Well, this does and does not address the elephant in the publishing house – the gender bias of the countless books encouraging girls with examples from history. Let's face it, the sciences and the queue to replace RBG are a lot more female than they ever were, just a few years ago – but there will still be sexist ideas about this book's title and very existence. But it's geared to point out past and present male success in what has potentially be seen as a more feminine world – the HEAL subjects, of Health, Education, Arts and Literacy. It's not a counter to the shelves of previous such books teaching girls about STEM, it's solely their opposite – very much a brother to those others.

And it has some fine examples, and stories that really haven't been told nearly as much as you'd think. We start with the instigator of ASL, which you would rightfully expect to find in many an American school library. It's the first I've ever read of it in decades of reviewing such books. Then Walt Whitman, the poet, who was also a volunteer nurse in Civil War army hospitals. Much of what follows him has much less fame, though.

The fact remains, I think this will be fighting an uphill struggle until it is joined on the market. For every girl doubting her place in Coding Club, or training for a Maths Olympiad, there will be a lad facing the same trouble and bullying and sniffy retorts from "friends" about him being an aspiring nurse, or jewellery designer, even a carer for the mental health of veterans – and even the third entrant here, a food tech developer, might not be STEM and manly enough for some bigots.

This doesn't negate anything, not even the shelves of female-aimed positivity. Therefore I would strongly encourage people buy into this as the vanguard of a pro-male movement which of course is never once anti-women. I'd urge the purchase of it.

A wonderful series of one-page biographies of men in the HEAL fields (health, education, arts, literacy) that is an excellent addition to the many STEM-focused books of this type published recently.

It is good to be reminded of men who changed the world in the HEAL disciplines and that this is an option for boys.

Each one-page biography is accompanied by an illustration on the opposing page of the man in question. The illustration styles are varied and engaging.

My 10-year-old really enjoyed listening to the biographies of the men featured. I hope that it helps open him to more career opportunities in the future and helps undo some of the harm that ever-pervasive toxic masculinity does.

I also appreciated that men of many different races are presented in this book.

*Thanks to Quarry Books for providing an early copy for review.

The mini bios are loosely divided into the fields of health, education, arts, literacy. The men chosen for their positive examples are nearly all contemporary (no Tiffany or Cartier here), but did you know that poet Walt Whitman was a nurse in the American Civil War? The men come from an assortment of backgrounds and are of all ethnicities. There are teachers, librarians, social workers, jewelry artist, dancers (Baryshnikov!), authors, illustrators, cloth and yarn arts, musicians, fashion design, AND LeVar Burton! The point of the book is that these professions are NOT gender specific.
The illustrations by Chris King are fluid, appropriately detailed, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of ANY age (not only 8 to 12) including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof copy in Adobe Digital Editions provided by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry | Quarry Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#YesBoysCan by Richard V. Reeves and Jonathan Juravich with illustrator Chris King #Quarry Books
@TheQuartoGroup #CareerGuidance #acceptance #Education

I think it's important with these kinds of books to have a good variety, to make it easier to find someone to identify with. This book does a good job of that, and the entries are all interesting and informative. Every profile talks about the subject's background and explains what this person did to stand out and make a difference. One great example was the librarian at the beginning of the 20th century who helped fight book banning by creating a library bill of rights. Entries about artists talked about innovation and accomplishments; I didn't know there were gold medals for floral design. My favorite was Tom Daley, the Olympic golf medal swimmer who knits during the competitions. This is a great collection.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Yes, Boys Can! Is a wonderful book for boys everywhere! I'm the mother of two elementary-age boys and this is the perfect book to show them that they can do anything. I love the references, love the stories, and overall love this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced readers copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Yes, Boys Can!, by Jonathan Juravich and Richard V. Reeves, is a fantastic non-fiction book full of information about men with inspiring stories who have changed the world, in areas including health, education, the arts and literacy. This book would be perfect for the upper key stage 2 and key stage 3 classroom, as it’s full of many facts and a lot of detail, along with striking illustrations by Chris King.

I think the title might catch some people off guard but in a sense that you'd have to check out what the book is actually about so I think that was a great move! Overall the book itself is great too, it fights the ever pervasive toxic masculinity that is happening so much today and showcases 50 caring and hard working men in various roles that they may not be expected in. A very inspiring book for boys

Thank you NetGalley, Quarry Books, and Richard V. Reeves and Jonathan Juravich for the early access copy of Yes, Boys Can!

Yes, Boys Can! highlights 50 prominent men in fields that are under-represented with male presenting individuals, such as health, education, the arts, and literacy. When reading through the page length biographies, I loved that each biography included a takeaway for the reader to do. As someone who works in an elementary school library, this can be used as a resource to support children's career aspirations and show examples of men who have worked in a variety of under-represented fields.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I didn't think I'd like this book, but I was wrong. I believe in equality each to me means mean can do any vocation woman can do and vise versa. I enjoyed learning about the journey these men went through to follow their dream.

In 2019 only 10% of teachers were male in Manitoba and only 20% old nurses.

As a parent of a young boy, I found this book to be touching, in a way, and inspiring.
There are life stories of 50 men who changed the world with their work and caring personalities.
We read books about girls and women who are pioneers, and love them.
It was nice to see men’s stories in more women-dominant positions or in professions of H.E.A.L. that are more attributed to women.
Nice designs accompany the stories. Overall, the book fosters care, kindness and curiosity for sciences and many different disciplines.