What Are You Playing At?

This book is currently unavailable.

It frequently feels like we’re going backwards at challenging gender stereotypes in terms of children’s books and toys and the way they are often marketed and displayed in shops. Then along comes this ironic and witty picture book which questions and encourages discussion.

Each page makes a statement about what boys or girls conventionally do not do with a photograph of the opposite sex engaged in that activity. The words ‘girls do not play football’ accompany a picture of a boy delightedly kicking a ball. But then, lift the flap to reveal a picture of a woman footballer tackling another for the ball on the field with the text ‘they really don’t like all that sweaty stuff!’.  The words ‘boys do not cry’ are alongside a photo of girl with furrowed brow rubbing her eyes. Lift the flap to find emotional footballers with tear stained faces embracing, captioned by ‘boys never show their feelings...’. 

The way that the text is not intended to be taken literally and belies what is in the photos, in addition to its conceptual challenges, makes this a book that could be shared with a wide age range.