# Books with offensive/racist/inappropriate text



## AllisonR (May 5, 2006)

I loved Little House series as a child. So I bought the series for 4 yo DS and am reading him a chapter a night at bedtime. Books 1 and 2 were fine. There were occasional references to "Laura being in need of a spanking" or something similar. I skipped over or replaced the words. But then I got to book 3 and it stopped me in my tracks. The blatant racism towards Native Americans was just too much. Again I skipped these sections, but what is the best option?

Choices?

1. I can read the text as it is, and then stop and discuss. Like "this is really hurtful and offensive to call a group of people savages. It was Ma and Pa that were ignorant. Just because someone is different or unknown to you does not mean they or their culture is less valuable than yours...." This is not going to work at night though, when DS is falling asleep. This would work better in the daytime, when DS is awake and could discuss. But even then, at 4 yo, not sure how much he would even be into discussing?

2. Stop reading the books. Trash them. Had I remembered they were so offensive, I would never have condoned it by purchasing the books. Hindsight is 20/20. (Off topic, I did once try to literally burn the book "What to Expect when you are expecting" out of protest, but the darn thing would not burn. You know, Fahrenheit 911 - guess it is true.)

3. Continue to read the books, but skip over offensive parts. This is what I am currently doing, but I don't feel right about it.

My son loves to hear the stories. The books were written in the past, and cover times and lifestyles not accepted today but did exist them. If I stopped reading all books that have offensive material, then a huge amount of great literature would be lost. This is also a form of ignorance, kwim?

I sure could use some tips and ideas.


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## Marylizah (Jun 17, 2005)

I don't know how old your child is (I'm assuming 3 or under).

For the toddler crowd, I would probably put the books aside and pull them out again when your child is older and able to really talk about the racism in the books.

IMO, and I hold this opinion very firmly, the worst thing you can do is censor your child's books. And by that I mean that when your child is old enough to choose for himself, trying to control what s/he reads is really wrong. Even books with "difficult" themes or racism or whatever can be used as the starting point for really important conversations.

I think the Little House books, racism and all, are really useful for understanding so much about American history. And when your child is older, s/he'll better understand the issues with racism. And I wouldn't say "Ma and Pa were ignorant", I would say something like "Ma and Pa had beliefs that most people had back then. They were wrong beliefs, as we know today, but back then, people felt that often." And take the conversation from there.

HTH


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## pixiekisses (Oct 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AllisonR* 
(Off topic, I did once try to literally burn the book "What to Expect when you are expecting" out of protest, but the darn thing would not burn. You know, Fahrenheit 911 - guess it is true.)

I'm sorry, totally of topic, but what do you mean here?


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## russsk (Aug 17, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pixiekisses* 
I'm sorry, totally of topic, but what do you mean here?

I think she meant Fahrenheit 451.


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## fek&fuzz (Jun 19, 2005)

I would find it very annoying if someone stopped reading a book to me to explain that the language was offensive. I read the Little House books when I was little and I knew that calling Indians "savages" wasn't something that we do now, but was something that was done then. I didn't need my mother to stop reading to me and explain it.


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *russsk* 
I think she meant Fahrenheit 451.

That's funny--I *saw* 911 but *thought* 451. OP, I figured it out!

I tend to skip over parts that I don't like in books. I just don't want to deal with dd picking up "you are stupid!" from a book I otherwise love (The Sun Egg). I have no intention of reading her Curious George anytime soon (especially the first one), for example, because they always make me cringe. But she is only 2. When she can think a little more critically, I think I'd deal with unsavory text in a book that had plenty of redeeming qualities and discuss it with dd.


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## pixiekisses (Oct 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *russsk* 
I think she meant Fahrenheit 451.

Oh, the temperature of burning books/paper etc. (And I've read somewhere that it's not even true that it burns on 451 F, but rather 450 C, and that's like 842 F.)

Anyway, OP, I'd probably set them aside for later, when your LO is big enough to have a discussion about it. That's what we do. We don't skip parts or censor books, we just read them when they are age appropriate and talk about it after. (Not in the middle of the book, that's annoying.)


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## lanamommyphd07 (Feb 14, 2007)

I say read it and stop only if your kiddo is like, "mom, what's a savage?" or the like. I think kids "get it" more that we give them credit for--and part of the wonderful nature of historical fiction is that when the kids learn about oppression, etc., they can say "oh yeah, there was some of that in little house" or whatever. But the truth is, Native American uprisings against the settlers were a very real threat for those people. They may not have seen it the way we do (that the white folk were basically invading) but they felt a very real threat, anyway.


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## harmonyhobbit (Sep 16, 2008)

We run across things we disagree with quite often, becasue we're in a religious minority. I generally stop at a convenient point and discuss it with my child. If it's just something in passing, I let it go (he will often stop me and point it out). I LOVE the Little House Books. My mom still has the full set that I read as a child. My dad will be sending them to me when he clears out my moms things (she's dying). They are historically accurate and illustrate some very important changes in our country's history. They largely influenced my decision to leave Los Angeles and move out here to the country and homestead.
I don't think you should gloss over somthing that is highly teachable. My mom is half Comanche. I remember reading the story and feeling a bit of a connection to my ancestral ppl, esp the part where laura talks about the baby's black eyes. I have those same eyes, but had never thought of them as desirable until then. I always thought of them as plain and ordinary. In a largely Latino area, it seemed everyone had eyes like mine. My mom told me about how her eyes had set her apart from the other children when she was growing up in rural Washington State. Now, living in a place where they are not common, and seeing my son with them, I appeciate their beauty.
IMO this is an important, rich cultural event. I would hate for it to be forgotten simply becasue it was unpleasant.


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## SageR (Jun 12, 2005)

My parents never censored my reading material but we did discuss it - both what I read for pleasure and what I had to read for school. So by the time I was old enough to read chapter books I was also aware enough to understand when writing showed archaic thought.

The Little House series were probably my favorite books as a child. I literally read my copies to pieces. Those books fueled my love of history and my desire to be a homemaker and maybe even a homesteader. But I can remember reading certain parts and understanding that they were not reflective of attitudes or practices that were appropriate in our circle of family and friends.

My advice is to put the books away until your dc are old enough to understand the concept of history and cultural change and the reintroduce, with the plan that if you don't read the books with them you will at least encourage them to talk about what they've read.

In the meantime there are many picture books that show rural life and historical concepts beautifully. Island Boy by Barbara Cooney, Oxcart Man by Donald Hall, When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston, Anno's Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton ...I'm sure there are more but these are some that we have and love.


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## mouso (Feb 8, 2007)

I would also wait. And that's coming from someone who CANNOT WAIT to read these with DD. I have read them all countless times. When I was young I knew that these things were wrong- without even reading them with an adult.

Pa does disagree with Ma at some point and I was always glad that he did. I was also never spanked and the books didn't scar me in terms of that either.
There is also a book where they put on a minstrel show. I am already thinking about how to address that when we read it.

I think censoring them takes away from the stories and a valuable discussion. I would rather wait until I don't feel I have to censor.
But, of course, you should do what you think your DC is ready to!

Sort of OT: I would recommend getting the Little House cookbook and making the recipes as you read them in the books. I used to make sugar on snow and stuff with kids that I worked with and it was always a HUGE hit.


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

There are picture book versions of the Little House books, too, that don't have the offensive stuff.


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

It's important, I think to discuss history with your child. ("Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it"). 4 years old is a bit young so you may want to wait a couple more years. I LOVED THE BOOKS and still quite often think of them.


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## Liquesce (Nov 4, 2006)

I don't really consider Little House 4-year-old material ... my basic principle is that if it contains things that I'm going to have difficulty discussing in a manner that my child can grasp and really think about themselves and formulate opinions on themselves, if it contains material that I feel I should skip over, it's a book that should be put away for an older age.


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## SparklingGemini (Jan 3, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beanma* 
There are picture book versions of the Little House books, too, that don't have the offensive stuff.


Yes! These are FANTASTIC!

As for reading the "grown-up versions, I don't know that I would necessarily wait but I would watch for any questioning of the themes covered and discuss them as maturity allows.

A four year old may not understand there is anything wrong with how things are presenting in the books. And I don't think I would try to make a child understand unless they are questioning. Its kind of like making trouble where this is none. You know?

I would just read them again later when the child is more mature and discuss it then.


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## ashleyhaugh (Jun 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SageR* 

The Little House series were probably my favorite books as a child. I literally read my copies to pieces.

wow i thought i was the only one, lol. i went through 3 or 4 sets as a kid/teenager/ i bought them in hardback as an adult.

with that said, im not sure how to handle it. my ds is only 18 months. i read my first one (by the shores of silver lake







) in second grade. i was out of school the day we got to pick a free book and my teacher picked it for me knowing id love it. the rest is history, lol. im visiting my mom right now, and she said i never asked any questions about it. i remember knowing enough to know that some of the things they said weren't ok to say now.


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## isfa (Apr 11, 2008)

can someone explain why curious george is offensive? i haven't read them since i was little and i just don't remember.


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## Chamsia (Jan 19, 2007)

Oh we LOVE Little House. Right now my almost-3 daughter just enjoys the picture books (My First Little House series.) But we look forward to the real ones!

For now I skip things I don't want my child saying ("I hate you", "stupid", "dumb"--it's amazing how much of this there is in picture books!) But we won't censor once she can read.

The way the man with the yellow hat traps and abducts George is pretty distressing.

Also bad are the Babar books. The funny part is in the original book when the king of the elephants eats a bad mushroom, turns green, and dies. My tot went around for 2 weeks saying "bad 'shroom, bad 'shroom". Babar also marries his child cousin. In another book he winds up on an island with dark, dark savages with bones through their noses.

I've also heard that the Raggedy Anne and Andy books are highly offensive, from a mom who remembered them fondly from her girlhood.

I'm cool with sitting Indian Style becoming "pretzel legs" or "criss cross applesauce". Now we need a non-offensive term to replace the term "Indian Giver".


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

I would read them in their entirety, when she's older, and then talk about how back then that was how white settlers thought of the natives because they were afraid of what they didn't know.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

Put them away for know. When DC is older, she can read them and after you can discuss how things have changed since the book was written and how people have come to understand that these views are inaccurate.

Like Fek, I hated when someone would stop in the middle of reading and say "That's now right so we do it differently/don't speak like that anymore." I hated it even more when someone would try and change what was written into some thing politically correct. I mean, yeah calling the Natives savages is a bad thing, but at the time that's about as the understanding went. There really wasn't another way of thinking for most people.


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## zinemama (Feb 2, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Liquesce* 
I don't really consider Little House 4-year-old material ... my basic principle is that if it contains things that I'm going to have difficulty discussing in a manner that my child can grasp and really think about themselves and formulate opinions on themselves, if it contains material that I feel I should skip over, it's a book that should be put away for an older age.

I completely agree. I read these to ds when he was 7 and by then we were able to talk about all that stuff and we did. I don't see these books as 4yo material.


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## mamarootoo (Sep 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Marylizah* 
I don't know how old your child is (I'm assuming 3 or under).

For the toddler crowd, I would probably put the books aside and pull them out again when your child is older and able to really talk about the racism in the books.

IMO, and I hold this opinion very firmly, the worst thing you can do is censor your child's books. And by that I mean that when your child is old enough to choose for himself, trying to control what s/he reads is really wrong. Even books with "difficult" themes or racism or whatever can be used as the starting point for really important conversations.

I think the Little House books, racism and all, are really useful for understanding so much about American history. And when your child is older, s/he'll better understand the issues with racism. And I wouldn't say "Ma and Pa were ignorant", I would say something like "Ma and Pa had beliefs that most people had back then. They were wrong beliefs, as we know today, but back then, people felt that often." And take the conversation from there.

HTH









:

my first understanding of racism was when my mom was reading us those books when i was in maybe 2nd grade. i understood at that point that the things they did in the books weren't done anymore (when was the last time you paid half a penny for christmas candy







) without a big conversation.


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## EBeth0000 (Aug 19, 2007)

I was an early reader (2.5) and read the books in preschool/kindergarten on my own. The way the series is written is to progress with the reader so book 3 is more appropriate for an older, early to mid-elementary schooler, but Little house in the Big Woods is ok for a little guy or gal.

I'm a history MA and I haven't decided yet how I will handle these issues with my kids. My parents never censored stuff, but as an early reader I think sometimes I didn't understand what was going on. Like I read To Kill a Mockingbird FAR too young--I didn't understand the historical context of the segregation nor did I understand rape







So I am thinking of offering a bit more guidance if my kids are also early/advanced readers to make sure they can deal with the themes.

The Curious George books bother me, too. And I have started reading messages into Thomas the Tank Engine, too (I think they are training kids to be compliant in an industrial/capitalist society! I have issues!!!) But this book is really good for adults--at least to give you some perspective on the series:
http://www.amazon.com/Constructing-L...9941561&sr=1-7


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

In defense of the Little House books, LIW does _discuss_ racism, not just present it. Most of the racist statements come from Ma rather than the narrative voice, and both Laura and Pa disagree with her assessment of Native Americans. There are several instances where Laura admires or envies NA characters, and instances where they are portrayed as wise (The Long Winter) and skilled (Farmer Boy).

I realise that doesn't make the books lily-white, but for the time period they're actually pretty impressively _non_-racist in some ways. I agree with the PPs who recommend waiting until your child is older and then discussing the books as you read them (not sentence-by-sentence though, that'd be annoying!).


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## Whistler (Jan 30, 2009)

I am currently reading the "Little House" books to my kids (4 and 2) and not worrying about discussing some of the heavier issues. I am sure we'll read them again at some point and will discuss them then. For now I don't expect anything is going to "rub off" on my kids because they can't understand all the issues right now. They are just enjoying the adventure and drama and (for my 2yo) cuddling with Mom and pointing out the big letters at the beginning of the chapters.

I loved the books as a kid and I remember thinking about the way they treated the Native Americans not being right and how I was sad that such a thing happened in the history of this country. But it made me more determined not to treat people that way myself, so I am glad my mom didn't censor them.


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## crazyrunningmama (Dec 16, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *isfa* 
can someone explain why curious george is offensive? i haven't read them since i was little and i just don't remember.

Things I don't like about the Curious George books:
- the man in the yellow hat steals him from Africa by tricking him and taking him away on a big ship and of course, George is _so happy_ to live in the zoo instead of being free in the jungle
- the man AND George smoke pipes
- in one story George feels so bad for what he has done he "wishes he was dead"
Plus, the overall theme is: misbehave, then pull off a cool trick and all will be forgiven, bit odd


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## tankgirl73 (Jun 10, 2007)

I would definitely put them away until later, or skip over the "bad bits" -- which might feel wrong but is it any different than substituting the illustrated books which are already pre-censored?

A 4-yo does not have a concept of TIME fully developed yet, an understanding of past and future and that there was a world before they existed, and of change and progress. They're developmentally too young to understand "people used to think this way but we know better now." They are also just absorbing everything they experience and are more likely to incorporate the language and ideas from the book. Sure, there's a chance they won't even understand what they're hearing, but personally I wouldn't take the chance. And if they pick up any negative language or ideas, it can always be un-learned later... but why even set up the need?

Believe me, I'm not one for "hiding" things from kids, but at the same time, you have to consider developmental appropriateness. When they're older they'll also appreciate and enjoy the books more.

We can be too eager, sometimes, to read our favourite "great books" to our kids when they're still too young. Of course kids can enjoy books much more complicated than sometimes we think, but there are limits. I tried reading The Hobbit to DS when he was like 4 or 5, and he hated it and we didn't get very far. Now that he's 10, I wanted to read it to him again. He REMEMBERED the experience from before and cried and screamed and insisted he hated it and didn't want it. We made a deal to just try it, and of course he ended up loving it. There's a HUGE difference in what kids can take and understand and absorb from preschool to preteen kids.


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## pinksprklybarefoot (Jan 18, 2007)

We just finished reading the first of the Little House books to my stepdaughter, who is 6. I *loved* these books when I was growing up, but forgot about quite a bit of the subject matter. DH was a little apalled as he was reading, because we are vegans and much of the first book deals with animal slaughter and hunting. He didn't skip over anything, but did comment on it. We don't spank, and DH talked about that as well. He presented it as something that parents used to do, even though that isn't completely accurate.


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## Snuzzmom (Feb 6, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *crazyrunningmama* 
Things I don't like about the Curious George books:
- the man in the yellow hat steals him from Africa by tricking him and taking him away on a big ship and of course, George is _so happy_ to live in the zoo instead of being free in the jungle
- the man AND George smoke pipes
- in one story George feels so bad for what he has done he "wishes he was dead"
Plus, the overall theme is: misbehave, then pull off a cool trick and all will be forgiven, bit odd

Yeah, that all kinda freaked me out when I re-read it for the first time to my DS. Poor little monkey.

Some nursery rhymes are kinda iffy, too... I for some reason can't remember which it is but there's one that ends "so she whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed." !!! I just usually skip that one.









Then there's Brer Rabbit. And in the Peter Rabbit books the farmer is trying to kill Peter after having killed Peter's father.

A lot of traditional children's literature has scary/ questionable elements.

As to the Little House books, I think I read them in maybe first grade and I got that the way they talked about race was indicitive of the time. I agree with the posters who suggested that you wait a little bit.


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## accountclosed2 (May 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chamsia* 
Also bad are the Babar books. The funny part is in the original book when the king of the elephants eats a bad mushroom, turns green, and dies. My tot went around for 2 weeks saying "bad 'shroom, bad 'shroom". Babar also marries his child cousin. In another book he winds up on an island with dark, dark savages with bones through their noses.

As a child I loved Babar, then my mother sent DD Babar at Home. My particular problem with that book is when Dr Capoulosse declares that the newborn triplets do not gain enough weight, so they must have a large spoon of honey in their bottles. Hum. Three themes that all bother me: concern with babies not gaining enough weight (DD didn't gain well for a while, but I think drs are often too concerned with weight); honey and botulism, but more honey for a baby to gain weight?; and then bottle-feeding, of course (I'd just rather not normalize bottle-feeding in DD's eyes).

I love the Little House books, but I'll wait until DD is old enough to understand how people's beliefs have changed through history.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Snuzzmom* 
Some nursery rhymes are kinda iffy, too... I for some reason can't remember which it is but there's one that ends "so she whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed." !!! I just usually skip that one.









There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.

When I was little I figured "She's living in a shoe so she's probably not all there any way."


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

How timely! I'm reading Little House on the Prairie to my 4yo son, and just today we got to a part where Ma talks about "not liking" Indians, and I had a little "hmm" moment too.

I read it as-is, and my son didn't seem to pick up on anything in particular, so I just kept reading. If the references become more frequent/blatant (as it sounds like they will), we'll talk about the time period and the views that people held, and how things have changed.


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## LoBleusMama (Aug 10, 2005)

i felt this way about the junie b. jones books, i read the box set that we had but I will not be buying them anymore.


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LoBleusMama* 
i felt this way about the junie b. jones books, i read the box set that we had but I will not be buying them anymore.

me too, i can't stand how mean spirited all the adults in poor junie b's life are. constantly demeaning her and mocking her







my dd has read the whole entire series though and she loves them. junie b's grammatical mess-ups and problems make her laugh.









we have read all the (younger) ramona books recently, too, and i can't believe how awful some of them are! ramona's dad sitting around being depressed and chain smoking! how her parents are constantly discussing how much money they (don't) have! the spankings! to me, almost too gritty for dd, but she has enjoying them very much, and loves that ramona is "free-range"- she gets to go wander the neighborhood alone, walk to the store and school alone. she also likes that ramona is spunky like her









the little house books, we havent read, but they are on our list and i appreciate knowing they have some racial stuff in them beforehand. i didnt read them as a kid, so i really have no idea about them. will be a good discussion, i am sure...

i too am leery of alot of nursery rhymes...i think i hate "peter peter pumpkin eater" and "georgie porgie" the worst...

agree that some of beatrix potter is just awful, too, benjamin bunny and peter constantly getting beaten and jemima puddle duck losing her eggs and then some of the later ones dying because she was a "poor sitter"....oy. i hid those until dd was old enough to realize the historical context, and we talked about it alot.

ita curious george is not so great. i was so surprised they made a movie and show out of it-at least they were both not very much like the books. the man in the yellow hat beat poor george, if i remember correctly...


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## kcstar (Mar 20, 2009)

Good questions!

I was reading the LIW books on my own in kindergarten and first grade. I don't remember what I thought about the Native American portrayals at the time.

We read Dr. Seuss to our son frequently, and there's a few pages that we will skip semi-regularly.

The first one we came across was in "One Fish, Two Fish", the page with "Brush, brush, brush brush, comb, comb, comb, comb. All girls who like to brush and comb, should have a pet like this at home." At first I added "All girls who don't like to brush and comb should have a different pet...", but now I usually skip it.

"To think that I saw it on Mulberry Street" has a line with a lot of boys names, and then "Even Jane could think of that!" I've let that one slide, but it makes me think.

"Hop on Pop" has the page about "Dad is sad, very very sad. He had a bad day, what a day dad had." Since DH is an at-home dad, and not sad about it, we've taken to skipping it most days. (The exceptions being the rare times it's really true.)

I think the ones I'm struggling with the most, are the heirlooms from DH's grandmother, that she used to read to DH's dad. We have them up on a high shelf, out of reach, so they don't get destroyed. A part of me would like to take them down and read parts to DS, I just need to pre-read them to find the right parts.

The first heirloom I received is a collection of stories, I've only read two. I didn't have a problem with the Beatrix Potter in this one. But the one with Little Black ***** really gave me pause. I don't know that I object to the plot *too* much (trickster stories have their place), it's some of the descriptors... and the names are the WORST.


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## deadheadmomma (Feb 22, 2008)

This discussion made me think of when I read the original Grimm's fairy tales as a child. They are full of death, mutilation and violence. Not to mention casting witches in a bad light (for those who are wiccan). I also read a bunch of other fairy tale books (a serious of different colors) that I checked out of my elementary school's library. I have to say, they didn't scar me, but I will probably not read them to my DS







. Of course these stories were originally meant to teach children morals and not for entertainment, unlike the modern children's stories.


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## PikkuMyy (Mar 26, 2004)

I read of the Little house books as a first-second grader, along with many other older books like Betsey, which have outdated references, words that are used offensively now, etc. Neither of my parents explained any of that to me, and they didn't need to. I was old enough to understand the differences.

So I'd wait until your children were old enough to understand some of the issues and can see that when they read the books.


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## Karrie42 (Apr 19, 2008)

I think 4 is a little young to read the Little House on the Prairie books, but still, if I were reading them I would definitely stop after I read a word like 'savages' and explain racism in an age appropriate way ("This word means that they think the Native Americans were scary and mean. The Native Americans did a lot of things differently than Ma and Pa, and people often get scared of things that are different.")

But that's just me. My son is 18 months and already I'm explaining gender norms to him in his picture books! ("That's a dress. Many girls wear dresses. Some boys like to wear them too.")

- Karrie


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## PlayaMama (Apr 1, 2007)

we just started on the banks of plum creek two weeks ago. i read it as is but we discuss things at the end of hte chapter sometimes. or he'll ask about things as we read. i'm not too terribly worried, i do find the constant referrence to "good girls" and "bad girls" and how laura always has to be quiet a little upsetting. but we never use that language here and i mentiont how it's different for different families.


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## zinemama (Feb 2, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by **Erin** 
we have read all the (younger) ramona books recently, too, and i can't believe how awful some of them are! ramona's dad sitting around being depressed and chain smoking! how her parents are constantly discussing how much money they (don't) have! the spankings! to me, almost too gritty for dd, but she has enjoying them very much, and loves that ramona is "free-range"- she gets to go wander the neighborhood alone, walk to the store and school alone. she also likes that ramona is spunky like her









Gosh, we read all the Ramona books too, and I didn't find them awful in the slightest! Families have problems and money is a main one - what's wrong with that? And when a person can't find a job, he's bound to be depressed. I thought the books were realistic about the problems, while at the same time showing them from a kid's pov. And also showing how important the family was, the way they all count on each other. And the whole point of the smoking thing is that Ramona tries to get her dad to stop it. My kids, who know that Smoking is Bad, thought this set-up - in which the parent is wrong and the kid is right - was downright hilarious.


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## Whistler (Jan 30, 2009)

I find it so interesting what different people object to reading to their kids! I'm pretty sure we all agree on some things being wrong but how we deal with it varies so widely.

I remember in "Richard Scarry's Mother Goose" my mom would never read me the "Taffy Was A Welshman" poem. I thought it was so weird at the time, but now when I read it, I don't want to read it to my kids either!

It never occurred to me to dislike Ramona or Grimm's Fairy Tales. I figure there has to be something bad in them or you don't have enough drama for an interesting story!


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## skolbut (Feb 18, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beanma* 
There are picture book versions of the Little House books, too, that don't have the offensive stuff.

I was just going to suggest this!! Then you can go back and re-read the original stories in a few years... I think maybe age 7 or 8 would be a good time to discuss some of the racial/familial themes with your LO. JMHO.


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## Marylizah (Jun 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Whistler* 
It never occurred to me to dislike Ramona or Grimm's Fairy Tales. I figure there has to be something bad in them or you don't have enough drama for an interesting story!









:

Life isn't always easy and perfect, even for our kids who we try to protect as best we can. I think reading books that deal with life issues can only help them figure out how people respond and react to problems.

As a kid I totally related to the Ramona books BECAUSE they talked about money problems. It was a huge issue in my house and totally taboo to talk about anywhere.


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## KJoslyn78 (Jun 3, 2007)

addme top the list of "reading the adapted Little House book collection but LIW, and save _Little House on the Prairie_ for another time. The others are picture books, we have one (_Summertime in the Big Woods_), and get others often from our library.


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## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

I always feel torn over issues like these. No, I'd rather not normalize some of the content that we find in books. And there are times when I'm reading to my son or to my kindergarteners at school when I change the language (the most recent one I can think of was a book about twins and the mommy and daddy fed the twins with a bottle--there were no pictures of bottles so I just read that the mommy nursed her twins).
On the flip side, I'm sitting here looking at all these titles of books that I have always enjoyed, and that do have some really good things about them--they are enjoyable to read, funny and quirky. My kindergarteners LOOOOOVE Junie B. And I think she's pretty funny, too for that matter. After I've read a chapter, we usually debrief and talk about what happened. And I don't think the adults are always demeaning... sure, sometimes they roll their eyes at what she says (I mean good grief, she brought a fish stick to school for pet day in one story--even my kindergarteners rolled their eyes at that one)... but there are other parts where the adults do the right thing (One story, her teacher apologizes to her about stealing a grape and not doing the right thing.... in another, when she gets caught copying off of someone's paper at school, she has a note sent home and her parents actually talk with her about it-- a little frustration, perhaps, but no yelling or spanking). My beef with Junie B. is the teaching practices-- too much rote and copying... not very appropriate for kindergarteners. Anyway, sorry to go off on my Junie B rant... my point is that we can't avoid EVERY book that has objectionable content in them (and it does depend on what the content is). I will probably get flamed for saying this, but I just really hate the thought of limiting what children read because "it's not AP enough."







:


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## BunnySlippers (Oct 30, 2007)

I think it would be fantastic if there was a racism free version of children's books. HOwever, I grew up reading them(and others), and did not grow up with any racist notions. It did and still does annoy me.


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## mommy68 (Mar 13, 2006)

My DD is about to turn 7 and I returned the Little House books I got on Amazon late last year.







She wasn't ready for the content. I was amazed at the amount of violence in the beginning of the first book I opened. She is waaaay too sensitive for that type of stuff.


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## BunnySlippers (Oct 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Snuzzmom* 

Some nursery rhymes are kinda iffy, too... I for some reason can't remember which it is but there's one that ends "so she whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed." !!! I just usually skip that one.









.

when I get to that point I say "so she hugged them and kissed them and sent them to bed"








Ill see what happenes when dd learns to read


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## claddaghmom (May 30, 2008)

I think 4yo is the perfect time to introduce this material. Most 4yo I know/knew are having to learn what to say and what not to say. Don't they call it the potty talk period? lol









That being said, why not just skip over the parts you have trouble with and your child can read them in entirety at a later age.


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## Girlprof (Jun 11, 2007)

My parents read me the Little House books starting when I was four. I adored them. I can still remember my dad coming home with a particular kind of brown paper bag and that's how I knew he had purchased a new book.

Of course, back in those days, we were all less sensitive to these issues but my parents were pretty with-it about racism stuff. I may be an outlier on here, but I'm not sure the lesson isn't in the books already. I still remember the scene where Laura and Pa watch the Native Americans walking away from their land. Neither of them is all that happy about it - I think Pa has specifically brought Laura so she can witness it. For me as a child, at least, that was nearly enough. I didn't need (or probably want) the details until much later but I could understand some of the emotion around the issue by reading the books.

My KG'er got a quite strange view of native americans last Thanksgiving. No, not the traditional telling. Instead, a week long focus on native american crafts, native american language, native american songs, etc. All wonderful, really but: 1) no pilgrims at all, which was just weird and 2) nothing bad happening to all these lovely native american folks, which is just inaccurate.


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## Bluegoat (Nov 30, 2008)

As far as Jemima Puddleduck goes - I've kept ducks, and they ARE bad sitters who don't hatch their eggs well. I don't see much point in hiding things like that from children.


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