CHILDREN'S BOOK PREFERENCES: PATTERNS, PARTICULARS, AND POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

A sample of 315 third, fourth and fifth grade inner‐city and suburban children from Virginia and Ohio completed an open‐ended written survey about their “most favorite” book. Titles were categorized by literary genre. Chi‐square analyses were used to identify differences and patterns in grade level, gender and geographic/socio‐economic level. Relatively little overlap occurred with individual titles named but some genre patterns emerged. One trend (although not statistically significant) was a movement away from picture books and fantasy towards realistic fiction as the children moved up in grade level. Significant differences did emerge when gender was considered, with girls favoring realistic fiction and boys selecting fantasy titles. Further significant differences showed inner‐city children selecting fantasy and suburban children, realistic fiction. Title choices for these groups revealed more classic, award‐winning titles for the suburban sample and popular series or media‐linked choices for the inner‐city group. The greatest variability in genre choice, however, was found between individual classes ‐‐ regardless of grade level or geographic/socio‐economic classification. This “classroom effect” warrants further study and has important implications for teachers.