dad to take me with them to watch a rugby game, I brought a novel along… and got so engrossed in it that a rogue ball hit me. I wonder if you’ve got a similar story of being distracted in the world of a great book?
Watching TV this weekend got me thinking about how much gender played into that whole scene. In this week’s episode of Australian Story, rugby star Luke Bateman said something that gave me pause:
“It was not something that men did. I never saw any of my male role models, my male heroes, reading books.”
Sitting in a tree with a book never made me one of the cool kids, but as a quiet girl, it was at least acceptable. I wonder how things would have played out if it was my brother who wanted to read The Neverending Story instead of cheering the Queensland Reds.
Luke hid parts of himself, starting with his love of fantasy novels, and that hiding grew into something much heavier: a crippling gambling addiction. Books ended up being part of how he healed, and now he’s a published author.
His story got me thinking…
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the tangible barriers to reading: language complexity, learning disabilities, screen distraction. But what about the social barriers?
What if one of the biggest things we could do for literacy was just… model reading?
Not a new idea, I know. But it strikes me that the ways we define gender creates so many quiet problems, even including literacy levels in boys. And just like books were part of Luke Bateman’s recovery, books can be part of the solution here too.
Let’s model not just reading, but reading the kinds of books that challenge our polarising ideas about gender and who gets to be what.
We’ve been hard at work in the Odditorium (Kibi’s creative space) on a book for all: one that says anyone can be a hero. One that’s written so every kid can actually enjoy it, and find themselves in it. I’m so excited to share more about our “odd” friends and their big adventures in the coming weeks and months.
Kibi Quick Picks
Looking for a book that makes every kid feel they belong?
Space Boy Volume 1 (Series) by Stephen McCranie
A quiet, emotional sci-fi graphic novel about a kid dropped into a new life with everything familiar left light-years behind. Panel-based pacing and a consistent art style make it a brilliant stamina-builder for a reluctant reader, and there are 25 more volumes waiting once he’s hooked.
Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton
Accessible for readers aged 8–12, the narrative uses short chapters and whimsical illustrations to depict Benji’s emotional journey, from chaotic family dinners to moonlit escapades, making it ideal for readers who might feel overwhelmed by dense text.
How You Can Help Kibi Grow
We love to share what we’re reading, but we can’t do it alone. Help us grow our Kibi mission!
- Share: Know a boy who might be hiding his love of reading? Share this post with the adult in his corner.
- Comment: What’s a book that helped a reluctant reader or a boy who felt reading “wasn’t for him” find their way in? Share your title in the comments below. We’d love to feature it.
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Let’s model reading that makes room for every kind of hero.