What Little Boys Are Made Of - Susanna Leonard Hill

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Author: Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrator: Natalie Vasilica
Genre: Children's nonfiction, Inspirational.
Rating: 4.5 stars.

As adorable as expected!

When I read “What Little Girls Are Made Of” a month ago, I wished with all my heart that there would be a similar book for boys. And voila! This one turned up in my life!

Society always makes many assumptions about how girls should live their lives, and this has been criticised aplenty. However, there are an equal number of judgemental statements made about the way boys should follow a pre-set definition of masculinity, but this often goes ignored. Whether it is the ridiculous “boys don’t cry” or the outdated “boys don’t play with dolls” or the restrictive “boys don’t dabble in art/dance”, boys too have suffered over the years. This book throws the traditional idea of “things boys must do” on its head and presents a more modern, realistic, and appropriate list of the same.

The book begins with the introductory lines of the 19th century nursery rhyme titled "What Are Little Boys Made Of?" These go: “What are little boys made of? Snips, snails and puppy-dogs' tails.” (Just in case you didn’t know, the second half of this rhyme is more popular, the one that declares that little girls are made of “Sugar and spice and everything nice.” Both the ideas are equally flawed.) The content then provides an extended and diverse list of what little boys actually do. The book doesn’t shy away from any action not considered “boyish”, and even depicts crying and cooking among many other activities. There are some lovely affirmations at the end that little boys can repeat daily until the positivity seeps into their psyche.

The language is quite easy to understand, and the content having a mix of poetic rhymes and text works to its advantage.

The illustrations by Natalie Vasilica add the perfect charm to the book. What I especially loved is how inclusive the sketches were, even to the point of showing a boy with long hair.

Strongly recommended to every little boy and to every parent who wants to teach their sons how they are wonderful and diverse human beings who needn’t be restricted by the mould society forces them into just by virtue of their XY chromosomes. Suited for ages 3-8.

5 dazzling stars.

My thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Wonderland, and NetGalley for the DRC of “What Little Boys Are Made Of”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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