# Children's books that you just don't like



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I don't like The Giving Tree.

There, I admitted it. People say it's a story of love, but it seems like some kind of dysfunctional relationship with a martyr to me. I just don't like it.

What children's books do you dislike?


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## rachelsmama (Jun 20, 2005)

I have a love-hate relationship with Green Eggs and Ham. I love the way it rolls off my tongue, but I hate the way Sam badgers the other character, has zero respect for boundaries, etc... and then at the end, the other character gives in, thereby sending Sam the message that it's acceptable to treat him that way. It strikes me as an unhealthy relationship.


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## kaypea (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds the Giving Tree problematic.


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## Katie8681 (Dec 29, 2010)

The Lorax makes me feel sad. I'm not saying it's not an important message, it just bums me out.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

"Love You Forever", because it reminds me of my MIL. In the creepiest way possible.


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## JollyGG (Oct 1, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamazee*
> 
> I don't like The Giving Tree.
> 
> ...


I feel the exact same way about The Giving Tree. Every time I read it I think what a selfish, ungrateful, brat the person in it is.

I also dislike the Beatrix Potter books. My MIL loves them so my kids have multiple copies of most of them. But somehow those books get culled every time I purge the bookshelves.

I'm sure there's others. I know there are others.


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## michelleepotter (Apr 8, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JollyGG*
> 
> I feel the exact same way about The Giving Tree. Every time I read it I think what a selfish, ungrateful, brat the person in it is.


I completely agree. It's my mom's favorite book, but I think it's ridiculous. I also hate "Love You Forever." It's just creepy, IMHO.

Honestly, I don't like Dr. Seuss, Dick & Jane, or anything meant to be silly, easy readers for small kids. I think they're kind of a waste of time. I mean, they're good for kids just learning to read to themselves, but if I'm going to read to the kids, there are just so many wonderful, fascinating books that will delight small children AND keep a parent's interest.


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## A&A (Apr 5, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stormborn*
> 
> "Love You Forever", because it reminds me of my MIL. In the creepiest way possible.


Yeah, this. Especially since MIL gifted us with the book!


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## kavamamakava (Aug 25, 2004)

The Rainbow Fish makes me sad that the fish had to give up who he was to fit in.


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## zwickya (Jun 4, 2010)

I don't like The Cat in the Hat. Let a stranger into your home while your parents are gone; then consent to lie to your mother about it.


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## Fireflyx (Apr 24, 2011)

I can't stand Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. I like the drawings but the story is basically about a selfish little boy who doesn't give a hoot about anyone else.

Oh, and just because the story has sooooo many holes...The Man in the Moon (The Guardians of Childhood) by William Joyce. Again the graphics are great but the story is lacking so much as to be highly annoying.

(But I really love the Beatrix Potter books  )


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## heatherlyb (Dec 28, 2009)

I don't think you should view The Giving Tree as analogous to human relationships. It's quite clearly about man's exploitation of nature, which gives and gives and gives, until there's nothing left. I LOVE that book, even though it makes me cry every time.

I hate anything by Richard Scarry, and the Berenstain Bears annoy me to no end. Every Disney "book" (aka, profit/brand extender) should be burned.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Oh I love Richard Scarry, but I agree about the Berenstein Bears. We had one of those books and it really worked to force a rhyme. I can't stand books that rhyme if the rhymes don't feel natural.

I think I only love Richard Scarry because those were my favorite books growing up and I have fond memories. I admit there are some issues with them, because sometimes I'll look at one and something will make me cringe a bit. Some of the stories feel dated.


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## milkfed (May 30, 2013)

Llama, Llama Red Pjama! Maybe I am overly sensitive about it, but I really hate that Llama is crying for his Mama in his room and made to wait...and then sort of scolded for it. My baby is only 5 months and I asked my MIL to stop reading that to him. She said the book teaches "an important lesson" that he doesn't always need his mom to soothe him. Surprised me because she is naturally pretty AP...(except for my bed sharing


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Oh yeah, where Lama Lama misses mama! I felt like the mama was trying to get off the phone as quickly as she could and not that she didn't care, but I can see your point.

Interesting to see how other people feel about books.


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## csteely (Sep 19, 2009)

I second the Rainbow Fish. That was was culled quickly.

Also can't stand the give a mouse a cookie/moose a muffin stories. Not sure why... maybe they're just not fun to read? So many great books out there, can't tolerate mediocre ones.

Love Beatrix Potter (but I'm a biologist so I love the predator-prey depictions, ahem).


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## mommatomany (Jul 30, 2013)

Giving Tree has my vote too.... selfish. I don't care if it is analogous of nature it's a scary message to read to kids.... give until you are gone? Take until and never feel good? I'd rather a positive ending book in that way. (Possibly Shel was sending parents a message so it's not intended for kids) while I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I'm cold on Matilda and James and the Giant Peach where my kids are concerned. Somehow the negatives there left me feeling as if I was telling my kids not to trust .... I prefer messages of perseverance that are not so negative?


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## mama amie (Jul 3, 2011)

Fireflyx mentioned Man in the Moon by William Joyce- I love it now that we're reading the Guardians series. The holes, I think, are meant to be lead-ins that are explained in the series.

I also found Love You Forever and Green Eggs and Ham and the Giving Tree to be unlivable. I think if a kid is older, they might be able to discuss the downside of the Giving Tree, but that is a bit nuanced for little ones. Anything that exhibits inappropriate treatment of others or generally being a nuisance will often just influence a child's behavior in an unpleasant way.

Lastly, we have a book that I wish would disappear called Tip Runs Away (I think). It's about a mouse named Tip who is way mean to his mom and generally has a nasty attitude. I cannot stand reading it.


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## maptome (Feb 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stormborn*
> 
> "Love You Forever", because it reminds me of my MIL. In the creepiest way possible.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *A&A*
> 
> Yeah, this. Especially since MIL gifted us with the book!


Yep. MIL gifted me that book when I had my first baby, too. It totally freaked me out. Perhaps I will feel differently about it when my kids are grown...


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## Twilson (Dec 3, 2009)

I don't like any of the Grimm Fairy Tales. I bought a treasury for my youngest daughter thinking that the stories were once ones that i had enjoyed but they were all so morbid! The Ugly Duckling was lonely and sad! Hansel and Gretel was another nightmarish story; a wicked cannabils witch, a wicked step mother and a father who doesn't love his children enough to keep them! Just what every child wants to be read to before bed!


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## jenneology (Oct 22, 2007)

I can't stand the books "On the Day You Were Born" and "The Night You Were Born." Many moms traumatized by the birth experience also hate those books. I count myself in with them but also don't like the inflated sense of self-worth that the books seem to promote. It also feels like I'm lying to my child. Not even Prince George got that welcome like the books describe. I got the difference between figurative and literal and those books are way too figurative for me...


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## BushMama83 (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm not a fan of Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch! My little one started his "Noooo!" phase right around the time he was gifted this book. Coincidence? I think not!


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

I don't like the dinosaur books, can't think of the exact names but its a series like, "How does a Dinosaur go to Bed" and stuff like that. My kid can go to bed any damn way he wants and we don't need dinosaurs telling us how!! Okay maybe I'm a little over board LOL!

I used to be friends with this rough looking biker dude and I will never forget his girlfriend telling me that he stumbled across "The Giving Tree" and sat down to read it. He then broke into tears!!! I really like that book.

Oh and I hate the Llama Llama books. Pushing their mainstream agenda on my child! Once again, I'm going overboard LOL.


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## JollyGG (Oct 1, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *csteely*
> 
> Love Beatrix Potter (but I'm a biologist so I love the predator-prey depictions, ahem).


I'm actually a biologist as well. Don't know why I hate the Beatrix Potter books, but I do.


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## rebeccamae (Nov 13, 2005)

Dora books! It really doesn't help that they appeal to kids at the same age where they like to read the same book over and over.


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## simplyserenity (Nov 15, 2011)

Anything Dora or Diego is absolutely torture to read.


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## creative-juices (Jul 30, 2013)

Personally, the Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog books (originals) make me nuts. Never liked them, even as a kid. Berenstain Bears, and Critter books - oh-so-annoying! Seuss books are fine, but I only ever read them once a day. Disney versions of any classic fairy tales have never set foot in my house. The Magic Tree House makes me gag - I find them quite patronizing of kids.

So, to end positively, what did I enjoy sharing with my kids? K. Y. Craft's books, Sleeping Beauty by Mercer and Marianna Meyer, P. J. Lynch's books, The Full Belly Bowl by Jim Aylesworth, pretty much anything by Jan Brett, Piggie Pie, Custard the Dragon, The Root Children (almost any version), any Elsa Beskow books, Wild Child, Winter Waits, Spring's Sprung.....and so many others, I could go on-and-on for pages. So really, I don't think my children have suffered much for the books I've omitted.


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## kbluspiro (Jun 20, 2009)

I'm with you on the Disney books. I wouldn't necessarily mind that they are Disney, but they're SOOO badly written I can't stand to read them aloud.


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## granolagina (Mar 2, 2003)

I don't like any Seuss books. Too many made up words and nonsense. I won't let my beginner reader try to read them out loud because the words are so screwy.


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## mrsk2010 (Dec 1, 2011)

I really love "I Love You Forever." A little weird, yes, but the mother/son love is so sweet. I try to think of it as being more figurative than literal.


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## gloobella (May 1, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kbluspiro*
> 
> I'm with you on the Disney books. I wouldn't necessarily mind that they are Disney, but they're SOOO badly written I can't stand to read them aloud.


I hate those Disney books. I call them movie books and the kids know that I will never read them to them. If I want the story I will just watch the movie. Ugg they are ghastly.


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## seamaiden399 (Jan 3, 2010)

I hate the "David" books and Skippyjon Jones books. I ordered both in school mass market paperback when we were going to be overseas for an extended period and I hadn't seen either in person. They are not at all to my taste, and the David books are terribly "bratty". My in-laws have purchased some dull, preachy ones that I also didn't care for such as one about "filling your bucket" and the Lois Ehlert leaf books. *yawn* But then they also found the enchanting baby wombat book, so it is a mixed bag. 

We love the Llama Llama books, especially the Llama, Llama Misses Mama book because it was very appropriate for us when my DD was adjusting to preschool. I don't find the Red Pajama book all that problematic even though we have a different parenting style (co-sleeping). *shrug* It is refreshing to occasionally see examples of co-sleeping families in readings, but unfortunately I mostly only see those in our Japanese language picture books!  We also enjoy the Dinosaur books. However our favorites, for an unusual one, include "a lot of otters"- something about the fantasy of the story and the artwork just weaves a spell for us, and i love the connection between child and mother depicted. We also like "where the wild things are" and "goodnight moon." My daughter adores the Corduroy books as well.

We read Seuss because my daughter enjoys it, but it is something of a chore.


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## Dela (Jul 8, 2013)

Disney books. Anything Disney. Especially Cars or Princesses.

Anything about Dora too. DEATH TO DORA.

Ping the Duck. Horrible, nasty book that normalizes corporal punishment.

I agree with the Llama Llama books being a reinforcement of "mainstream" ideas too, and not only that but an ego-stroke for mainstream moms. Icky.

Fancy Nancy and her even more stereotyped and shallow cousin Pinkalicious. Gahhhh.

Peter Rabbit.

Little House series. HATE those books and hated them as a kid.


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

If Dora is found dead we will all know who the main suspect is...

We have some crappy book about The Lion King and my son LOVES it. Why is this stuff published and my great American novel languishes on my computer???? LOL


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## kbvr (Oct 24, 2011)

Cant stand creepy "Love you Forever"......I also dislike the controlling tone of "The Runaway Bunny" Margaret Wise Brown


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## Nazsmum (Aug 5, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dela*
> 
> Anything about Dora too. DEATH TO DORA.


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## shealayha (Jul 31, 2013)

UGH. The Little Critter books - every single one of them. They are pointless! One starts out "I was so mad" then ends with "I will be mad again tomorrow." Well, great idea - let's teach kids to not LET GO and resolve anger issues.

And I am so with you on Green Eggs and Ham. Easy read, just rolls off the tongue, but so many underlying issues...

(btw LOVE this thread!!!)


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## revolting (Sep 10, 2010)

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. No good reason. It just bugs me.


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## gooseberry (Feb 20, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *heatherlyb*
> 
> I don't think you should view The Giving Tree as analogous to human relationships. It's quite clearly about man's exploitation of nature, which gives and gives and gives, until there's nothing left. I LOVE that book, even though it makes me cry every time.
> 
> I hate anything by Richard Scarry, and the Berenstain Bears annoy me to no end. Every Disney "book" (aka, profit/brand extender) should be burned.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kbluspiro*
> 
> I'm with you on the Disney books. I wouldn't necessarily mind that they are Disney, but they're SOOO badly written I can't stand to read them aloud.


They are definitely profit/brand extenders, and awful. Any of those books based on licensed characters are like that. Most of the time they don't even credit the "author" on the cover, because they're not someone's art that they put thought and love into, they're slick crap to sell more product. We were soooooooo happy to return a princess ANTHOLOGY to the library last week. It was torture.

My dad and stepmom have no idea how to look for interesting children's books, and therefore always buy what they consider classics: Beatrix Potter, Disney or Sesame Street, Dr. Seuss. None of these things resonate with me anymore, though I liked them as a kid.


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## Avalyn (Jul 31, 2013)

I do like The giving tree, it shows giving gives mostly happiness, taking gives mostly discontentness.

I don't like most our dutch children's books sad to say. Almost every book has the moral of children that have to listen or else, children are naughty and/or stupid everything goes wrong in almost every book. It is hard to search for nice childrens books. Therefore I tend to buy a lot of english books, she learns english at the same time. 

Also I don't like marketing books, like Dora etc.


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## jheckner (Jul 31, 2013)

YES!! A friend of mine shared Love You Forever with me, thinking it was so sweet and wonderful and I was really shocked with how inappropriate it was! The mother is sneaking into his house when he is an adult with a family to rock him?! I think it really shows lack of respect for our children growing up and lack of boundaries in general. Ugg.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

Aw, I love I Love You Forever. It was the first book I bought when I found out I was pregnant. The first night I had my DS, following a high risk pregnancy, and he was in the NICU, it was the first book I read to him. I later found out that Munsch dedicated it to the 2 babies he and his wife lost. It was essentially an elegy to those departed little ones. I dunno, maybe that makes it even more disturbing to y'all.

Someone mentioned Richard Scarry. His books never appealed to me. I don't like Curious George either. That's due to a combination of disliking the naughty behaviour and the fact that I cannot stand monkeys of any kind. Talk about creepy. All monkeys (including apes and chimpanzees) are creepy.


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## myra1 (Jan 20, 2013)

God Gave Us You....I have no problem with Christian books, but a bear with an OB, Doppler, hospital birth, and bottle feeding? If anyone can UC and breastfeed, its a durn bear!

The Backyardigans are intolerable.


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## MichelleZB (Nov 1, 2011)

I can't stand Guess How Much I Love You. I find it nauseating, overcomplicated, and repetitive in a boring way. All the characters have super long names and it doesn't scan. Badly written and no plot.


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## dalia (Sep 3, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *myra1*
> 
> God Gave Us You....I have no problem with Christian books, but a bear with an OB, Doppler, hospital birth, and bottle feeding? If anyone can UC and breastfeed, its a durn bear!
> 
> The Backyardigans are intolerable.


Did they use forceps?? LOL


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## PacificMar (Jul 24, 2012)

Our daughter is at the board-book age (eight months)--she's fascinated by books, since my husband, our older daughter, and I read constantly, but only board books can survive her oral exploration and ripping of pages--and I'd love to see some quality literature for this age group. It seems they all have a single sentence (or even a single word) on a page, as if they're targeted at preschoolers learning word recognition and decoding, but since the littlest ones aren't even at that stage, wouldn't it be great to have simple stories parents enjoy reading aloud without cringing and babies and toddlers can munch on without destroying them?

I agree with much of what the previous posters have said about loathed literature. In the past, psychologists like Bruno Bettleheim championed fairy tales because of the fantasy component, but now there are so many more wonderful fantasy books that don't contain all that violence, sexism, racism, and punitive child-rearing philosophy. They strike me as cultural artifacts for folklorists to study, not something to read to a child. Beatrix Potter's work makes me smile because of the Victorian feel (including animals wearing pinafores and jackets--it's just too silly for words), but I'd be uncomfortable sharing them with a child because the poor animal-children are always getting spanked for such "indiscretions" as shedding clothes no self-respecting animal would wear! I also find media tie-in books so irritating, Disney in particular (princesses--gaak!), but others as well. As a rule, they seem poorly written and, since we don't have a television, Luthien won't have any context for the characters and situations. And then there are those aggravating books that make pesky noises when you press them, such as one we recently culled that featured Elmo toilet-training his doll, complete with the sounds of flushing, toilet paper spinning on the roll, and other things I could imagine Luthien pressing ad nauseam, causing a parental breakdown.

We like Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, The Velveteen Rabbit, and for older children, The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, which features real moral dilemmas and never talks down to its middle-grade audiences.


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## PacificMar (Jul 24, 2012)

Oh, I should explain...the toilet-training book made all these sounds when you press a button with an image of the object, such as the toilet. Argh!


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## Marlena Schutz (Jun 4, 2012)

My mom (who is a retired ECFE director) bought me a book of fairy tales when my daughter was born. After looking through several different books, trying to find one that was't just plain freaky (a very difficult task, btw), she finally found one that she liked. Unfortunately, she skipped over 2 important pages. She was shocked when I sent a pic of what I found on those 2 pages, and it was returned ASAP. Now we look through every page of every book before my daughter gets to see it


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

I'm also a hater of Rainbow Fish. Self-mutilation as the path to popularity?!?

I'm not a big fan of The Giving Tree, but that's mainly because I was raised Unitarian and that book was heavily overused as a "sermon" for children's chapel.

We had a book called Mr. Nosy about a guy who always wants to know what others are doing. So the others gang up on him to physically injure his nose. The moral, apparently, is that if you are interested in the activities of your fellow people, you deserve to be assaulted and maimed!!! After one reading I put that book through the shredder.


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## Dela (Jul 8, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EnviroBecca*
> 
> I'm also a hater of Rainbow Fish. Self-mutilation as the path to popularity?!?
> 
> ...


I too dislike Mr. Nosy. Hooray for apathy! OR ELSE.

Gotta say though, I still love The Giving Tree. But I was never beaten over the head with it and it was never used as any kind of moral/emotional blackmail, so I'm sure I'd feel hostile to it if it was.


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## Katie8681 (Dec 29, 2010)

Love me some Eric Carle!


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## Dianamal (Sep 22, 2008)

I hate "Pat The Bunny" because the stinky "flower" smell gives me a headache.


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## mama amie (Jul 3, 2011)

Oh, I almost forgot the Junie B. Jones series. I loved it at first- so fun to read in a little kid voice. But I soon realized that the behaviors, attitudes and mispronounced words were a terrible influence on my 4 year old. He's many levels above that character, verbally- rarely mispronounces words and wasn't a name-caller prior to reading it.

I wanted to love the Stillwater books, too- "Zen Shorts" and "Zen Ghosts", but they are a bit nuanced still.

I would love some good humanist and Buddhist leaning books that are well-written and beautifully illustrated.

I really wish more children's books could be good role-modeling while still keeping with age appropriateness.


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## salr (Apr 14, 2008)

Can someone explain what's mainstream about Llama Llama? I mean, in a bad way?... They live in a house and not a yurt, right? And...the llama is in daycare? Not using family cloth? Maybe I haven't read enough of them. They seem pretty normal to me and I can't think of anything I found inappropriate like language usage, discipline style, racism, evil messages.

It's OK, I hate the David Smells book and the Pigeon books. And I guess I just didn't think the joke in the Pigeon book I read was funny. To each his own!


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

I do not like the "No, David!" books...too sad and mean.

I have no objection to "Llama, Llama, Where's Your Mama?" Yes, he goes to daycare. So do the children of lots of loving parents.

Love Dr. Seuss, many Boynton books, Tom and CeCe Bell, and a zillion others. Loved the "Little House on the Prairie" series.

No Disney here, but he gets it at MiLs. Too much violence/peril for me.

I am not a fan of "Little Critter."

Got rid of "Rainbow Fish" last week. I am all into sharing and losing conceit, but not into carving off bits of yourself to be with the "in" crowd.


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## mamapigeon (Dec 16, 2010)

The newer Berenstain Bear books. I haven't looked over the older ones for quite some time, but the flow of language in the new stories is awful! Anything Dr. Seuss drives me crazy, as does Curious George.

It's interesting that a few people here have listed the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. We love those!


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I love the pigeon books too! They're favorites.

We did receive a couple of those Disney books as gifts and they are awful. They're just the story of the movie, and they're boring and much longer than they need to be.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PacificMar*
> 
> Our daughter is at the board-book age (eight months)--she's fascinated by books, since my husband, our older daughter, and I read constantly, but only board books can survive her oral exploration and ripping of pages--and I'd love to see some quality literature for this age group. It seems they all have a single sentence (or even a single word) on a page, as if they're targeted at preschoolers learning word recognition and decoding, but since the littlest ones aren't even at that stage, wouldn't it be great to have simple stories parents enjoy reading aloud without cringing and babies and toddlers can munch on without destroying them?


Try the Hairy McLary books by Lynley Dodd. Many of them are published as board books and she doesn't hesitate to use words of more than one syllable  I've never seen "bellicose" in any other children's book.


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## Elaine E Boby (Jul 31, 2013)

I hate "love you forever" The weird illustrations, the overbearing message and more than anything the fact that it makes me cry every time I have to read it. Its like "cat's cradle." Stupid annoying song makes me cry.


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## Dela (Jul 8, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *McGucks*
> 
> I do not like the "No, David!" books...too sad and mean.
> 
> ...


I don't speak for anyone else, but for me the Llama Llama books irk me not because of daycare or not co-sleeping (though that did make me put it back in the library rather than check it out for my kids, since the Red Pajama book is centered entirely around what basically equates to CIO), but rather because the ones I read (Misses Mama, Red Pajama and Mad at Mama) were extremely dismissive of children and the tone is (to me) that of *wink wink tee-hee nudge nudge parents! aren't children terrible!* I don't like parent-service I guess, it bothers me in movies, ads, and TV shows too.


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## earthmama4 (Oct 13, 2008)

Rainbow Fish is to me about sharing being a way to get friends, not giving up parts of ourselves. The Rainbow Fish is pretty rude at the start of the book - laughing at the other fish and saying "Never!" I like how he realizes that its not his scales that make him happy, but seeing happiness in others. In a world where people feel its what they have that make them happy and less emphasis on the happiness that comes from good relationships, I think its a good message especially for preschoolers who are trying to overcome the natural selfcenteredness of toddlerhood and learning to share and make friends.

I agree, I am not a huge fan of Run Away Bunny. Its kind of a stalker mom without boundaries book at first glance. But if you consider the target audience (preschoolers) its more likely that age is testing the boundaries of their parents love, not truly trying to become emancipated. Kind of like "Mama, Do You Love Me?" with the girl asking if her mama will still love her if she does this or becomes that and the answer is always yes.

The Giving Tree is a disturbing book. I have heard it read over pulpit so I think it is supposed to be some grand example of Christian love, but I much prefer some boundaries in my relationships thank you. Its like Rainbow Fish but then all the fish want his fins, and then his tail, and then his eyeballs, and he's supposed to be happy about it. I think the most telling line in the book is toward the end. "And the tree was happy...but not really."

I don't like the touch and feel animal books. Seriously? You cannot match fur or skin better than that? Makes the animals look like they have some sort of disease.

I don't like any of the baby Einstein books either. The mix of cheesy puppets and real life photography just bugs. And the rhymes are forced.


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## anachka (Oct 24, 2011)

This thread rules! Soooo funny! Just earlier I me tend my dislike for those "Where's Baby's Mama" books, you know, the Usborn ones (I think)? For no reason other than my kid always chooses it to read and the flaps are annoying and it's not a quality story. I'm hatin' for sure, but I'm pregnant and just in that kind of mood today:0


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

Baby Einstein books, to me, are intolerable because the art is so lousy and they never have good stories.

Any book that has sound effects is donated or goes to the resale store. I have never seen one with an actual good story. MIL gives them to our three year old, who does not seem to care about them one way or the other, and says "I know Mommy doesn't like noisy books, so she will have to hold her ears! Ha ha!" Ha ha, no.

I LOVE Mem Fox's "It's Time for Bed."


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## dbsam (Mar 3, 2007)

We did not like Junie B Jones. Based upon the recommendation of others, we bought the entire series at a school book sale, read a few then put them all on bookmooch.

We thought Junie was bratty and the books are just irritating.


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## BushMama83 (Apr 19, 2012)

My husband would like me to add a book called "Trucks", by Bright Baby. It is a board book with a photo of a different kind of truck on each page, and beneath it names the truck (like "dump truck", "big rig", "digger", "tractor"). Our son is in love with this book currently, the digger page in particular. He will literally sit on that page for several minutes, just saying over and over "oh, big digger! digger! find 'em, digger!"

We can't wait to disappear it.


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## evmadi (Sep 2, 2012)

I bought "Dear Mili" for it's pretty pictures...big mistake.


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## Katrinaquerida (Mar 24, 2008)

My middle son requested NO David! and loves it. I think he finds it reassuring that David is still loved in the end... however he was totally creeped out by I love you forever. He kept saying "did the mom die?" Yikes! I hate tv and movie books, and I am sick of pinkalicious too. I always want to read Robert McCloskey, but the kids aren't into it.


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## demeter888 (Jan 18, 2013)

I really dislike The Adventurers, which is too bad because it is beautifully illustrated. Basically, every brief adventure ends with a monster coming to attack the characters and them fleeing. I understand why this is exciting for a kid, but that doesn't make it OK to put such ideas into a kid's head in the first place. Really, just a dumb book over all.


----------



## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

I hate the beatrix potter books. They are so unkind to the children animals.

I dont mind little critter. But I have read so many over and over and over again. But I may be swayed because DD LOVED them at age 2 and called the "the guybook". lol

I do not like Love You Forever. It is creepy. Although I like most other Robert Munch Books.

I do not like fancy nancy books. Unfortunately my DD does. I find Fancy Nancy quite annoying. I like the vocab, but not the kid. She is self-rightious.

Princess Poppy books also annoy me. No real morals or story.

I love the silliness of Dr. Suess.

I really like the Sam and Stella books.

I absolutely HATE Max and Ruby. Awful illustrations, stupid stories, repetitive, just awful.


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## Red Pajama (Jun 11, 2007)

There are certain books (Love you forever and Giving Tree are specific examples) that are not for children, but are written for adults to remember their own children. People buy them, of course, for kids, but in terms of who wants to read it, they are books for adults. This was one of the topics in my school library administration courses. They make much more sense when you imagine a grown person reading them and remembering, than thinking of reading these books to children.

I don't mind Llama Llama red pajama (hence the name I post under), but do feel like the most recent one was not to my liking.

I really don't like The Little Engine that Could, because we've got 6 copies and can't seem to make them go away. And it's so poorly written.

I really don't like the TV character/cartoon books. The Dora books are probably a least favorite, but any in that genre are on my hit list.


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## Red Pajama (Jun 11, 2007)

*I absolutely HATE Max and Ruby. Awful illustrations, stupid stories, repetitive, just awful.*

Have you seen the original Max books, like Bunny Money, Max Cleans Up, Bunny Cakes, Bunny Mail, or Max's Chocolate Chicken? I ask, because the books that are written as part of the TV series are terrible. No doubt. But the ones listed, actually written by Rosemary Wells (not "based on the characters created by') are actually very good.


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## Laurucha (Apr 11, 2011)

"Love You Forever" is so creepy. That is not a healthy mother-son relationship. I found a copy that my mother-in-law had given to my husband before we were together and I thought, "What the hell?" I was already worried that I was in trouble because he is an only child and she has been single since he was little. I suspected she might be too attached. It will come as no surprise to anyone that she does not seem to be capable of a civil relationship with me. Bottom line - if your mother-in-law likes this book, you are in for trouble!


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## Jennyfur (Jan 30, 2007)

I absolutely love the nonsense words of Dr. Seuss--very reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's work. My kids grew up surrounded by similar books and are now adults (well, 3 out of 4) with fierce interest in linguistics and language and wordplay!


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## meko (May 24, 2013)

Anything with the Little Critters.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamazee*
> 
> I don't like The Giving Tree.


That is an odd book. On the one hand, I do like how it reads and I like the simple illustrations but I agree that the message is pretty off putting. Apparently there are a lot of different interpretations of the deeper meaning of this book. Either way, loving shouldn't mean giving of yourself until you're just a stump of your former self, right?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BushMama83*
> 
> I'm not a fan of Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch! My little one started his "Noooo!" phase right around the time he was gifted this book. Coincidence? I think not!


I have an 11 year old and a toddler who is just getting interested in books beyond the Baby Bug magazine she's been getting for the past year. You all are taking me back to the love/hate relationship I had with reading to my DC. For me Robert Munsch came at a time where my DC really needed that style of book. The length and interest level was PERFECT for my DC when we discovered his books. I will always have a soft spot for him because of that.

The series I remember disliking the most was the Magic Schoolbus series. It's not that I didn't like the content but I remember just hating to read all the little thought bubbles and asides. It could also have to do with the fact that DC LOVED these books and we OD'd on them a bit.

As we start to read to our toddler I am starting to dig out the boxes and boxes of books from when our older DC was young. Mariana and the Merchild may be my favorite. Charlotte's Web is the first chapter book my DC liked so I will always love that book for getting us out of picture book he!!. ;-)

Also, I give every new baby I know a copy of Red Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boyton. It's cute to read and it was the first "joke" my first DC got so I have such fond memories of her chuckling at that book.


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

The new "Max and Ruby" series is a wreck. The ones before the show were funny, understated, and a favorite for sure. The new ones have bunnies with the same names, and that is where the similarity ends.


----------



## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kavamamakava*
> 
> The Rainbow Fish makes me sad that the fish had to give up who he was to fit in.


Oh, good. I didn't have to plow through the whole thread wondering if someone else had the same feelings. I supposed I was more angry than sad. I hate that those other fish were so selfish.... gimme gimme gimme.. what the hell?

Clifford.

Amelia Bedelia, beyond the first book. My girls hated even that one.

Dr. Seuss's endless parade of Weird Things. "If I Ran the Circus" was the exception, thanks to good old Mr. Sneelock.

Back to the thread.....


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

No one mentioned the Miss Spider books. Besides the illustrations, which I dislike, I hate when books completely brush off biological realities for their characters. A spider that doesn't eat bugs? And wants to reinforce this fact by inviting them to a tea party? Sheesh! Drives me batty.


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## milkfed (May 30, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dela*
> 
> I don't speak for anyone else, but for me the Llama Llama books irk me not because of daycare or not co-sleeping (though that did make me put it back in the library rather than check it out for my kids, since the Red Pajama book is centered entirely around what basically equates to CIO), but rather because the ones I read (Misses Mama, Red Pajama and Mad at Mama) were extremely dismissive of children and the tone is (to me) that of *wink wink tee-hee nudge nudge parents! aren't children terrible!* I don't like parent-service I guess, it bothers me in movies, ads, and TV shows too.


Yes, this re the Red Pajama book. Mostly though, I was reading it and it felt like page after page was about Llama getting more and more upset...and that kind of upset ME! Apparently my baby laughed at the story. I felt like Llama was a little bit afraid in the dark and I didn't want my baby to associate being alone in the dark in his bed with being scary. Again, I read through it once, and not even all the way through, so I know I'm being a softy and perhaps judging too quickly.

As a FTM, I knew I would have to be choosy about what I exposed my son to, but didn't realize so many of the books I grew up with maybe teach lessons I don't want to be taught  Really appreciate the suggestions for other books in this thread. Great topic!


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## salr (Apr 14, 2008)

I love the Boynton books too.

I haven't read the Red Pajama one, but in the Misses Mama book the teacher seems really caring and no one makes fun of the llama for being sad. The kids try to cheer him up. And then the mama comes and plays a bit at the end and they love each other. Oh, man I love that book! In the Mad at Mama book the mama takes him shopping, he has a fit but the mama doesn't shame him. She just says that's not OK and then they clean up together. Then the mama gets him to participate in the trip. I thought it was cool because the mama had a better idea of how to handle things on her part and then implemented it. I figured other people might not like it because at the end they still go out for ice cream together. But I thought that was neat because they stick to their happy family plans and they love each other in the end even though they had a rough day. Anyone see these two books differently?


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Other books I love - Frog and Toad. <3


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## zbugmama (Jun 6, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kbvr*
> 
> ....I also dislike the controlling tone of "The Runaway Bunny" Margaret Wise Brown


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *earthmama4*
> 
> I agree, I am not a huge fan of Run Away Bunny. Its kind of a stalker mom without boundaries book at first glance. But if you consider the target audience (preschoolers) its more likely that age is testing the boundaries of their parents love, not truly trying to become emancipated. Kind of like "Mama, Do You Love Me?" with the girl asking if her mama will still love her if she does this or becomes that and the answer is always yes.


I slipped Runaway Bunny into the giveaway pile shortly after reading it for the first time, but an early childhood educator friend of mine said that the stalker mom is not creepy, but reassuring to young children.

The text and illustrations of the Richard Scarry books drive me nuts, but my DD loves them, and knows all kind of weird details about building roads and houses from those stories. Same with Magic School Bus, her current addiction.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IdentityCrisisMama*
> 
> Other books I love - Frog and Toad. <3


LOVE Frog and Toad, and most things by Mo Willems, especially Elephant and Piggie. (The first time we read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, we read the first page and DD said yes to the Pigeon.)


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## Mummoth (Oct 30, 2003)

I hate "Love You Forever" but after reading this thread, I've made a mental note to buy it for my son when he's older, just to screw with his future spouse's head.


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## swimmy (Jun 4, 2012)

I don't like:

Berenstein Bears

Clifford

Little Critters

Caillou

Robert Munsch books illustrated by Michael Martchenko

I think a lot of these have a negative aspect that the characters overcome, but I don't like the way the negative aspect is introduced.

I love this thread!


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## newmamalizzy (Jul 23, 2010)

Not a particular book, book 2 general things I'm hating lately:

1. We have about 8,000 different kids books by different authors with exactly the same stupid story where each page features a different animal saying the same thing (i.e. The Very Busy Spider, Little Mouse's Big Secret). I am so sick of that storyline.

2. It seems like a lot of authors write a charming hit story and then follow it up with a bunch of books that are essentially the same, like Little Pea/Little Hoot/Spoon. I kind of liked the original Pinkalicious story until I realized there were a billion more books like that.

I don't see as many books as problematic due to their messages as many here. I think sometimes the book is for the child to live vicariously, or recognize him/herself in the character rather than learn a lesson. I think the Little Critter books, in particular, are good for this. They really resonate with my daughter.

Anyone else agree, though, that 95% of the "I Can Read" books with the level numbers are absolutely awful??? I mean, I know they have to be simply written, but, ugh.


----------



## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *newmamalizzy*
> 
> Anyone else agree, though, that 95% of the "I Can Read" books with the level numbers are absolutely awful??? I mean, I know they have to be simply written, but, ugh.


Yes!! I HATED those books. First, they were just boring and the art was terrible and then to add insult to injury my DC was a struggling reader with high comprehension so she had to suffer through these for YEARS. Poor thing.


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## GISDiva (Jul 13, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IdentityCrisisMama*
> 
> Other books I love - Frog and Toad. <3


We all love them too, we have some of them from when DH was a kid. But we also have "Owl at Home" by Lobel. Can anybody explain to me the tear-water tea story? I scratch my head at it every time we read it.

Someone mentioned hating reading all the little bubbles in the Magic School Bus books - I had the exact same thought when we brought some home from the library. I never know which order to read them in and they suck the flow right out of the story.

Shel Silverstein's poetry books were a favorite too from very early on - some of the themes and even words were a bit sketchy for my son, but he so loved the odd drawings and the broad range of subject matter that I just couldn't say no. 

This thread is just reminding me that I was meaning to clean out my son's bookshelf...


----------



## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *GISDiva*
> 
> Someone mentioned hating reading all the little bubbles in the Magic School Bus books - I had the exact same thought when we brought some home from the library. I never know which order to read them in and they suck the flow right out of the story.


We love these books as well. I always make an agreement with my girls about what exactly we are reading. If we don't have much time, we just read the text. More time, we read the bubbles and text. Infinite time (or don't care if we finish) text, bubbles and "reports". Now they are older and reading, I can read the text, they can read the bubbles.


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## mhemingson (Feb 10, 2011)

I really don't like The Mineosaur. We got it through the Imagination Library and it was supposed to teach our child about sharing, but ended up helping to teach the phrase "mine mine mine!" Not the book's fault, but I definitely hide it


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## softtouchdoula (May 9, 2008)

I can't stand Hansel & Gretel. Two parents trying repeatedly to loose their children in the woods. How awful! Then the two kids having to push a mean lady into a fire in order to survive. Abandonment and burning of people. Great book.


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## moonjunio (Feb 1, 2009)

Golden books. There may be some gems in there somewhere but the ones we've been given have almost all been boring or horrible Disney nonsense. The worst is "Cheer up, Eeyore!" Gahhhh! Why bother when you can break out the real Winnie the Pooh.

The new Berenstein Bears caught me by surprise, they have a strong religious agenda now. Some actually quote Bible verses and "listen to the Bible" becomes the lesson of the day, rather than learning through experience. That series was always a bit too wholesome and preachy, but they were a bit helpful for kids going through new experiences like starting school, new baby, etc. However the newer editions are either LITERALLY preaching, or else rehashes of old stories with far worse art!

What else drives me crazy... Obviously "noisy books" and marketing books... And yes you do have to be careful with classics and fairy tales as they can be disrespectful to kids or plain scary, but I'd still break them out eventually when the kids can absorb the culture but have a reasonable conversation about any troublesome messages.

I hid our Junie B. Jones book. Kids learn spelling from reading, I don't want to confuse her yet!

Rainbow Magic. This inane series about various themes of fairies (colors, flowers, sports, pets etc.) always comes in "collect em all" sets of seven, and the plot is the SAME in every darn book! Jack Frost's goblins stole the seven fairies' magic thingies that fuel their fairy ability, and the two grade-school girl heroines must help get them back. I figured at least they had my daughter devouring a ton of books, but the tide turned for me when I learned that the Soccer Fairy doesn't actually play soccer in the book! She just worries about getting her magic token back so soccer can be fun for everyone again. So, she's essentially a cheerleader?

I suppose I'll still let her get Rainbow Magic at the library, I know forbiding things just extends the fascination (I was forbidden video games even as a high schooler, so just jumped ship and played them to my GPA's detriment at friends' houses. This bored my friends who were "over it"). However I will try to screen the next series more carefully...


----------



## hJo (Oct 27, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *myra1*
> 
> God Gave Us You....I have no problem with Christian books, but a bear with an OB, Doppler, hospital birth, and bottle feeding? If anyone can UC and breastfeed, its a durn bear!
> 
> The Backyardigans are intolerable.


That and nearly every question little cub asked was answered with a non thinking reply. We spent a lot of time discussing every page since DS asked if male bears had sperms to give their special friends like humans do.









At least books like that provide loads of communication before being Good willed.


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## LeslieintheKeys (Dec 4, 2007)

I agree about Giving Tree and Love You Forever.

When my kids were babies, I modified the end of Three Little Pigs, which some book renditions have the wolf burning up in the fire or pot of hot water. Same with Hansel & Gretel. No need to introduce them to such great tragedy at such an early age. They'll have a lifetime of seeing and experiencing it.

Lastly, I have only thrown 2 books in my life in the trash, one of which was a children's book about a girl who had a pug and in the end, she burned up in the house. I think it was a Matilda book. It was horrible.


----------



## EllisH (May 29, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mummoth*
> 
> I hate "Love You Forever" but after reading this thread, I've made a mental note to buy it for my son when he's older, just to screw with his future spouse's head.


Brilliant! I may do the same. Maybe someone else suggested the same a few decades ago (pre-internet, in some off-line mothering group), because I too got it from my MIL (who is unlike the mother in the book, fortunately). I think I am the fourth person on this list to have gotten this from her MIL! Also find it a bizar book.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I see a lot of people mentioning it and it felt weird to me too, but my younger daughter loves it. She always asks if I'll still be her mom when she grows up, and obviously I won't have that specific relationship with her as in the book, but she doesn't understand how relationships change as you get older. She just knows she still wants me to be her mom when she's an adult.


----------



## Alexandriakyger (Nov 10, 2012)

At first glance, An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton was interesting. It's about having big, fantastic dreams. Which is okay in theory, but he berates having dreams about practical things. While I'm all for kids using their imaginations to the fullest, the book just rubbed me the wrong way. He criticized dreams of useful items like automobiles and encouraged "rocket powered unicorns". I believe we should encourage our children to dream of ways to make our "practical" items better, or more fantastic. He encourages them to entertain themselves with their imaginations, rather. Why not dream of ways to improve transportation, or medicine, ect... Which are very practical.

To top it all off his photo of himself at the end was absurd. Like a scene kids myspace photo. Think early 2005.


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## mommatodee (Jul 23, 2005)

The Giving Tree is about the selfless act of giving without expectation. It teaches that you can keep your own vibration high by always exemplifying unconditional love, regardless of the other person's behavior. My kids and I have had many in depth discussions about this book and lots of profound stuff comes up for them. I think it's brilliant!


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## amandak (Oct 30, 2011)

I hate most of the Little Critter books as well. The first one I read was about a child getting angry who decides to run away. Ummm... not the ideas I want to put into my toddler's brain!

I also can't stand The Giving Tree, and I am so glad there are others out there who feel the same way. I think it has a strong message about protecting nature as well as good messages about boundaries and stewardship, but it's just not a book I want to cuddle up with little ones and read. Maybe when they are older I'll like it to discuss those issues, but as a story for little kids... not for me.

Finally, I can't stand Green Eggs and Ham. It is absolutely obnoxious. But the look of pride on a little one's face when they can read the whole book does make it worth it.

Oh, I also hate lift the flap books. I know they are necessary and we have quite a few for my infant, but they just drive me crazy.

Hmmm. I'm sure there are more. We have a huge, huge collection of children's books, so while I have dozens upon dozens that I love, some make my skin crawl.


----------



## amandak (Oct 30, 2011)

I am with you on the newer Golden Books. They are ridiculous. I bought an Alice in Wonderland one, and the plot was ridiculous. Alice got big. Then she got small. Then she got big. I must say that some of the older ones are good though. I have a collection of some older ones and they are cute. They are hard to find though.

My daughter just started liking the Rainbow Magic books. These remind me of the Babysitter's Club books that I read as a child. She's not going to get a soaring vocabulary from them, but if they teach her to be passionate about reading, they will have done their job. I credit BSC with my love of reading. Luckily though, she reads them to herself, so I don't have to deal with them 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moonjunio*
> 
> Golden books. There may be some gems in there somewhere but the ones we've been given have almost all been boring or horrible Disney nonsense. The worst is "Cheer up, Eeyore!" Gahhhh! Why bother when you can break out the real Winnie the Pooh.
> 
> ...


----------



## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moonjunio*
> 
> The new Berenstein Bears caught me by surprise, they have a strong religious agenda now. Some actually quote Bible verses and "listen to the Bible" becomes the lesson of the day, rather than learning through experience. That series was always a bit too wholesome and preachy, but they were a bit helpful for kids going through new experiences like starting school, new baby, etc. However the newer editions are either LITERALLY preaching, or else rehashes of old stories with far worse art!


Well, that's really too bad! I will admit that I did find BB books useful when my 11 year old was young. I loved that they have those very specific conflict books that a parent could reach for to help a child deal with a problem.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moonjunio*
> 
> What else drives me crazy... Obviously "noisy books" and marketing books...


YES!! We never had the Rainbow Fish book because it was suspicious to me from the start. Something about it seemed designed to market other products. I've gotten that vibe from other books too.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moonjunio*
> 
> And yes you do have to be careful with classics and fairy tales as they can be disrespectful to kids or plain scary, but I'd still break them out eventually when the kids can absorb the culture but have a reasonable conversation about any troublesome messages.


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LeslieintheKeys*
> 
> Same with Hansel & Gretel. No need to introduce them to such great tragedy at such an early age. They'll have a lifetime of seeing and experiencing it.


I have a much different instinct about Fairy Tales. When my DC1 was young my gut told me that these stories, which were originally passed through story telling and then had a long life as books for our kids were good for kids. I read a few articles on fairy tales and the main point that resonated with me was that these stories were developed over time to address the real, typical worries of children and that bringing them up as a story helps children process and helps them feel less alone with these "Grimm" thoughts.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommatodee*
> 
> The Giving Tree is about the selfless act of giving without expectation. It teaches that you can keep your own vibration high by always exemplifying unconditional love, regardless of the other person's behavior. My kids and I have had many in depth discussions about this book and lots of profound stuff comes up for them. I think it's brilliant!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AmandaK*
> 
> I also can't stand The Giving Tree, and I am so glad there are others out there who feel the same way. I think it has a strong message about protecting nature as well as good messages about boundaries and stewardship, but it's just not a book I want to cuddle up with little ones and read. Maybe when they are older I'll like it to discuss those issues, but as a story for little kids... not for me.


One of the things I really DO like about The Giving Tree is the variety of ways people interpret this book! Apparently some see it as a story about god, others nature, others human or mother/child relationships. To me it seems very much like it's about the relationship between two people and because of that it just kind of skeeves me out because that's not how I want "love" to look or feel to my kids. Not even a mother/child relationship. BUT, I can see feeling like it's about love in profound way or about nature or about religion and having a much different feeling about the book.


----------



## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Here is an article that summarizes my feelings on fairy tales: http://infohost.nmt.edu/~beverly/writings/fairytales.html


----------



## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *IdentityCrisisMama*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


My girls like the fact that in these stories, the villain isn't having a bad hair day and just needs an ice cream cone to cheer her up and then everyone can go to the fair together because the wicked witch has Learned Her Lesson. Yaaaaaay!!!!!! No, they are actually comforted by the fact the witch not only is definitely, unequivocally dead (after being absolutely, purely, unredeemably evil) but the kids tricked her and pushed her in the oven themselves because they are so damn smart and resourceful. Kick. Ass. Yeah! Black and White, no Grey areas.

ETA: The first story begs the thought "Is she always going to be good now, or does she go back to her evil ways?" Which could be worrisome for kids (and adults!) The latter, "Nope. She's dead. Period."


----------



## rachelsmama (Jun 20, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SweetSilver*
> 
> My girls like the fact that in these stories, the villain isn't having a bad hair day and just needs an ice cream cone to cheer her up and then everyone can go to the fair together because the wicked witch has Learned Her Lesson. Yaaaaaay!!!!!! No, they are actually comforted by the fact the witch not only is definitely, unequivocally dead (after being absolutely, purely, unredeemably evil) but the kids tricked her and pushed her in the oven themselves because they are so damn smart and resourceful. Kick. Ass. Yeah! Black and White, no Grey areas.
> 
> ETA: The first story begs the thought "Is she always going to be good now, or does she go back to her evil ways?" Which could be worrisome for kids (and adults!) The latter, "Nope. She's dead. Period."


I agree.

Also, sticking to the more traditional versions helps a lot with cultural literacy.


----------



## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *moonjunio*
> 
> The new Berenstein Bears caught me by surprise, they have a strong religious agenda now. Some actually quote Bible verses and "listen to the Bible" becomes the lesson of the day, rather than learning through experience. That series was always a bit too wholesome and preachy, but they were a bit helpful for kids going through new experiences like starting school, new baby, etc. However the newer editions are either LITERALLY preaching, or else rehashes of old stories with far worse art!


They've actually had the separate religious collection of Berenstain Bear books for quite a while. Most bookstores keep them in the "religious kid book" section.


----------



## moonjunio (Feb 1, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polliwog*
> 
> They've actually had the separate religious collection of Berenstain Bear books for quite a while. Most bookstores keep them in the "religious kid book" section.


Yes, I've noticed the ones with Bible verses are distinguished by a "Living Lights" icon in the corner of the cover, so that's something to look for or avoid, depending on how you feel about that.

BB is something I'll never buy online again, because I need to page through and see if it's one of the better ones or not. Some books look like bad fan art...eek


----------



## sjanerobb (Oct 9, 2011)

Sandra Boynton books!

The only one I've liked so far is "Barnyard Dance," which I actually liked quite a bit because of the fun rhythm of the text. I can almost sing it 

So far all her other books are pointless drivel with terrible illustrations at best and often have themes I don't want to reinforce by reading to my child. I especially dislike "Belly Button Book."

Sadly, even "Barnyard Dance" has the terrible illustrations where the mouse looks almost identical to the dog :/


----------



## sjanerobb (Oct 9, 2011)

We love the Signing Time board books. Great for teaching/reinforcing ASL if you're teaching signs to your baby/toddler.

We also love the Green Start board books which are made from 98% recycled materials. They have simple stories about nature but aren't afraid to use words like chrysalis when telling how the caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

I also like the Baby Animals series by Kingfisher that we've found at our library. I love them, but I'm not sure my girl loves them enough for us to buy our own set, although they are very reasonably priced on Amazon. The 10-book set in a little cardboard bus case is only $16.38.

Also, at the library I've found a sweet book written by Desmond Tutu called "God's Dream."


----------



## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sjanerobb*
> 
> Sandra Boynton books!
> 
> ...


Have you read Snuggle Puppy? That's one of our favorites.


----------



## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

I can't stand Millions of Cats, Grimm fairy tale type books, books based on TV or movies, (with the exception if Dora and Strawberry Shortcake), anything Beatrix Potter, most Jane Brett, and The Poky Little Puppy.


----------



## Momma2max (Nov 8, 2010)

The giving tree. Hands down is a terrible model of what a loving relationship should be.


----------



## Katie8681 (Dec 29, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Polliwog*
> 
> Have you read Snuggle Puppy? That's one of our favorites.


Snuggle Puppy is huge in my house.


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

I found Richard Scarry creepy as a child - no idea why, I haven't read 'em since. I found Beatrix Potter creepy too, especially The Tale of Samuel Whiskers (in which the rats capture a kitten and try to cook him into a dumpling). I love her books now, though, and DD (who's far less sensitive and scared than I was as a kid, and revels in the grotesque) loves them too. She's also keen on fairy tales, and the gorier the better. I tell them to her orally rather than reading them, and I guess I do censor/alter them to some degree - I don't mind the witch in Hansel and Gretel being popped in the fire, but I do change the bits where their father lets the stepmother get rid of them, to give him a bit more of an excuse and also to point out that he shouldn't have done it.

I agree with PPs about The Giving Tree, I'll Love You For Always, Disney books and rhyming books that don't scan! Seriously, if a book is only twelve pages long you have no excuse for forced rhymes or lines that don't flow.

DD brought out another one this morning that I loathe. It's Every Little Girl is a Princess, or something along those lines. It's a heavy-handed, moralistic tale about a girl who wants to be a princess, and finds a magic book under her pillow that gives her instructions for becoming one. She has to acquire the Five Princess Virtues - I can't remember all of them, but there was Friendship and Belief in Yourself, yadda yadda. So she does that and of course, finds out that she was a princess inside! all! along!

It's hideous. I was actually sent it, when I was writing an article about princess play; the idea was to promote it as a wholesome alternative to Disney or whatever, but I just couldn't do it. It was hideous. For a start, belief in yourself isn't a virtue - it's a handy thing to have in life, no more - and it's definitely not something unique to, nor even particularly relevant to, princesses. And so on. Gack. Pappy rubbish. I'm getting mad just thinking about it. (Fortunately, my editor agreed and let me leave it out of the article, though she didn't let me use it as an example of bad princess literature!)

Hate the new Fancy Nancy books too, because I remember the original and it was a decent book.


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

I don't like the Magic Treehouse books, and I was never a big fan of Eloise. And the Felicia Numeroff books have annoyed me too, but I don't hate them.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sjanerobb*
> 
> Sandra Boynton books!
> 
> ...


OMG! I love the Boynton books,they are hilarious in our household. Isn't it funny how things ring true for some and not others??


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

I dislike any of the Baby Einstein books..lol


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tracyamber*
> 
> OMG! I love the Boynton books,they are hilarious in our household. Isn't it funny how things ring true for some and not others??


So true! My family happens to love SkippyJon Jones, a perennial on these kinds of lists. And we adored Richard Scarry, and like Smokering, my girls loved Samuel Whiskers and the Roly-Poly Pudding**, creepy as it is. My girls also love some things I don't. I really did not like the Familiars--a fantasy chapter book and it's sequel-- but only because it seems amateurish and the illustrations we mostly remedial. They loved it, however. They also like to read Biscuit and its sequels (arg! one more Ruff! Ruff! or whatever and I'm going to commit myself!) Conversely, I happen to love the Giving Tree, but my girls hate it.

I also tend to dislike modern morality tales about Uniqueness. Or really, any tale that is heavy on morality and short on actual storyline.

The traditional tale form that irritates me is "I want some ________." "Go get me a ______ and I'll give you the _______." Then the story continues ad nauseum until some inexplicably generous thing hands over the object without reciprocation and then back up the line to the first person or animal, then the protagonist finally gets ________. The only rendition of this I've liked is The Scarecrow's Hat, which works perhaps because it cuts the story in half!

** The Roly-Poly Pudding is a kitten rolled up in bread dough pinched from the kitchen and baked in the chimney!


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

I don't like most books derived from TV shows (someone gave us a whole ton that her kids had outgrown, and I've already exiled several). Also hate anything with a long storyline where characters do really stupid things. I put We're Going On A Bear Hunt and Curious George Goes Fishing in exile for that reason. I'm not a big fan of the Brown Bear series, but I felt a little better about them when she started identifying the animals and the colors. Also, my grandparents just gave us Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus and Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late, which they got as freebies... I think the pigeon is really obnoxious and I'm looking forward to exiling those.

I don't have Love You Forever, but I don't mind it. Mom sneaking into her son's house is weird to adults, but I think to kids it is probably comforting to know that Mom is always there for them. My parents read it to me as a kid and I never had a problem with that element.


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## Smokering (Sep 5, 2007)

Ooh, I just remembered another one. The Magic Faraway Tree books.

I have mixed feelings about them, because I loved Enid Blyton as a kid (and yet went on to read decent books, although it did mess with my perception of the wonderfulness of boarding school for several years). A friend gave DD the first two Faraway Tree books for Christmas, painstakingly sourced off the internet, and she loves them. There's definitely something about them which appeals to kids.

But oh my word, the writing style! It's atrocious. She writes in the most anticlimactic way possible - X says "I have a plan! Let's do A, B and C", and then they do A, B and C without hindrance or twist, and it's deadly boring because you've just read about it and she's basically repeating herself. And the children have no apparent character differences I can determine - we're halfway through the second book and if I had to point out which kid was which, I couldn't. Not to mention that many of the plots involve the children accidentally stealing something, destroying someone else's property, etc, and then figuring out a way to escape without repercussions - but it's OK because the creatures chasing them are "cross" or ugly and therefore deserve whatever they get.

And the constant, awful repetition. Yes, they eat Pop Biscuits and Google Buns. Every chapter. Silky has beautiful hair. We know. Jo (or someone) suggests not going back up the Faraway Tree because they always get into trouble, and then they decide to go anyway. Again. Drives me crackers.

Quote:


> I also tend to dislike modern morality tales about Uniqueness. Or really, any tale that is heavy on morality and short on actual storyline.


This is partly why I love Pixar's The Incredibles. I love how it says that actually, some people are more talented/unique than others. From a modern children's-literature perspective, that's heresy.

"Everyone's special, Dash."

"That's just another way of saying no-one is."


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## ColoradoMama626 (Apr 30, 2011)

I'm just happy I am not the only one! When I told my MIL how much I didn't like the runaway bunny she thought I was crazy and my refusal to read some princess fairy tales drives everyone crazy. I am all for my daughter reading what she wants but why full my house with books I think are ridiculous.

Some books are just annoying to me like skippy Jon jones but others just should not be read to young children!


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## fayebond (Jun 16, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *zwickya*
> 
> The Cat in the Hat. Let a stranger into your home while your parents are gone; then consent to lie to your mother about it.


Ditto!  That book always bugs me. My list...

The Cat in The Hat (seriously, what would you do if your mother asked you? TELL HER EVERY FREAKING THING).

When You Give A Moose A Muffin (um, it will run you over and flip you around with its antlers. Then smash everything while your mother calls 911 and animal control, in that order)

More More More (seriously, what drug induced moron decided to write the words in technicolor tie-dye over brightly colored backgrounds?)

Curious George (_______ runs away and makes a mess and does dangerous things and everyone goes, oh, good little monkey! If you weren't dead 50 times over .... twerp!)

Anyhing Beatrix Potter That Is Not Peter Rabbit (those are creeeeeeeepy)

All Original Grimms Fairy Tales (see above)

There are several books we own that I realllllllllllllllly just want to take a marker to and edit to read better.


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## SweetSilver (Apr 12, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fayebond*
> 
> More More More (seriously, what drug induced moron decided to write the words in technicolor tie-dye over brightly colored backgrounds?)


Awwwww.... we love More More More Said the Baby! Though I admit to hiding it on some days when I didn't feel like reading it. See, we would act it out. So much fun, but with 2 little girls each wanting turns it could be exhausting. Turned around sour moods every time, though.


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## fayebond (Jun 16, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *SweetSilver*
> 
> Awwwww.... we love More More More Said the Baby! Though I admit to hiding it on some days when I didn't feel like reading it. See, we would act it out.


I like the acting out idea, I just can't see to read it from any kind of distance.  I like the story, I've even considered pirating the basic theme for a photobook (just for us, with his romanian Jewish gramma and my mom and his adopted mom as the main people). One with black text on white or at least pastel backgrounds, lol. Its so fun to play but the words are way too long for my little ones. We need 2-4 lines per two page spread


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## Backroads (May 4, 2013)

Fiction that is too educational.


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## babymommy2 (May 14, 2009)

I really think kids and adults take something different from books. I've bought some books that as a child I loved and as an adult I think Yikes!! I loved berestain bears as a kid, but as an adult I shorten/alter the words. I hate beatrix potter and curious George, any liscensed character books. I have to agree that I hate to read magic school bus, for the same reason posted above. But I am surprised how many people hate I love you forever! I love that book! One of my children absolutely loves it! I think he finds It comforting that the mom is always close by. This is my child who wants to live with me forever and becomes distressed if it ever comes up how people move out of their parents home when they grow up, he asks if he can stay when he is a grown up.


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## LittleCapucine (May 16, 2012)

I loathe 'Tough Boris'. It often pops up in reading hours or library theme packs I check out, but WHY?? A mean pirate's parrot dies and an unloved ship boy plays a sad song on his violin for the parrot. It's one of those where you are reading along and realize it's a weird, weird book and scramble to change it. I find all the Eric Carle books really dull. Ditto that 'Honey Bunny' and 'To the moon and back' pair, sappy to me. I dislike any book where the illustrations are done by computer. I dislike those commercial-character supermarket books that read like lead. I dislike books with clunky rhymes, like 'The seven little postmen' (I love that book, so it's an exception, we still have it.) i avoid books all about bedtime issues I don't want, like kids who won't go to sleep or monsters or whatever, no thanks! The Magic Treehouse and god, those Tinkerbell chapter books! Gag! It's drudgery to read them.

I love books very much. I will not give space to anything churned out, I think the publishers should be ashamed. A beautifully illustrated, beautifully told story is with you for life...see 'When the sky is like lace' and 'The maggie b'. (I am choosy on Beatrix Potter, yes to Miss Tittlemouse and Miss Tiggy Winkle, no to Squirrel Nutkin.)


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *LittleCapucine*
> . A beautifully illustrated, beautifully told story is with you for life...see 'When the sky is like lace'


Oh, we (I) LOVE that book!!


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## barefootmama0709 (Jun 25, 2009)

My late son used to get REALLY MAD about the "digger" page because they didn't say "excavator". I didn't like it much either-"digger" is not a machine.


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## barefootmama0709 (Jun 25, 2009)

We love Boynton's "The Going-To-Bed Book". So fun, cute rhymes.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

Hm, I went away early in the life of this thread and only just finished reading it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurucha*
> 
> "Love You Forever" is so creepy. That is not a healthy mother-son relationship. I found a copy that my mother-in-law had given to my husband before we were together and I thought, "What the hell?" I was already worried that I was in trouble because he is an only child and she has been single since he was little. I suspected she might be too attached. It will come as no surprise to anyone that she does not seem to be capable of a civil relationship with me. Bottom line - if your mother-in-law likes this book, you are in for trouble!


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Mummoth*
> 
> I hate "Love You Forever" but after reading this thread, I've made a mental note to buy it for my son when he's older, just to screw with his future spouse's head.


So, I'm wondering about the best way to warn my potential future daughters/sons-in-law, since I do love this book and it has never freaked out my dc and possibly their apparent independence, confidence and early maturity would hide any unhealthy development from future partners. I'm trying to decide whether to leave it casually out on the coffee table. Or perhaps frame it and put it up as wall art. Seems a little too obvious though. I think I'll just leave it on the shelf







.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

I thought of a genre of children's books that I usually dislike. The "BigName Celebrity Author" picture book. The books that are "written" by a rock star or movie star and get published just because they will sell, not because there is any actual merit to the story or the quality of the writing. There are so many talented writers who cannot get published. It such a shame that sub-par books are marketed rather than beautifully written stories by new but unknown authors.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ollyoxenfree*
> 
> I thought of a genre of children's books that I usually dislike. The "BigName Celebrity Author" picture book. The books that are "written" by a rock star or movie star and get published just because they will sell, not because there is any actual merit to the story or the quality of the writing. There are so many talented writers who cannot get published. It such a shame that sub-par books are marketed rather than beautifully written stories by new but unknown authors.


I agree with you on this but never fully realized what it was about these books that I don't like. They're rarely good and are gifted like crazy and, yes, rather than someone giving your their favorite book, or a book they think your kids will love, the gift is celebrity driven. Then they hog space on our bookshelves because they were a gift. Very good point, OOF.


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## Catwmandu (Jun 10, 2007)

I've gotten better about reading things anyway and just having the talk with my children about why said story / POV is wrong or outdated.

Just last night my 5 yeay old was reading Little House and the mom in the book was eating something for supper because "mama would never think to upset a stranger". My daughter and I immediately stopped and I looked at her and we talked about how old fashioned that thinking was. That to make yourself miserable at the expense of others is wrong and that there are ways to be inclusive while ensuring that all people involved are as happy as they can be.

Same with the Giving Tree. Every time I read it the kids see me crying and we talk about how nature is there for us and that we need to appreciate it and not just take from it.

I do get annoyed with books with old fashioned ideas or that is gender devisive but try my best to use them as tools instead.


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## lovemylab (Jan 7, 2013)

Disney books are horrible. I love you forever is creepy! Hate the wheels on the bus book.


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## crunchymama19 (Apr 9, 2011)

Barbie books and Dora the Explorer books! I never waste money on them but the grandparents buy them and I think it's to torture me. The plots are awful, the writing could be better done by my three year old, and it is just flat out painful to read. I swear that the authors get to the end, realize they have nothing resolved and make up something stupid about forgiveness or friendship on the last page to try and end it. Horrendous. It's such an obvious shameless plug to get kids to buy more toys and videos.


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## thursday2 (Jun 20, 2009)

I can't stand the "new" Curious George books - DH had the originals as a child, and we saw a whole collection for sale at Costco, so we bought it, not realizing they were modern versions. Awful!! Every story is: Curious George disobeys a direct instruction, generally given for his safety or the safety of others; things go horribly, dangerously wrong; coincidentally, whilst freaking out about whatever went so horribly wrong, George manages to accidentally save the day; everyone is super duper grateful to George and thanks him for being so curious. Argh! And they're SO politically correct. I don't mind raising my children in a world of ideals, but don't beat me over the head with it at every turn.

A friend gave us "Do Cows Eat Cake?" for a birthday gift, and it irritates me to no end that my son loves it - it's the dumbest book I've ever read, and basically ends with, "Yup, kids eat crap. Hooray!" We keep hiding it to drop at Goodwill, and he keeps finding it.

I also can't stand the plethora of "marketing" books out there - if it's a character on TV, I don't want it! Not just books; I can't even find coloring books that aren't Elmo or Dora anymore. What happened to the generic puppies and bunnies of my childhood?!

Aaaaahhhh. I feel better now. =D


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## Catwmandu (Jun 10, 2007)

Someone I love sent my son a book that I think is titled "I'm a boy". It's about all the things that the boy can be (very stereotypical junk) and it ends with "but for right now I am a real boy and that is good".

It ticks me off because my almost 4 year old son loves purple and pink, doesn't like dinosaurs, dragons, or anything scary and despite his rough and tumble self is a doll nursing loving little guy who at least at this time doesn't jive with such a book. I think my daughter drags it out on occasion just to see the expression on my face....

We've actually started pointed out with some other books when they were written to also explain why thinking was different. For instance she was reading "Baby Animals - A golden book" and got 3/4 way through and stopped and looked at me. Mom why are pretty much all the animals in this book boys? Another instance was a Richard Scarry book the other day that we were reading that showed the class being checked by the doctor. I think they each took off their shirts.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *thursday2*
> 
> I also can't stand the plethora of "marketing" books out there - if it's a character on TV, I don't want it! Not just books; I can't even find coloring books that aren't Elmo or Dora anymore. What happened to the generic puppies and bunnies of my childhood?


Oh my gosh, it's so hard to find good coloring books! Sometimes at a place like Target DD will ask for one, but there aren't ANY there that aren't junky character coloring books or gigantic character sticker activity books. The only place I can find decent coloring books is the art supply store, but a lot of those, while beautiful, are a little too detailed for DD. I so wish I could find just a nice, simple, old fashioned coloring book for her!


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## Dela (Jul 8, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *limabean*
> 
> Oh my gosh, it's so hard to find good coloring books! Sometimes at a place like Target DD will ask for one, but there aren't ANY there that aren't junky character coloring books or gigantic character sticker activity books. The only place I can find decent coloring books is the art supply store, but a lot of those, while beautiful, are a little too detailed for DD. I so wish I could find just a nice, simple, old fashioned coloring book for her!


I've just found a bunch of really cool, old-fashioned coloring books from Rainbow Resource. Have to be careful if you don't want religious ones, but they do carry a good variety of secular and topical ones.


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## Tigerchild (Dec 2, 2001)

Sometimes I think that children's books are often a lot like the TV shows I used to love as a kid--what kids like and what you like as an adult are way different, for many different reasons.

For example, I loved the A-Team as a kid. Wasn't until I caught it again on syndication or whatever as a 20something that I realized wow, it really kind of sucked. Books can be the same way OR I "see" messages in there (either because they are there or because my mind goes there on its own) that I probably didn't as a kid.

I've tried to keep that in mind with my kids' reading material. Did I love the 2.5 million same effing story every dang time Rainbow Fairies series? Gag. But my kid did, so I kept my mouth shut. Did I love Junie B Jones? Eh, not really. So I did the same. I find the Warriors series hohum, and I think Harry Potter is boring (sorry). Yet, I keep my opinions to myself when it comes to stuff my kids are interested in, as I really enjoy hearing THEIR thoughts on things, primarily. I do make myself read everything they read, however.

The only thing I have ever refused to read out loud to my kids are the absolutely horrific kids' star wars books (not the movie ones, which for all I know might be just as bad, but the children's fic stuff written in the 80s, after the initial series ended.) because it made me want to jump out of the second story window rather than read another page. All jealousy of course, because jeez, if THAT can be published then I should be able to publish my own novel!!! The kids loved them. So again, I didn't complain to them, but did say that I didn't care for them and would prefer to read something else at our read out loud time. (BTW, the kids were allowed to veto my read out loud choices too!)

Reading crap didn't affect my kids' reading abilities or spelling abilities (they're "advanced" even though they're older, and all were reading/writing early), but I think that's mostly genetics (dad and I were both the same). I still like to read crap quite a bit (Laurel K Hamilton, mmmm) so I figure I can't really in good conscience get on my kids about their not picking Awesome Literature all the time.

But OMG. If your kid ever picks up the ancient Star Wars Jedi Academy or books of the 80s...RUN!!!!!!


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## ancoda (Oct 17, 2005)

The one book that my kids like that gets under my skin is Sylvester and the magic pebble. I am not even really sure why I dislike this books so much.

This is also how I see the Rainbow fish book.



> Originally Posted by *earthmama4*
> 
> Rainbow Fish is to me about sharing being a way to get friends, not giving up parts of ourselves. The Rainbow Fish is pretty rude at the start of the book - laughing at the other fish and saying "Never!" I like how he realizes that its not his scales that make him happy, but seeing happiness in others. In a world where people feel its what they have that make them happy and less emphasis on the happiness that comes from good relationships, I think its a good message especially for preschoolers who are trying to overcome the natural selfcenteredness of toddlerhood and learning to share and make friends.


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