Trends and Developments
Increasingly books are written aimed more at girls and boys separately - this depends entirely on the sex of the protagonist. Unless there is a strong group with a mix of sexes, for instance in the very popular Harry Potter series, children't books generally don't appeal to all.
It is a good and fair observation in the course material that girls are far more likely to read books aimed at boys than vice versa. A shame, although perhaps girls genre fiction could do something to change this?
There is a massive difference between books intended to educate rather than entertain. It is fairly hard to make a good crossover in my opinion. My own boys (age 6) have enjoyed many chapter books now. The series that has followed the Lego Ninjago TV programme is currently a favourite. This is purely for entertainment and the characters are difficult to visualise without having already seen the programme. Books that educate for this age group tend to only be in terms of morals - what is right and wrong and how to live your life. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a good example of this. Things may have been very different for Verruca Salt if she wasn't such a bad egg.
Fantasy books definitely tend to appeal more to both boys and girls - this is probably due to the fact that there are less rules when it comes to the writing. There is far more allowance for make-believe and dreams. There is an awful lot to be said for this.
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