As publishers, we do a tremendous amount of research on what kind of books our target audiences would like to read, the age suitability of our books, whether the illustrations will attract a child, whether the layout allows for easy readability and so on. Here is an article on how computer-generated images in books may catch the fancy of boys.
Oxford University Press (OUP) claims the “truly boy-friendly” content and structure of it
s Project X books will appeal to boys up the age of nine. The books have been tested in 2,000 schools and can be used interactively through CD-Roms and whiteboards.
But everybody doesn’t necessarily agree with their view.
Charlie Higson, author of the Young Bond books, welcomed the OUP’s attempt to write fiction for boys, but questioned the books’ reliance on computer images. “They look absolutely ghastly,” he said.
“The point is that books are different to computers – that’s the whole point. If kids want to play with computers, they’ll play with computers, not read these stories.”
Read on to see if you agree with this or not.