The author of "The Stinky Cheese Man" and a slew of other books written specifically for boys has just been named a "reading ambassador".

A 'Stinky' ambassador

Fri Jan 11, 12:20 AM ET

When the co-author of a book titled The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales wins a Library of Congress appointment as a "reading ambassador," you know there's more to the story. Indeed, there is.

For years, writer Jon Scieszka has been a lonely voice warning that young people, especially boys, are falling behind in literacy skills. His website, guysread.com, serves as a beacon of advice for teachers and parents desperate to keep boys reading.

His message: Don't think of reading as just the classics. Young boys celebrate the gross and the weird, so why not exploit that to get them hooked on reading? Books scoffed at by purists, such as Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, have a place in classrooms.

What Scieszka saw coming for years — a growing gender divide in reading ability — others are only now discovering. In Illinois this fall, state reading tests revealed broad gender gaps in reading. At one Cook County elementary school, girls' scores topped boys' by up to 55 percentage points.

Once boys fall behind in reading skills, it carries through the rest of their academic careers. Diminished literacy makes it harder for them to earn college degrees or compete in today's economy.

Scieszka's two-year appointment this month by Librarian of Congress James Billington was intended to boost reading by both boys and girls. The Stinky Cheese co-author (the book pokes fun at traditional fairy tales) will visit schools and draw publicity to children's books. That's appropriate, but Billington would be wise to allow Scieszka to focus his efforts where they are most needed.

With Scieszka's encouragement, maybe more teachers will allow Captain Underpants and other fairly stupid stories to roam elementary school classrooms. Lots of boys will love it. And some girls, too.

link is here