Eliza Leslie

Picture books are for kids, but many adults like them too. You could call these adults ‘big kids’ I suppose, or you could call picture books illustrated literature if you wanted to be careful not to offend any one of these adult’s particular taste. But I also suppose that a particular group of students at Iona College wouldn’t care one way or another. These students belong to a college organization called Admirers of Illustrated Literature. More on them in a moment, but first a little bit about their college.

The Iona College campus rests peacefully in New Rochelle, NY, about fifteen miles north of hectic mid-Manhattan. Carl Reiner, creator, producer, writer, and actor on The Dick Van Dyke Show, set that popular 1960’s situation comedy in New Rochelle. Maybe Rob and/or Laura Petrie, main characters in that show, attended Iona College before they settled into the script. Seems like they would have fit in well among its current student body, about 4000 strong, lured no doubt to Iona by its diverse social-justice culture and wide array of academic disciplines. Maybe Rob studied theatre there, maybe Laura music and dance. They could have—Iona College offers degrees in Arts Leadership, which includes four distinct disciplines – music, visual arts, dance, and theatre.

Research and observations suggest girls on average read more and show greater interest in reading than boys. From early childhood, girls are often encouraged more than boys to engage in reading and storytelling, which are seen as nurturing and quiet endeavors, while boys tend to be be steered more toward physical or outdoor activities. The content of books that school districts acquire is also a factor. Much of the literature available in early schooling consists of stories with the emotional and social content that girls prefer, while stories with the action content that boys like are deemphasized. In addition, studies show that girls tend to develop language skills earlier and more robustly on average than boys, which would likely make reading more accessible and enjoyable for them.