Stereo(typing) System

I'm simply all about reminiscing about my job today. Anyway, grad school student walks into a library. Says she's doing a paper on gender stereotypes in older children's books. Preferably would like a book where it is made perfectly clear what boys can do and what girls can do (or can't do, as the case may be). I got this question at my old library branch and with a bit of hunting we were able to rustle up a Lois Lenski or two. Racism is just sooo much easier to find. I mentioned this to my husband and he remarked that maybe this was a patron need. Can't you just see that? Me writing a note to the Materials Specialist with just a quick, "Need more picture books with gender stereotyping. Please provide."

Recently the blog Children's Picturebook Collecting linked to that February research article discussed a while entitled Gender Stereotyping and Under-representation of Female Characters in 200 Popular Children’s Picture Books: A 21st Century Update. I found the study a bit off-kilter but I certainly don't object to anyone following up on updating this line of thought once in a while. Still, I'd like to see a counterpoint written to some of the conclusions drawn in this piece.