Mattland

Image from Chapters.ca

With research showing that boys tend to like stories where the main character overcomes a challenge, this book by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert is ideal. The protagonist is a young boy who has moved from town to town and finds himself in a new neighbourhood that he dislikes. It is abundantly clear that Matt is frustrated and angry, but he vents these emotions in a positive way. He uses found objects to create his own playland. When an outsider, who happens to be female, enters his land, he somewhat reluctantly accepts her offer of a Popsicle stick. When she returns, he welcomes her participation in building Mattland. In the end, other children from the neighbourhood join in to save Mattland from a sudden downpour.

Mattland scores high points for showing a boy using his imagination and creativity as an outlet for his emotions. The gender of the “outsider” is never an issue. Matt clearly has no problem playing with girls, and the book demonstrates that girls can build cities just as well as boys. Ages 6 and up.