# what's the worst kid's book you've ever read?



## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

I think my son has a sixth sense about which books I just hate. He's been alternating between The Pokey Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey and A Day at the Fire Station by Richard Scary. The first book is just mind numbingly repetative (and it doesn't help that a single book session often involves 2 or 3 reads). The second book involves a lot of sound effect noises which I dislike, plus the text is broken up into strange bits all over the page. The only slightly redeeming quality is that the pig firefighters are served a giant pizza with both pepperoni and bacon on it and that bit of cannabalism is just a tad amusing.
We also own the original Cuious George book where CG gets kidnapped by the Man with the Yellow Hat, brought to America, smokes a pipe and ends up in jail. Kind of frightening and not such a great thing for the 2 yo mind to dwell on.
So what are the worst books you've ever had to read?


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

"Henry and his (or the) Dragon" It actually wasn't all that bad but now dd is scared of shadows! I was hoping she'd be able to work through it after we returned it to the library, but 3wks later we're still dealing.

"Tuesday" It's just a picture book with very few words (I think maybe 5 total.) Great illustrations but OMG I hate having to explain to dd why there are frogs flying and what they're doing!


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## ktbug (Jul 8, 2006)

Oh, bummer, I LOVE Richard Scarry books. At least people are still reading them. They were totally my favorite when I was a kid.

My least favorite childrens' book, sadly, is The Giving Tree. Sneaky misogyny.
Sends a message I just don't like. It took me a quarter of a century to figure that message out, but once I saw it, I got the creeps.


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## AugustineM (Mar 21, 2005)

DS loves the "David" books but mostly they drive me insane. Poor David. His mom is always yelling at him to stop doing this or stop doing that. And lots of the books are like, "Look how bad david is!!! He's such a BAD boy!!! He's always in trouble!"

And in one of the books there's a page where David is in his crib and he's crying and his mom is yelling (from another room) "GO TO SLEEP, DAVID" and poor david looks like he's 9 months old.

Oh, and DS also loves Curious George, and they're borderline imo. I hate the line, "Be a good little monkey and don't get into any trouble." DS has memorized that and always comments on "trouble" now. Also he's gotten too many bad ideas from george.


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## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

I completely forgot about potty training books! We have something called The Potty Book for Boys and the kid NEVER washes his hands. Yuck. And we've checked out a Caillou uses the potty book where he puts the potty on his head! Why must these ideas be planted in my son's head???


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## AnyMama (May 25, 2007)

I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

But the worst book I've ever read is this stupid rug rats book that my husband picked up on clearance. I hate reading it because it's in the voice of one of the characters, so the grammar and pronunciation is all messed up, and I feel like my reading it is an endorsement of speaking that way!


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## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

I've never heard of that book, but that really is creepy!


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## ChelseaG (Oct 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

OOh - I think that book is creepy too - I had several people rave about it and ask me if I had that book when DD was born and I had to lie and say "yes" just because I didn't want people to buy it for me...


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

_Mr. Nosey_ says that if a person is interested in what others are doing, he deserves to be physically injured until, due to the power of negative reinforcement, he is afraid to be curious.


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## AnyMama (May 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChelseaG* 
OOh - I think that book is creepy too - I had several people rave about it and ask me if I had that book when DD was born and I had to lie and say "yes" just because I didn't want people to buy it for me...


Good for you! my mother gave it to me, and I've always been wondering if she was trying to send me some kind of weird co-dependent message with it 'I won't let go" or something...ick!


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

I don't really like most product tie-in books -- I have to admit that DD brought one "Disney Princess Treasury" book home from school with novel-length retellings of Disney movies, and it was almost shockingly well-written, considering. But generally, they're just total crap.

As far as actual books, we checked out one picture book from the library, The Pirate's Parrot, that was just disturbing and bizarre. The pirate captain's parrot dies so the crew ties a teddy bear onto his shoulder as a replacement, and it ends up being weirdly violent. I was glad when that one was due!


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## North_Of_60 (May 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cholderby* 
I've never heard of that book, but that really is creepy!

I love that book.







I didn't think it was creepy at all. For being in a society that frowns upon holding and rocking our babies, especially as they grow older (you know, "that child is over a year old, you'll spoil her by rocking", etc) that it was really quite endearing.

I took the message to be one of unconditional affection that doesn't have to change as the child ages. Just because your "baby" is no longer a baby, doesn't mean you can't love them as so.

Plus, I think him and his wife suffered something like 7 miscarriages, so I think there is a little bit of the "enjoy them if you have them" thing going on there.

I dunno, I thought it was sweet. But, I still lay my head in my mom's lap so she can rub it. I think it's more metaphorical then literal, and I took it to understand there was a much bigger message then following your grown kids around, and actually sneaking into their room to rock them while they sleep. (I mean, as if my mother could pick me up out of bed and rock me without knowing.. come on!)


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## MissSJ (Oct 23, 2005)

The original Curious George! George is captured and sad, then he goes with the man with the yellow hat and smokes a pipe before bed, then he accidentally calls the fire dept so he goes to jail, last he is taken to live in the zoo (which is the original reason for his capture). ICK!

We have a lift the flap book called The Cat in the Hat's Great Big Lift the Flap Book. On the page that is similar to the 1 fish 2 fish book there is a big fish looking at a small fish and it says "And some are..." then you lift the flap and it says "very very bad" and the picture is of the big fish back handing the small fish in the face!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it.







:


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## arlecchina (Jul 25, 2006)

my son loved "the giving tree". which had me in sobs at the end every.single.time. I read it.


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## naismama (Oct 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.


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## dantesmama (May 14, 2006)

"Babar and His Children". Right away, the doctor tells Babar's wife to supplement the babies with bottles of cows' milk because they aren't gaining weight fast enough. Then it describes (and includes several pictures of) one of the babies almost choking to death. Next, another one of the babies is thrown off a cliff and is saved only by falling in the branches of a tree. Finally the third baby is almost eaten by a crocodile and then nearly drowns (he must be revived). Babar grabs an anchor and "hurls it violently into the monster's (crocodile's) jaws."






















All of this is described and illustrated in detail. And this book is a Weekly Reader Editor's Choice! We received the book as a gift and there is *no way* I will be reading this to ds!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

I have Love You Forever, and it actually made me cry, so I only read it once, when I was pregnant, and haven't read it since! But my mom pretty much abandoned me and my brother when I was like 6, so....issues much?









Anyhoo, hands down, the saddest/freakiest children's book I've ever read is called Mabel the Whale, and it's about a whale (natch) who is captured from the sea and brought to an aquarium. She gets really depressed, so they sedate her and give her medicine, and then she's happy again. Seriously. It's horrible. It was given to me by a friend who doesn't have children, and she said she loved it as a child because it was the only book about an animal that she had, because her mother hated animals. Yikes.


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## Mihelinka (Nov 2, 2004)

I can't remember the title, but it was a cute looking book w/ animals on it, forest animals that is. When I read it it was about a hunter going into the woods to kill some deer







:
Can't judge a book by its cover i guess







:


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

The Very Grouchy Ladybug. That book is horrible--it's so mean-spirited and violent, I can't believe it got published!

And we have a few Thomas The Tank Engine books, and they're all about how the trains should behave this way or that way. But then the author keeps referring to the "fat controller." I mean, sure, it's important to teach kids to take a bath, but how about not teaching kids to call other people fat!? (then again, I think I have a British version of these books--do they call him the fat controller in the American version too?)


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

I love the Very Grouchy Ladybug, out to kick some BUTT! It cracks me up.


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## rzberrymom (Feb 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Thalia the Muse* 
I love the Very Grouchy Ladybug, out to kick some BUTT! It cracks me up.

Really?? I think I must be missing some intended "girl power" message in that story or something.


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## sophiekat (Oct 29, 2005)

"the poky little puppy" was my favourite as a child









dd right now loves two dr. suess - like books, "mr. brown can moo, can you?" and "the dr. suess alphabet" and dh and i HATE them. the sounds in mr. brown don't make sense and the alphabet book is just hard to read.
the worst though was my little sister's favourite, "angela's airplane" where this little girl gets lost at an airport and then accidentally flies a plane and crashes it







:


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## lincap (Aug 12, 2005)

"Good Night Fuzzy".. it is about a little boy who wants to sleep in his parents bed.. and they force him to sleep in his own bed..

DH and I were HORRIFIED!! It was so sad... the boy sobbing "But I want to sleep with you!!!!!!!!" as he begs in front of his parents bedroom door..

oh so sad.. so so sad. We never read it to DS.. just hid it somewhere.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Quote:

Really?? I think I must be missing some intended "girl power" message in that story or something.
I don't think you're missing anything -- it's a boy ladybug, isn't it? But his grouchiness and his ambition are so out of proportion with his size ... you know, he's picking fights with elephants, and then dismissing them because they aren't big enough to be worth vanquishing with his teeny tiny ladybug fists.









I guess it helps me understand what it must be like to be a two-year-old. You want to assert yourself SO BADLY and everybody's bigger than you and you have basically no patience or ability to cope with frustration. Oh, and everybody is pushing you to share, and YOU DON'T WANT TO SHARE, damn it.


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

I remembered another one: Lucky the Duckling.

"Luck the duckling loves to swim.
All the other ducks follow him.
When the big ducks come out to play,
Lucky the duckling swims the other way."

That is the whole story and I just do not get the message. Plus, Lucky is not swimming, he's in a boat!


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## SusanElizabeth (Jun 2, 2006)

This isn't a worst -- It's just a personal bad experience. When I was a kid, one of my brothers died at age one, and at some point after that someone gave us a copy of the book "The Littlest Angel". This is a description I just found: "A little boy who has recently become the littlest angel in heaven is unhappy and homesick. He drives the other angels crazy with his piercing whistle and slipping halo. Finally, he is sent to see an 'angel of peace.'" (It goes on)

I will never forget my mother trying to read us this book, and bursting into tears. (I was about 4 at the time.) She got so upset she couldn't finish it. After that, I had an aversion to the book and felt we should hide it.

This is a really interesting question. I'll have to think more about "The Worst."


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## mommy2abigail (Aug 20, 2005)

Dick and Jane. These are SO STUPID.
See Jane Run.
Run Jane.
See Jane.
Funny Jane.
Funny funny Jane.
Run Jane.
Run. Run. Run.

Seriously. My 2 yo is bored by them.


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## KnitLady (Jul 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.


I hate that creepy book! It was given to us as a gift and donated the next week. Yuck!


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

I kind of hate _The Runaway Bunny_ due to its repetitive cheesiness. Actually, at this point, I am beginning to dread all of Alex's books. Maybe I won't expose the next baby to books.


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## Lynski (Oct 17, 2004)

Hands down- Meet Tonka Joe, or one of those Tonka Joe books. It's AWFUL. So bad I had to make up an entire story to go along with it and return it to the library early. Tonka Joe sees his neice and nephew on the street and agrees to a picnic later on. But he goes back to his garage and gets so caught up reliving memories of his gigantic trucks (the Flame Racer, Blizzard Rig, Hazard Handler, Fire Walker, Pulverizer, and Path Cutter, just to give you an idea.) Each page is a story about how "DISASTER STRUCK!" and how he had to use whichever gaz guzzling nightmare machine to save the day. He forgets about the picnic and when his neice and nephew calls he assumes something horrible has happened so he rushes up the mountain in one of his trucks to save the day.







I can never decide what message in that book is the most disturbing!


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## gloobella (May 1, 2007)

So I don't really have any books I hate. But I am seriously laughing so hard I am crying reading these. Hubby came in to see if I was ok.
We have a Sparkly duck book that hubby hates because it gives all these wrong facts about ducks.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Wow--I really like a lot of these that are getting mentioned (Richard Scarry, Curious George, and Runaway Bunny, to name a few).

I can't stand those inane counting books . . . "Ten Little Ladybugs" or "One elephant went out to play, upon a spider's web one day . . .". They drive me nuts!


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2abigail* 
Dick and Jane. These are SO STUPID.
See Jane Run.
Run Jane.
See Jane.
Funny Jane.
Funny funny Jane.
Run Jane.
Run. Run. Run.

Seriously. My 2 yo is bored by them.

These are terrible. It's a shame, because the pictures are so nice. But I think they were more intended to teach kids to read, rather than be story books. Although I'd imagine many kids were completely turned off reading by having to recite those boring things.


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## moonmama22 (Mar 31, 2005)

I am crying from laughing so hard reading these. I've never heard of some of them, i.e. Mabel the Whale??? Sounds scary though. I love The Grouchy Ladybug - except we read it so many times, my son now repeats the line, "You want to fight?" Not so good, but the story makes us laugh. I agree with the Curious George reviews too - I had forgotten the "real" story until I read it for the first time to my son... It's too late, and I'm too tired to think of any of his books that I really hate right now, but I know there are a few that I have stuck up on the top bunk so he cannot pick them at bedtime anymore...


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## hellen (Sep 24, 2004)

My husband picked up some duds from the library once. I don't remember any of the names but I had to make up words because the story line was so awful. Since it was a library book I was able to hide it until the next trip. The worst book we own is probably a Thomas the Tank Engine book. I just find the stories so long and boring. I've read the Poky Little Puppy (my favorite when I was little) multiple times in one day and these books are worse. Whenever my son brings them I ask him to bring something different. As long as I'm reading to him it has to be a semi enjoyable book. When he can read for himself then he can read the Thomas books.


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## Sali (Sep 30, 2005)

It's so funny--so many of my all time favorites are on this list--I think I may have to go check out the ones I don't have, since it seems to be my taste!

I LOVE Love you Forever--the visual of that old lady climbing into her son's house lightens the mood when it starts to get sad.
Dick and Jane built such reading confidence for my ds(I think they're not supposed to be read aloud to kids, but read by the kids when they're learning simple words)
And I could recite Dr. Seuss's ABC in my sleep--I have read it a million times.

And David is not the best treated baby on the block, but the simple drawings and his expressions. Tough cookie. I just say Oh David and the little guy cracks up.

I hate the Alphabet Eurps. Those books drive me insane. Bet they're beloved to some Mama out there. OH and Doggies by Sandra Boynton gives me a sore throat---maybe I get too enthusiastic!


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Ugh I've blocked most of it out. I let dd get one at the thrift store without looking closely enough. It looked harmless enough from the cover (bunnys or something) but when I looked through it the storyline was basically "if you reaaalllly love jesus you won't be angry 'cause god hates that"







: Sure enough I looked at the back as I was tossing it and it was published by the 'beatingkidsforthelord' guy.







:

Love you forever tweaks me because it reminds me of my MIL in a bad way. She once showed up at our house (after we'd lived together for a year or so) saying she was there to "pick dh up and take him HOME TO HER HOUSE" .....because he had a cold. Strange.


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## katja (Apr 13, 2004)

Stormborn, we must have the same MIL!

I loathed The Little Engine That Could. The pictures were the same on every page, and the sentences were long and idiotic and hard to read. Sadly, DD liked it, but I got rid of it anyway. I can't believe it's still in print! I think there should be a special spot in He** for that one and for the Poky Little Puppy.


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## feest (May 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2abigail* 
Dick and Jane. These are SO STUPID.
See Jane Run.
Run Jane.
See Jane.
Funny Jane.
Funny funny Jane.
Run Jane.
Run. Run. Run.

Seriously. My 2 yo is bored by them.

*shutter* ehhh my little ones went through a DnJ phayse..i'd hear "mama can you read this to me" turn around and see dick n jane AHHH and we don't even have the normal dick n jane we have all the books in one book (its huge) and they kids hate for me to quit befor a book is done.....i seriously felt like i was making both me and my children stupider by reading them...wonderful pictures tho....see thats how they hook the kids, bright and action filled pictures then they brainwash them with "oh oh oh, Oh dick, Oh jane...Look look, look dick, look jane, see sally, oh look and see sally)







:


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## Rio Mama (Apr 9, 2006)

My son cried and cried last weekend when he realized that we'd gotten rid of The Tale of a Very Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. It's the tale of how an innocent little rabbit gets assaulted by a bigger, mean rabbit, but then the bigger, mean rabbit gets shot. Great. Fun story. Not.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *katja* 
Stormborn, we must have the same MIL!

I loathed The Little Engine That Could. The pictures were the same on every page, and the sentences were long and idiotic and hard to read. Sadly, DD liked it, but I got rid of it anyway. I can't believe it's still in print! I think there should be a special spot in He** for that one and for the Poky Little Puppy.

Ack! I LOVE _The Little Engine That Could_ (I have the one with the original artwork from the 30s or 40s), and the Beatrix Potter books. The prose is lovely!


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## nurturedbirth (Jul 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SusannaG* 
This isn't a worst -- It's just a personal bad experience. When I was a kid, one of my brothers died at age one, and at some point after that someone gave us a copy of the book "The Littlest Angel". This is a description I just found: "A little boy who has recently become the littlest angel in heaven is unhappy and homesick. He drives the other angels crazy with his piercing whistle and slipping halo. Finally, he is sent to see an 'angel of peace.'" (It goes on)

I had that book as a child as well and also found it sad and kind of scary. And that's without the death of a sibling.







to you, and to your mom for trying to get through it.

I was also kind of scared by "Bartholomew and the Oobleck".


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## ryleeee (Feb 9, 2005)

i HATE the book "skinny and fats, best friends"

it's about these friends, one is fat and stupid, and one is thin and smart.

yeah, pretty much that.


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## LittleLlama (Feb 27, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dantesmama* 
"Babar and His Children". Right away, the doctor tells Babar's wife to supplement the babies with bottles of cows' milk because they aren't gaining weight fast enough. Then it describes (and includes several pictures of) one of the babies almost choking to death. Next, another one of the babies is thrown off a cliff and is saved only by falling in the branches of a tree. Finally the third baby is almost eaten by a crocodile and then nearly drowns (he must be revived). Babar grabs an anchor and "hurls it violently into the monster's (crocodile's) jaws."























And lest we forget, Babar and His wife are cousins!!!

I have a bunch of the Disney Classics and I just can't bring myself to introduce them to Titus (he's still ripping paper anyhow). The Doggies getting turned into a coat, the non-biological parent sending their child to prison/servitude.... and dogs on dates eating spaghetti is the last straw









Seriously about the other ones though.


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## sarah_bella1050 (Feb 19, 2005)

Barefoot Books, Book of Princess NOT suitable for children. It has one story about an evil princess who has her magical castle gaurds kill all her suitors and she put their decapitated heads on spikes outside her castle! Seriously messed up. I almost read that to my 2 year old!


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## emma_goldman (May 18, 2005)

I loved Richard Scary when I was little but now, OOOOoook! So not feminist. The female tow truck driver gets to drive a DINKY little pink truck and all the males get big ones. And lots more stuff like that. The dog is named "spot" and the wife is named "Mrs. Spot", etc.

And I'm gonna get rid of these negative Thomas Tank Engine books...


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## North_Of_60 (May 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ledzepplon* 
I can't stand those inane counting books . . . "Ten Little Ladybugs" or "One elephant went out to play, upon a spider's web one day . . .". They drive me nuts!

My daughter loves "Ten Little Ladyugs". I can tell she gets confused when there is one less ladybug every time I turn the page, because she tries to flip back and look, then flips forward, then back.







It's cute.







:


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## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rzberrymom* 
(then again, I think I have a British version of these books--do they call him the fat controller in the American version too?)

No, they call him Sir Topham Hatt in the American version.

I thought of another one I dislike: Guess How Much I Love you. I hate how the daddy rabbit turns what should be a beautiful expression of fillial love into a pissing match.


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## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emma_goldman* 
I loved Richard Scary when I was little but now, OOOOoook! So not feminist. The female tow truck driver gets to drive a DINKY little pink truck and all the males get big ones. And lots more stuff like that. The dog is named "spot" and the wife is named "Mrs. Spot", etc.

And I'm gonna get rid of these negative Thomas Tank Engine books...

FWIW, Tammy Tapir drives a strawberry jam tanker truck in A Day at the Firestation...


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## sarahjackm (May 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

That is my DH's family's FAVORITE book. They call it the Mommy cry book because my SIL can't read it to her daughter without tearing up. I openly call it the creepy book. My FIL and MIL bought us each a copy of it, I've happily snuck our copy to my SIL's house. Now they have two copies and I have none


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## homemademomma (Apr 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EnviroBecca* 
_Mr. Nosey_ says that if a person is interested in what others are doing, he deserves to be physically injured until, due to the power of negative reinforcement, he is afraid to be curious.









nak

and mr. greedy- the main character eats too much so he is "greedy", and when he "learns his lesson" he gets skinny and the book says "and doesnt he look better this way?"







:

and please dont get me started on how sexist and male-centric pretty much all kids books are. omg.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *katja* 
I loathed The Little Engine That Could. The pictures were the same on every page,

Our friends bought DD a large picture book edition of TLETC with *the most beautiful* illustrations ever. I want to rip them out of the book and frame all of them!!







Let me see if I can find it to link....

OK, here it is. You can click on "Search inside this book" to see some of the pages. Gorgeous!

Someone said they hate Runaway Bunny, but I love it! I guess I just like the message that the Mama Bunny repeats to the baby - I love you so much, I will always find you!

But I hate Pat the Bunny and its knock-off, Pat the Puppy. The illustrations are freaky, and it's just weird!


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## staceychev (Mar 5, 2005)

I might be unpopular here, but I hate the Olivia books. What a freakin' brat that pig is! I know it's supposed to be funny, and a little bit for the parents to enjoy, but she's so bratty! Argh.

As a Mama I hate Richard Scarry, although I loved his books as a kid, because they're just not easy to read to a 2YO.


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## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cholderby* 
I thought of another one I dislike: Guess How Much I Love you. I hate how the daddy rabbit turns what should be a beautiful expression of fillial love into a pissing match.

Hah! That just about sums up my feelings on it.


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## arwenevenstar (Mar 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *homemademomma* 
nak

and mr. greedy- the main character eats too much so he is "greedy", and when he "learns his lesson" he gets skinny and the book says "and doesnt he look better this way?"







:

and please dont get me started on how sexist and male-centric pretty much all kids books are. omg.

I really can't stand ANY of the Mr Men books, in fact i just got rid of all ours finally a few years back. We were bought them by my mother who grew up with them so therefore thought they were suitable! I prefer subtlty in books.

I also HATE things like Angelina Ballerina books and Dora books which friends love to buy my daughter.

Two books I love for my kids are: No matter what by Debi Gliori - which is a NICE version of unconditional love and Tell me something Happy before I go to sleep by Joyce Dunbar which is a lovely book about an older brother comforting his younger sibling who is afraid of going to sleep. Something just feels nice with these ones!


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## arwenevenstar (Mar 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *staceychev* 
I might be unpopular here, but I hate the Olivia books. What a freakin' brat that pig is! I know it's supposed to be funny, and a little bit for the parents to enjoy, but she's so bratty! Argh.

As a Mama I hate Richard Scarry, although I loved his books as a kid, because they're just not easy to read to a 2YO.

Oh and Max and Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuby







- that is why I can't stand tv characters in books. I can avoid them on the TV as we don't watch it, but to have them thrust in my kids faces via so called "books" eugh!!!!!!!


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## katja (Apr 13, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by **Amy** 
Our friends bought DD a large picture book edition of TLETC with *the most beautiful* illustrations ever. I want to rip them out of the book and frame all of them!!







Let me see if I can find it to link....

You're right, Amy, those are much nicer than the one we had. And lest you all think I'm just a hater, I adore Runaway Bunny too. The story is okay, but mostly I just love the pictures.


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## Perdita_in_Ontario (Feb 7, 2007)

I always thought I was a weirdo for thinking that _Love You Forever_ is creepy. I figured it was just because MIL bought it for DH a couple of years ago and I found the imagery a bit disturbing.

I've never really enjoyed personified animals and it's worse now. I make an exception for Sandra Boynton, whose books I adore (although Doggies makes me hoarse too!).

Most of DD's books I can live with, but some of the books MIL brought out from storage (50s, 60s, 70s) I can't stand.

There's a National Geographic Baby Elephant book, which I thought would be marvelous until I realized it was the story of a baby elephant in India who is born into servitude (I realize there are cultural differences, but it shows pictures of him chained, and of a tiger hunt - just things I hate).

There's the Romper Room Do-Bee Book of Manners, which illustrates that you must eat all the food on your plate, and hold the chair for girls, and obey your parents at all times.

There's a book of crafts - things to make out of toilet rolls and egg cartons. Great in theory - but did you know that airplanes are for boys and doll carriages are for girls? I know that there are real differences in interests between boys and girls, but do we need to enforce them at every turn?

And finally, my all-time most hated - a book called "Whose Hat is That" with pictures of different hats and who wears them from the 60s - you can imagine. The Fedora is Dad's - and he's in a car driving to work. The hat with the daisies is Mum's - and she's at home ironing and shopping. That one's going to get lost as soon as I remember to lose it LOL.

I don't buy any books with branded characters - at least while DD is young enough that she's not begging for them!!


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Max and Ruby aren't TV characters -- they were book characters first. Same with Angelina (and the original Angelina books, not the TV episode tie-ins, are GORGEOUS. I want to go live in Katherine Holabird's twee little British world). Max and Ruby crack me up. He's such a toddler, and she's such a bossy older sister -- she's totally me at that age (except I was a lot less patient).

Richard Scarry is extremely sexist, and also sort of priggish, but those books are a lot of fun. I like all the questions to the child in the story.

Oh! I remember one. My daughter was around 2 1/2 or three, and she was obsessed with mice, so I got all the mouse picture books I could from the library. One of them was called something like Goodbye, Mouse -- and it turned out to be a "coping with death" thing about a little boy whose pet mouse keels over. Which is great if you ARE coping with death, I guess, but not if you just want a nice story about cute pet animals. I felt like it should have a warning sticker on the front or something. We had similar problems with one about Grandpa's garden, where Grandpa bites the dust.


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## a(TM)?Star (Oct 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *arwenevenstar* 
Oh and Max and Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuby







- that is why I can't stand tv characters in books. I can avoid them on the TV as we don't watch it, but to have them thrust in my kids faces via so called "books" eugh!!!!!!!

Absolutely! All that little meany sister does is yell at her brother bunny all day! It's like listening to my mom nag me........Also, NOONE has this book, it was written by a old woman at my grandmother's nursing home in Florida, but it's called the "Runaway Red Shoes". It has the worst grammar, you can barely get through it...here's the kicker, DS loves it!







:
Also- I can't stand "The Runaway Bunny", and also..when I was little, I had this book by a series ( I hope someone here will remember it) about Louis Pasteur, and how he developed the rabies vaccine. It's a story about a little boy who gets bitten by a horrible foaming mean looking dog, and almost dies........it is SO scary. If I remember the name, I'll post it.
Okay, I looked it up, and yes they are still selling it.....it's called "The Value of Believing in Yourself:The Louis Pasteur Story" It's a series of books called the "value" series, yuck!


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## karre (Mar 22, 2006)

I love max and ruby too. I agree max is an adorable toddler. I like olivia too. I do not see how she is anymore bratty then a lot of other kids.

I don't like pokey little puppy or any of those other golden spined books probably.


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## cecemom (Nov 27, 2006)

Quote:

My son cried and cried last weekend when he realized that we'd gotten rid of The Tale of a Very Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. It's the tale of how an innocent little rabbit gets assaulted by a bigger, mean rabbit, but then the bigger, mean rabbit gets shot. Great. Fun story. Not.
Um, yes, exactly! We have this book, it is awful!

Another one I can't stand is Are You My Mother.


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## LilyGrace (Jun 10, 2007)

The worst in terms of context would have to be Rose Blanche. My mom sent this book to us and I started reading it, unaware of the ending. The story goes as this - little girl goes for a walk in the woods to follow soldiers who arrested a boy and finds a concentration camp. So she starts bringing small bits of food, flowers, etc. and going every day.
The news comes one day that the war is over and the camp is being liberated. She makes one last trip through the woods. On her way, she's shot by soldiers.
Um, yeah. It's a picture book so I thought it would be a happy feel good story about a little girl who was a hero.


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## gingerstar (Jun 10, 2005)

Oh, I am loving this thread!
I just read a R. Scarry book to my little one, and I was cracking up to see the fire fighter pigs all sitting down to share a giant hot dog!







But as pp have noted, I loved R. Scarry as a kid.
We had a little golden book that had been DH's (why would his mom have saved it?) that somehow.....left the house in the newspaper recycling bag







I can't remember the name, but it was all about these little bunnies who had a mean weasel who lived nearby and if he caught them, he would eat them! And the main little bunny makes friends with a squirrel, and they make a dragon costume to scare the weasel, who falls down a hill, and is on crutches and all bandaged up, and then goes away. But my girls loved it - when I read it I changed every time it said that the weasel ate a rabbit, I would say "Chased", like "The weasel ate his grandmother, so he was sad". But now they can read, so out it went!
I wish I could remember the others, there are definitely more that I do not like.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

ginger, maybe the pigs are eating a kosher all-beef frank!


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## Perdita_in_Ontario (Feb 7, 2007)

Oh, Mum bought DB that series too (perhaps she figured I was beyond help when it came to values? LOL). There was the Terry Fox story and the Rocket Richard story too, if I remember correctly. I don't remember being scarred by the Louis Pasteur story but I was a bit old for them anyway. They did seem awfully preachy though.


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## Yo Becca (Apr 17, 2005)

I also hate Curious George - the first one is awful, and the one with the Pizza shop has a male character (can't remember his name - we'll say John) , and a female character named "John's wife" Grrr. We got that book from the library the same week we got another book about somebody and his wife. but DD loves curious george. and they are long enough and boring enough to put her to sleep .

DH hates "I love you this much" - so he reads it as "I caught a fish THIS big" - in his version the daddy and his little girl are talking about how big the fish they caught were.

DD loves the Richard Scary books - as many of the animals have ambiguous names, she decides that most of them are girls, which works for me. But he does say that "pickle's pig is fat because he eats too much pie." and "Pickles pig spend so much time in front of the cold refridgerator, he caught a cold"


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## Andiad (Nov 6, 2006)

OK...I have a real "winner" here.









It's a book called "My Napoleon". I have NO IDEA how it got in my house. I'm guessing it was a yard sale gift from my stepmother. I actually had to hide it so my daughter wouldn't ask me to read it anymore. Apparently it's a story based on true excerpts from a young girls journal that was published in 1855 about napoleans visit to her house. And yes..it is a children's book...

So..here goes...just to start..on the inside cover flap it begins with a poem as follows:

Baby, baby, naughty baby,
hush you squalling thing I say.
Peace this moment, peace or maybe
Bonaparte will pass this way
Baby, Baby, if he hears you
As he gallops past the house,
limb from limb at once he'll tear you
just as pussy tears a mouse.

Ok...shall we continue..







:
It starts out with napolean arriving at Betsy's house where he proceeds to tease, terrorize, pinch, kiss, chase her. At one point he shows her a machine for making ice then "he put a lump of freezing ice into my mouth an then laughed to see my face as I spat it all down my dress". Betsy then decides to seek revenge by pushing him into a pricky pear bush. But...uh oh...papa finds out about her revenge and punishes her by locking her in the cellar all night with the rats. She lets out her frustration by breaking all of her father's red wine bottles until he comes back in the morning and lets her out.

There's also a nice part where she gets sick on the floor after Napolean feeds her to many sugar bonbons.

When I first read this to my DD. I had to keep skipping pages and changing words since I hadn't actually looked through it before I read it.

The back cover says it is a book that deals sensitively with the realities of childhood, offering a look at the ways that children themselves find to cope.

Ahhh...thought you ladies might enjoy that one. Needless to say, I believe that is my least favorite children's book.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Between the poem and the being fed too many bonbons by Napoleon, I am now DYING to get a copy of that book!







:


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## gingerstar (Jun 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Thalia the Muse* 
ginger, maybe the pigs are eating a kosher all-beef frank!

























Or perhaps a tofu dog?


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## Perdita_in_Ontario (Feb 7, 2007)

If we're on the subject of corporal punishment in kids' books - let's not forget _Alice in Wonderland_ (or perhaps it was _Through the Looking Glass_ where she hears (I'm quoting from memory - think I've got it right)

Speak roughly to your little boy
And beat him when he sneezes
He only does it to annoy
Because he knows it teases

Overall I love the Alice books - but that's a bit much.

I'll put it out there though... I read lots of books growing up that had the elements we've discussed here. _Alice_ didn't make me think it was ok to hit kids, and The Fat Controller didn't make me think... anything except that he was tubby LOL. I suspect that we internalize this stuff far more than the kids do. That said, it's good we're aware, and I've hidden Whose Hat is That. ;-)


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## gingerstar (Jun 10, 2005)

Andiad said:


> OK...I have a real "winner" here.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## prothyraia (Feb 12, 2007)

I think I had the entire "value of..." series when I was a kid. I loved them!







I don't remember much, I'd have to read them again and see what I think now.


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## maggiemae (Apr 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

But the worst book I've ever read is this stupid rug rats book that my husband picked up on clearance. I hate reading it because it's in the voice of one of the characters, so the grammar and pronunciation is all messed up, and I feel like my reading it is an endorsement of speaking that way!

Don't flame me here, OK? My DH and I always joked that the man in the book was secretly homosexual. He is cooking, he has a cat, the way he dresses, etc. Yes- I know this is a stereotype, but it is funny. BTW, I am as liberal as they come and do not have any problems with anyones sexual preferences.


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## Hokulele (Mar 2, 2005)

AnyMama said:


> I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Isn't that funny - I have the opposite take on that book. My mother never ever held me or even touched me when I was growing up, we have many many issues. So that book makes me cry every single time I read it because the idea of a loving mother just makes me melt. I've never bought it because even if I pick it up in a book store all I have to do is flip through the pictures and I tear up. But I love it!!!
> ...


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## green betty (Jun 13, 2004)

Eric Carle is a great illustrator. He could really, really use a decent writing partner.

I hate those freakin' Carl books. They just aren't interesting. I have this crazy idea that literature is an art form and that anything that's intentionally trying to be "cute" or "teach a lesson" is crap art. And life is too short for crap art.

I love love love Horn Book for sorting out good kids books from bad! I recently bought D'Aulaires Book of Trolls based on their recommendation and now dc runs around the house every day saying "I troll! I troll!" and extorting money from us.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *green betty* 
I hate those freakin' Carl books. They just aren't interesting.

Really??! I love them - for a couple of reasons. One, I think it's utterly hilarious that the Mama is always leaving her baby with Carl so she can go have tea or whatever. I'm sorry, I know that's not a good message, but it cracks me up. Anyway, I also love them because they are some of the few books that don't have words, so DD and I really enjoy talking about what is going on. I like that *she* can tell me the story, and she can change it every time we read it if she wants to. I think the two we read most are the one where they go shopping, and the one in the park. What a bummer that you don't like them!

I agree that Eric Carle is an amazing illustrator. Our local library has a huge Eric Carle-esque butterfly painted on one wall, and we love it.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

I love Carl too. Alexandra Day's paintings are beautiful.


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

We recently got a book at a yard sale called Danger at Sand Cave (intended for 2nd-3rd graders to read themselves.) It describes a real incident from 1925 when a man was trapped in a cave and people were working to dig a shaft down to free him, but adds a fictional boy who crawls into the cave through a narrow passage to try to get to the trapped man, then drops his lantern and panics until he realizes he can feel his way out. I'm claustrophobic enough that this all seemed awfully unpleasant to me, but the worst part is that at the end they finally break through to the trapped man, only to find that he's dead. I really did not enjoy thinking about what it would have been like to be trapped underground, alone, in the dark, for two weeks, until he died, and I suggested to 4 1/2 year old DD (after I had read her the book, assuming it would have a happy ending), that maybe it was too sad and we ought to get rid of it. But she said she liked it and wanted to keep it.

I agree that Eric Carle books are boring, boring, boring. But I'm with Thalia - I want a copy of that Napoleon book! (Though I don't know if I'd read it to my kids.)

What's wrong with Are You My Mother? That one has been well-liked by both of my kids.


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## silly_scout (Aug 31, 2006)

I dislike any book that markets a product (i.e. the Cheerios counting book or the M&M counting book). I also dislike books "based on" television characters, like Dora the Explorer et. al.
My least favorite book is Make Way for Ducklings.







:
DH hates Goodnight Moon almost entirely because of one line: "Goodnight, Air".


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## nabigus (Sep 23, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AnyMama* 
I don't like that 'love you forever book" it's kinda creepy that the mother crawl's into the window of her grown-up son's house and rocks him when he's asleep.

Yes! that's what immediately came to mind. I find this book stalker-ish, particularly the picture of the mom crawling across the floor, and it bothers me that their relationship doesn't seem to evolve at all. But perhaps I've put too much thought into it?


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MissSJ* 
The original Curious George! George is captured and sad, then he goes with the man with the yellow hat and smokes a pipe before bed, then he accidentally calls the fire dept so he goes to jail, last he is taken to live in the zoo (which is the original reason for his capture). ICK!









:

That's the first one that came to mind. The other one I dislike is Guess How Much I Love You. Simply because I hate reading "Nutbrown Hare" over and over. It's annoying. I think I am the only one who feels that way though since ds keeps getting gifted that book by all different people.


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## jennoelle (Dec 6, 2005)

My dh hates the rainbow fish. I know it's supposed to teach sharing etc but after reading it, I tend to agree with my dh that it seems to teach you that if you don't give things to your friends they won't like you. Maybe something gets lost in the translation because I know it's originally from switzerland ? I don't know but that's our least favorite. My ds has never seen it because we read it when he was little (it was a shower gift) and got rid of it before he saw it.

Also hate that all the board books that teach counting or colors etc all have pictures of things like suckers and ice cream and other junk food.....can't they count nutritious things???!!!







: Every time ds sees them he asks for the food on there (and it's hard to find anything that doesn't always have dairy products in them - he's allergic to dairy).


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *arwenevenstar* 
Oh and Max and Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuby







- that is why I can't stand tv characters in books. I can avoid them on the TV as we don't watch it, but to have them thrust in my kids faces via so called "books" eugh!!!!!!!

Oh, I LOVE Max & Ruby, L.O.V.E! So much that I would & have watched it all by myself! I think they're adorable! But I love anything on Noggin!


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## gingerstar (Jun 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *silly_scout* 
DH hates Goodnight Moon almost entirely because of one line: "Goodnight, Air".
















:
I may never be able to read that again!
I found another of our books I hate to read - _The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings_
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Rabbit-...2480407&sr=8-1

I looked in the reviews and one girl said she liked it as a child and now realizes how awful it is! So I am not alone!
Ours is wonderfully illustrated, not the one shown, but this precious bunny keeps wishing for things (like a tail like a squirrels, etc) so he gets a wish granted (he wishes for wings like a cardinal) but then when he goes home his mother won't let him come in, he is tragically rejected everywhere, then when he tries to fly he goes into a pricker bush, finally he wishes the wings off again and then he is permitted to go home where he "never NEVER wished to be something different from what he was."
Is it just me or is this a terrible story!?!
(It is going out in the recycles tonight!)


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## Novella (Nov 8, 2006)

Here's our lineup:

My husband _can't stand_ Goodnight Moon (so he'll be glad to know one other PP's husband hates it, too). Very often, that one's a big favourite. Goodnight Moon earned this status with my husband due to the witty "Goodnight nobody" with the blank page in the middle of the book. He speculated (tongue-in-cheek) that maybe they didn't have the right number of pages to print the signature (printing term: print many pages on one big sheet of paper, then fold and cut), so had to throw that in the middle!

My parents both hate pretty much every Robert Munsch book (but they seem to think I Love You Forever is OK). They hate the Munsch books because they think the stories celebrate and glorify misbehavior (eg. Mortimer who won't go to bed, kids playing on the roof of the building at the birthday party, etc).

I hate uke the 20-volume set our kids got from a semi-illiterate acquaintance who had bought them for her own child (not surprisingly, they were inherited in brand-new condition!) These books are called the Disney Storytime Treasures Library. I have no issues with classic Disney books. My thoughts on their corporation aside, I remember and love those stories from my own childhood. But _these_ books. . . UGH! They are take-offs of the stories you know: same characters, different situations. The plots are insipid, the writing is terrible. Unfortunately, the kids love them. . . I think I've hit the wall and those books will be "rotating" off our bookshelf very soon! (And I won't be explaining the *special* location those ones will be rotating to







)


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## Averys_mom (Sep 27, 2004)

"Good Dog, Carl" It's about a mother who leaves her toddler in the care of the family rotweiller while she go out to run errands. The dog takes him swimming in the fish tank, gives him a bath, and feeds him grapes (uncut, of course). Upon her return, she finds baby and dog happy and ready for bed. "Good dog, Carl," she says.

Enough said. I'm just waiting to read a news story of some idiot mother who is charged with negligence after reading the book and leaving her kid with the dog while she goes shopping. Way to go, author. The library refused my request to have it removed from circulation. Hey, I graduated journalism school. I'm all about free speech and against most censorship but c'mon...


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

"Barney's book of foods" or whatever it's called. It features dancing meatballs eating pepperoni pizza, among other things. A gift from granma thta's going straight to the local church trift shop.


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## LittleLlama (Feb 27, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Averys_mom* 
"Good Dog, Carl" It's about a mother who leaves her toddler in the care of the family rotweiller while she go out to run errands. The dog takes him swimming in the fish tank, gives him a bath, and feeds him grapes (uncut, of course). Upon her return, she finds baby and dog happy and ready for bed. "Good dog, Carl," she says.

Enough said. I'm just waiting to read a news story of some idiot mother who is charged with negligence after reading the book and leaving her kid with the dog while she goes shopping. Way to go, author. The library refused my request to have it removed from circulation. Hey, I graduated journalism school. I'm all about free speech and against most censorship but c'mon...

But see, you're missing the point.... he cleaned up all his mess!!!!









I love the Carl books. (seriously) There are a couple more, one he goes shopping and does things in a department store that would get any other babysitter arrested.


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## KnitLady (Jul 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jacks mom* 
I had this book by a series ( I hope someone here will remember it) about Louis Pasteur, and how he developed the rabies vaccine. It's a story about a little boy who gets bitten by a horrible foaming mean looking dog, and almost dies........it is SO scary. If I remember the name, I'll post it.
Okay, I looked it up, and yes they are still selling it.....it's called "The Value of Believing in Yourself:The Louis Pasteur Story" It's a series of books called the "value" series, yuck!

I loved those books as a kid! In fact, the Pasteur one was my favorite, but I was a big older.

"Goodnight Air??" Are you kidding me?







Glad I never bothered to get that book!

Does anyone know the name of this really awful book about a man with a long beard who cooked babies in a big pot and ate them? Seriously. I think it was written by the Grimm Brothers. I saw it at a used bookstore one time and was so horrified I hid the book behind a bookcase so no child would ever find it. It was AWFUL!


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## vwh99 (Aug 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andiad* 
When I first read this to my DD. I had to keep skipping pages and changing words since I hadn't actually looked through it before I read it.


I definitely learned that I need to thumb through a book before I read it to my children. After picking up a book at my SIL's place and listening to her comments of 'what a great and hilarious book it is', I was stuck in a situation where I had to continue reading it out loud to my nephew and daughter (with SIL listening! )even though I absolutely hated it! It was called something like Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad day. Basically, this kid wakes up with gum in his hair and from that point on, he mopes, whines and basically complains about every little thing throughout the day. The drawings of this sullen looking kid just reinforced to me that he just needed to learn that not everything WILL go his way and that he needed to just DEAL in a positive way rather than sulk/complain. Not the kind of negative vibe I want my kid to learn. And this book doesn't even end in any 'happy' way...he just buries his head into his bed and wishes to be in Australia or something......Oooh! Like THAT will change everything...running away from YOUR problems! (sarcasm!)

I was so surprised that I had such a strong reaction to a children's book, but I definitely will preview from now on! And yes, a woman rocking her adult son sounds creepy to me, so I won't be getting that one. Thank you very much!

Another Disney series that I didn't like, but my daughter wanted so badly was the Princesses Secrets. Basically, each book had the Princess asking the reader, "Can you keep a secret?" I do not want my daughter learning to keep secrets from me and so I've had to emphasize that she isn't to 'keep secrets' just because someone told her, especially secrets from her mommy/daddy. Never a good idea.....

Val


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## cdahlgrd (Sep 4, 2002)

Oh, man this is soo funny. We also just removed The Giving Tree from our home. Something just not right about allowing others to use and abuse you!!

I always have hated The Cat in the Hat! It stressed me out as a child and still today, that a motherwould leave her children unattended!!

I am hating this board book called Dog Food right now. It is pictures of food carved into dogs ie banana dogs and cauliflower dogs. It is very punny, but it is just strange! Of course the kids love it, sigh.

I love Dr. Suess's ABC book. I can still recite it! Of course non of mykids like it


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## Enudely (Jul 2, 2005)

I read a Richard Scary book that had a picture of an old growth tree with a little animal with a chain saw next to it. "This tree is almost a hundred years old, it is now ready to be cut down" said the caption. The page was about lumber...

DD also has a "5 little monkeys" rendition where the plastic faces pop out of the page, anyway, the number of monkeys isn't consistent at ALL, on one page there will be 8, 3 on the next, etc- and all the monkeys are supposed to bump their heads, but they are nursing elbows, knees, and chins in the pictures. Confusing anyone?







:


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## wfuteach (Jun 13, 2007)

I thought I was the only one who hated I Love You Forever! Glad to see it isn't just me!

And to the poster who mentioned the Olivia books--I think they are cute, BUT the one where the dog eats her favorite toy drives me nuts. I must be reading too much into it, but everytime I read it I find myself incredibly irritated with the whole thing because here the mom has made her a new soccer shirt, helped her look for the toy, tried to calm her down when the toy was ruined, etc, but she says she loves daddy the best because he tells her that he'll buy her a new toy.







: I guess I am reading too much into it, though! LOL


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## mamabear&babybear (Dec 20, 2004)

While I do think that "Love You Forever" is a little creepy, I like the ending. I like that the son comes home after his mom dies and finds comfort in holding his baby girl while passing on a tradition that obviosly meant a lot to him. I also like the unconditional love that the mom shows. I just wish the author had left out the pages where he is an adult and the mom climbs into his house.

I checked under our couch (where our some of our books get "lost") and found "On the Day You Were Born" and "All That You Are". I don't exactly know why they bother me but they do. It could be the ego-centrism in the books. I don't know.


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## staceychev (Mar 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *silly_scout* 
DH hates Goodnight Moon almost entirely because of one line: "Goodnight, Air".

That's funny. I have grown to really love Goodnight Moon because I find it so poetic--and that's one of my favorite parts!


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ktbug* 
My least favorite childrens' book, sadly, is The Giving Tree. Sneaky misogyny.
Sends a message I just don't like. It took me a quarter of a century to figure that message out, but once I saw it, I got the creeps.









Yep, gotta agree w /that one. I'm pretty flexible about kids books and tend to take them literally, otherwise, though. I usually love most of the books these threads rip.









Junie B Jones bugs me, though. I still read the books but







gah, she IS a brat.


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## jenmary (Jul 7, 2006)

One of my mom's favorites is impossible for my DH to read. I like the cadence of the poem "The Owl and the Pussycat" but even I cannot bring myself to read it as written. Just the verse "O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!" I have to substitute the word "Kitty" instead.

Oh, and we refer to Rainbow Fish as 'The Communist Manifesto' around here. No offense to Marxist mommas intended, ITA with the PP about feeling that the message is you have to give people stuff to make friends.

Quote:

Also hate that all the board books that teach counting or colors etc all have pictures of things like suckers and ice cream and other junk food.....can't they count nutritious things???!!! Every time ds sees them he asks for the food on there (and it's hard to find anything that doesn't always have dairy products in them - he's allergic to dairy).








:


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## happyhippiemama (Apr 1, 2004)

DP and I cannot *stand* _Go Dog Go_ There is not a single page that makes any sense whatsoever.

DD loves the danged thing. She rarely asks us for it anymore, but always grabs it to take to Grandma's house, where she'll be able to con Grandma into reading it 5 or 6 times.


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## Viriditas (Aug 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emma_goldman* 
I loved Richard Scary when I was little but now, OOOOoook! So not feminist. The female tow truck driver gets to drive a DINKY little pink truck and all the males get big ones. And lots more stuff like that. The dog is named "spot" and the wife is named "Mrs. Spot", etc.









MIL got us a Richard Scarry book when I was pregnant because dh loved them as a kit. On one page it said, "Daddy bought mommy a dress because she does such a good job taking care of the house!"

We still laugh about that one. There is also something about mommy and daddy going to the hospital to get a baby.


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## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

Someone gave DH and I this HUGE series called "Help Me Be Good" they are religous (which is fine, we're Christian) but they are so annoying. They're about sharing, whining, bossing, etc...and it's always "People don't like bossy/whiny people"







: I hate them. We have like 20 of them for some unGodly reason.

The Runaway Bunny HATE HATE HATE it...

The Cat In The Hat...who's bright idea was it to have a 45 page long childrens book? And the whole sneakiness just irks me...

The Dora/Diego books...ick...


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Hey, I didn't like On the Day You Were Born either. I think it's the combination of "Yes, by gum -- you ARE the center of the universe" with the fact that it's clearly written to make adults feel mushy, instead of to be enjoyed by the actual child who has to sit through it.

I can't believe so many people hate on Carl. He's the funnest babysitter ever. I am shocked that anyone would try to remove those books from the LIBRARY -- what's next, let's ban the little old woman who lived in the shoe? At least Carl doesn't spank.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Perdita_in_Ontario* 
Most of DD's books I can live with, but some of the books MIL brought out from storage (50s, 60s, 70s) I can't stand.

....

And finally, my all-time most hated - a book called "Whose Hat is That" with pictures of different hats and who wears them from the 60s - you can imagine. The Fedora is Dad's - and he's in a car driving to work. The hat with the daisies is Mum's - and she's at home ironing and shopping. That one's going to get lost as soon as I remember to lose it LOL.

Bet you could use them to teach DD how to make lots on money on ebay







.


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## Perdita_in_Ontario (Feb 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eepster* 
Bet you could use them to teach DD how to make lots on money on ebay







.

LOL!
I wonder what an "ebay" hat looks like - and who should be wearing it....


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Ok, I kind of get where people are coming from with the hate-on for "Love You Forever" but I also have kind of a sneaking suspicion that maybe this is a by-product of our society's emphasis on *independence* and some intimacy issues. Personally, I like the book, but I don't know if I'll ever get it for DD because frankly I can't read it without crying. As a teenager babysitting kids I usually refused to read it to them for that reason







.

ITA with the "Guess How Much I Love You" sucks crowd though. Poor little rabbit.

I like "Go Dog Go", although DD was never really into it because none of the dogs look like our dog.

And I LOVE "Goodnight Moon". There's so much going on - the little mouse that's on every one of the full-room pages, the moon that rises through the story, the kittens, the lamp that dims... it's great. That author has another book that we really like called "Big Red Barn" which is a lovely story in which nothing actually happens, there's just a bunch of farm animals having a nice day.

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Beatrix Potter though. Some of the books gave me nightmares as a child - "The Tale of Mr. Todd" and a squirrel one (I think "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"). But others, like "The Tailor of Gloucester" and the flopsy bunnies one are lovely. They're totally from another culture though. I didn't see it as much when I was a child, because my mom and my grandmother were both still almost a part of that culture, but now - whoa, crazy stuff.

Currently my least favourite is "Clifford Goes to the Hospital", which DD picked up at a garage sale last weekend. Where to start - stereotyped female nurses and male doctors, babies in a hospital nursery looking at parents through the window... and, at one point, the nurse gives Grandma a needle and Clifford runs off because "Clifford hates needles!". Like, way to give kids a good fear of nurses. The worst part is my DD, who is all of 19 months old, always says "Yeah!" at that part.







:. (no, this isn't a good time to get on my case about vaxing.







)


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## KnitLady (Jul 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
Ok, I kind of get where people are coming from with the hate-on for "Love You Forever" but I also have kind of a sneaking suspicion that maybe this is a by-product of our society's emphasis on *independence* and some intimacy issues. Personally, I like the book, but I don't know if I'll ever get it for DD because frankly I can't read it without crying. As a teenager babysitting kids I usually refused to read it to them for that reason







.

Maybe, but for us it felt extra creepy as it was given to us by my MILs friend who we've never met. We don't get along too well with MIL and the whole thing just made me feel uncomfortable.


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## LittleLlama (Feb 27, 2006)

I was talking to my mom about this and she reminded me of one I had as a kid called "Why do I do things wrong?" I think it had a spiritual spin to it, but one of the main points of the book was that the kid pulled the cat's tail. Inside the book the cat ended up with a bandage around his tail, but on the cover, in a sort of colage, it shows that scene but looks like the kid has ripped the cat's tail clean off.


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## Very Snoofly (Jan 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vwh99* 
I definitely learned that I need to thumb through a book before I read it to my children. After picking up a book at my SIL's place and listening to her comments of 'what a great and hilarious book it is', I was stuck in a situation where I had to continue reading it out loud to my nephew and daughter (with SIL listening! )even though I absolutely hated it! It was called something like Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad day. Basically, this kid wakes up with gum in his hair and from that point on, he mopes, whines and basically complains about every little thing throughout the day. The drawings of this sullen looking kid just reinforced to me that he just needed to learn that not everything WILL go his way and that he needed to just DEAL in a positive way rather than sulk/complain. Not the kind of negative vibe I want my kid to learn. And this book doesn't even end in any 'happy' way...he just buries his head into his bed and wishes to be in Australia or something......Oooh! Like THAT will change everything...running away from YOUR problems! (sarcasm!)


I loved that book as a kid, haven't read it to my own kids yet. I think it was comforting to read about a boy being in a bad mood and having a crappy day. It happens to all of us -- being dragged along on boring errands, going to the dentist, not being able to find your favorite shirt (or whatever) -- and sometimes when you're a kid you just need to wallow for a while. I seem to recall that the mother and father treated Alexander with respect, too, and never demanded that he "snap out of it" or get over himself. And Alexander knows that he can't REALLY run away to Australia...but when you're 8 or 9 and have no real control over your life, it's nice to imagine that you COULD, you know?


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

And it ends with his mom pointing out that "some days are like that -- even in Australia."


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## Peacemamalove (Jun 7, 2006)

*Zoo-Looking* by Mem Fox and Candace Whitman it is so sad







a mama bear and her baby bear go to the zoo to look at animals in cages weird huh?? baby bear loses his mama and keeps walking past all the other bears until he finds his mom....


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## Surfer Rosa (Jun 3, 2005)

There are a lot of books I don't like, for a lot of the same reasons already listed (historically inaccurate, product tie-ins, OTT histrionics, etc.), but here are a couple I haven't seen so far:

DH and I HATE HATE HATE the Sandra Boynton books. We've received several copies of each one, with promises of how good/funny/etc they are...and we are always extremely underwhelmed by the crappy rhythm, awkward rhymes, and insipid/lacking storylines. I think we are the only people in the world to feel this way though?!

Someone gave us a Munsch book, I can't remember the title, but it was about a little girl who thought she was ugly, so she spends $100 (all her bday $) on makeup, then she realizes she doesn't need make-up to feel pretty, so she sells it to her friends for $300...nice messages! (You're ugly! Buy products to feel better! Convince friends that they're ugly! Make $ off them!) WTF?


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## Viriditas (Aug 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Very Snoofly* 
I loved that book as a kid, haven't read it to my own kids yet. I think it was comforting to read about a boy being in a bad mood and having a crappy day. It happens to all of us -- being dragged along on boring errands, going to the dentist, not being able to find your favorite shirt (or whatever) -- and sometimes when you're a kid you just need to wallow for a while. I seem to recall that the mother and father treated Alexander with respect, too, and never demanded that he "snap out of it" or get over himself. And Alexander knows that he can't REALLY run away to Australia...but when you're 8 or 9 and have no real control over your life, it's nice to imagine that you COULD, you know?









:
I think it's a great book! I'll be getting it for ds when he's a bit older. So many books give the message that it's not okay to be grumpy or feel bad about things not going your way. There's nothing worse when you're feeling low than someone telling you, "Hey, cheer up!" How frustrating!


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *happyhippiemama* 
DP and I cannot *stand* _Go Dog Go_ There is not a single page that makes any sense whatsoever.

DD loves the danged thing. She rarely asks us for it anymore, but always grabs it to take to Grandma's house, where she'll be able to con Grandma into reading it 5 or 6 times.

That's a favorite here! My Gram read it to me and now my 5 yr. old DD loves reading it to me!


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jacks mom* 
Also- I can't stand "The Runaway Bunny", and also..when I was little, I had this book by a series ( I hope someone here will remember it) about Louis Pasteur, and how he developed the rabies vaccine. It's a story about a little boy who gets bitten by a horrible foaming mean looking dog, and almost dies........it is SO scary. If I remember the name, I'll post it.
Okay, I looked it up, and yes they are still selling it.....it's called "The Value of Believing in Yourself:The Louis Pasteur Story" It's a series of books called the "value" series, yuck!

Yay! More hatred for The Runaway Bunny. It's the surveillance imagery of the mother bunny in the clouds that really bothers me.


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## momofsage (Dec 31, 2006)

This is the greatest thread.

I do like Goodnight Moon, though I must say that I think Margaret Wise Brown was seriously on drugs.

One children's story that I hate is Chicken Little. For years I remembered having been read it as a child, but I could never remember the ending. Now that I'm a mom, I had occasion to read the entire thing, and now I know why I don't remember what happened to Henny Penny and Turkey Lurkey and all the rest: they were EATEN! I must have repressed that part completely for all of these years! Very creepy.


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## Max'sMama (Apr 3, 2004)

I agree with Northof60 on the Love you forever book. I personally like the unconditional love message.

Off the top of my head I can't think of any books that are 'the worst'. Ones that I can't stand reading are:

Andrea Shaevo and Russell Ayto's "You'll Grow Soon Alex"

The Little Engine That Could

&

Pocahantas


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

It's funny how I'm now remembering all of the books I've hidden kind of subconsciously because they're so annoying. Definitely I've hidden Are You My Mother. Just a really whiny repetitive book. And another stupid one: The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle. *I* can't even make sense of the little pathway that the book is trying to create.


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## heket (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jacks mom* 
Absolutely! All that little meany sister does is yell at her brother bunny all day! It's like listening to my mom nag me........

Having met the potential "Ruby," I don't believe that's what Ruby Wells was after. Have an almost 4 yo and 2yo, I do see a lot of Max and Ruby going on. They were books before they were TV characters, and personally I always thought the characters were quite charming. Max was meant to be a handful and Ruby was meant to guide him -- be it in a bossy way or not.

My personal disfavorites: Curious George (why does he get away with anything?), Captain Underpants (just too much potty humor for me), and the American Girls series (just too contrived for me.)


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## silly_scout (Aug 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Thalia the Muse* 
Hey, I didn't like On the Day You Were Born either. I think it's the combination of "Yes, by gum -- you ARE the center of the universe" with the fact that it's clearly written to make adults feel mushy, instead of to be enjoyed by the actual child who has to sit through it.











Quote:


Originally Posted by *fridgeart* 
DH and I HATE HATE HATE the Sandra Boynton books. We've received several copies of each one, with promises of how good/funny/etc they are...and we are always extremely underwhelmed by the crappy rhythm, awkward rhymes, and insipid/lacking storylines. I think we are the only people in the world to feel this way though?!

I love Boynton board books (say that 3 times fast). I think her books are great for babies, but I think they would get insipid for toddlers.
I just love her illustrations.


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## psychmama (Jun 9, 2007)

My German MIL has this book that my poor DH grew up with called something like StrudelPeter (it's in German). It's a series of vignettes in which kids meet horrible ends. For instance, on one page a little girl is playing with matches while her cats warn her not to. On the next page, she's burning alive while the cats cry. The most horrifying is a little boy who ignores a warning to stop sucking his thumb. The village tailor comes in with big garden shears and cuts his thumbs off (the thumb stumps are shown spurting blood). DH said that used to give him nightmares. My MIL thinks this book is great, but DD will not be reading it (although I might be tempted if they had a nose-picking story







).

I agree re Curious George. I remember loving it as a child, and then DH and I being horrified after we got a copy for DD. I mean, one day the little monkey is living happily in Africa, the next, he's kidnapped by the colonialist Man in the Yellow Hat, almost drowns, gets thrown into jail for accidentally calling the fire department, and the happy ending is that he gets to live on a tiny island in the zoo. Of course, we had to read it multiple times per night.

The most irritating book for me is The Cat and the Hat Comes Back. Has anyone else read this? The Cat gets in the tub and leaves a disgustingly greasy "long pink cat ring" in it, which then he wipes on everything in the house in an attempt to clean it. It goes on forever and is mind-numbingly boring. I tried to hide it, but DD went mournfully through the house searching for it, so it's back in circulation.

I am also in the anti Love You Forever, Guess How Much I Love You, and Giving Tree camp. Which is hard because so many people think these are the best books ever.


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## cholderby (Mar 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Yo Becca* 
I also hate Curious George - the first one is awful, and the one with the Pizza shop has a male character (can't remember his name - we'll say John) , and a female character named "John's wife" Grrr. We got that book from the library the same week we got another book about somebody and his wife. but DD loves curious george. and they are long enough and boring enough to put her to sleep .

It's Tony and Tony's wife! You know, because pizza has to be made by Italians, who are almost all named Tony...









DS loves that one too. I think the worst part is that its a book adaptation of a '70's cartoon adaptation of a book.


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## roostery (Jan 23, 2004)

I hate the Carl books. In our group of friends they are referred to as the "Crack-mom books" because that mom has to be going to make a buy, otherwise we can't figure out why she would be leaving her baby alone in the house and a department store.

I also hate the "Shy Little Kitten" golden book.

And, I know that I have thought way to much about this, but what the heck is Lowly Worm's status in the Richard Scarrey books? I have finally decided that he must be fostered by the Cat family. He shares Huckles room, it isn't Huckle's and Lowly's room. He call's Mother Cat, Mrs. Cat half the time, but Mrs Cat makes all the arrangements for him at school, he lives with them and recuperates there after he breaks his leg.

I picked up a copy of Curious George for DD and was absolutely horrified. Some classic!


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## Ms.QsMama (Nov 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ktbug* 
Oh, bummer, I LOVE Richard Scarry books. At least people are still reading them. They were totally my favorite when I was a kid.

My least favorite childrens' book, sadly, is The Giving Tree. Sneaky misogyny.
Sends a message I just don't like. It took me a quarter of a century to figure that message out, but once I saw it, I got the creeps.


You hit the nail on the head. I hate that book. As well as "Love You Forever". Many of the older Golden books have great illustrations, but the stories seem to either be sexist or they send a social message that I just can't get on board with.

I love anything and everything by Margaret Wise Brown. Her poetry and illustrations were magic to me as a child.

The worst children's books IMO are the ones that reduce the art of children's literature into a money making strategy. Corporations that shall remain nameless (use your imagination) produce utter crap to leech another $5.95 out of parents who's children swoon over the characters. Why anyone would feed that machine is beyond me.


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## Enudely (Jul 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *silly_scout* 









I love Boynton board books (say that 3 times fast). I think her books are great for babies, but I think they would get insipid for toddlers.
I just love her illustrations.

I love most of the Boynton books, but "Your Personal Penguin" is about a really creepy one sided, worship like relationship. We hid it.


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## operamommy (Nov 9, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sali* 
Dick and Jane built such reading confidence for my ds(I think they're not supposed to be read aloud to kids, but read by the kids when they're learning simple words)


Yep. My dd LOVED Dick and Jane books when she first began reading. Till this thread I'd never even heard of anyone reading them aloud to their dc. Oh, the boredom!







:


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## snugglebutter (Mar 19, 2003)

Love Song for a Baby - really not a bad book at all and a nice alternative to Love You Forever/On the Day You were Born/etc........ but I think the line "even your burps were bells" is just stupid.


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