Children's books that drive you crazy

[Anonymous]

I know I'll be a minority in this, but I've never taken to the Mo Willems books. Can't really explain why. They seem to try to hard to be winking at adults, as if to say "we're cool." DS loves them, though, so we read them all.

Hate any of the corporate produced books that are tie-ins to tv shows and movies. Those have to be hands down the worst things to read aloud.

Also hate the If you give a Mouse a Cookie series. But those were big hits too in our house...

I love Dr. Seuss and all the classic rhyming books.

Stephen Colbert did a hilarious interview with Maurice Sendak who went off on children's literature, most of which he hated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Richard Scarry -- the "Cars, Trucks, and Things That Go" book is I swear like 70 pages long. I think DS deliberately chooses it for bedtime because it takes forever to read it. And you have to find this super teeny tiny bug "Goldbug" on nearly every page. It drives me insane. But...DS loves the book and the pictures are cute and interesting, so what's a mom gonna do, right?!

Love this thread. Yes, Cars and Trucks can be long but I've found that DS knows where goldbug is now, and the book moves fairly quicly because all he wants to do is locate Goldbug and turn the page.

Yeah, but doesn't he want to look at each and every vehicle? DS finds goldbug too, but then he wants to talk about the pickle truck! The cheese car! The witch on a broom! Takes forevahhhhh I feel my life draining away, please please DS just pick a book that doesn't take 25 min to read and one with an actually interesting plotline... .

What I do with this book is read like every 3-4 pages. My kid is almost 4 and has not noticed yet! The trick is to keep your finger in the spot for the last page you read, because he is always asking to go back to previous page to revisit something, and otherwise you will be caught.

[Anonymous]

I can't stand "Guess how much I love you". The main characters are Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare, and when Little Nutbrown tells his dad how much he loves him, Big Nutbrown just one-ups him the whole book. I find it very annoying.
I actually like all the Sandra Boynton books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Rainbow Fish. It's about a special fish who has sparkly, colorful scales, and none of the plain fish like him because of it. He asks the wise octopus (or something) what to do and does the octopus tell the fish to just be humble and find fish who will accept him for who he is? No. He says to give one of his scale to all the other fish, and then everyone will be the same (one colorful scale) and everyone will like him, which is what happens. Appalling.

Hate that book! What a great message. If there's anything special about you, you have to give it away to everyone else so they will be your friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

4. Almost all celebrity authored books. So far the only one I've liked--just a little bit--is Lydia Bastianich's family Christmas book. The writing's not great, but her love of food, family, and food, and Italy, and food shines through. Plus, there are recipes at the end.

The only one of these I enjoy is Spike Lee's Please Baby, Please.

OMG. Spike Lee wrote a children's book? TIA. Going on the Christmas wish list now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand "Guess how much I love you". The main characters are Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare, and when Little Nutbrown tells his dad how much he loves him, Big Nutbrown just one-ups him the whole book. I find it very annoying.
I actually like all the Sandra Boynton books.

I just can't say "Nutbrown Hare" that may times with a straight face. But that may just be me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand "Guess how much I love you". The main characters are Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare, and when Little Nutbrown tells his dad how much he loves him, Big Nutbrown just one-ups him the whole book. I find it very annoying.
I actually like all the Sandra Boynton books.

I just can't say "Nutbrown Hare" that may times with a straight face. But that may just be me.

hahaha I am the PP you quoted, I feel the exact same! Immature maybe, but really? Big Nutbrown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't stand "Guess how much I love you". The main characters are Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare, and when Little Nutbrown tells his dad how much he loves him, Big Nutbrown just one-ups him the whole book. I find it very annoying.
I actually like all the Sandra Boynton books.

+1. I know it's a heartwarming message and all that, but I find "Guess how much I love you" annoying for the same reason. Also, reading "Big Nutbrown Hare" and "Little Nutbrown Hare" over and over again -- it sounds awkward.

I used to hate the Sandra Boynton books but at some point a bunch of them grew on me. I came to be quite fond of Happy Hippo, Angry Duck, Hippos Go Berserk, and the Little Pookie series in particular. Also, they have the virtue of being short. If you're going to be annoyed by a book, better to be annoyed by a *short* book.

I too don't care for the Mo Willems books. Don't know why -- just don't find the storylines or the pictures all that compelling. Luckily DS agrees with me.

[Anonymous]

Anything with Olivia. Unfortunately, my DD is obsessed with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Rainbow Fish. It's about a special fish who has sparkly, colorful scales, and none of the plain fish like him because of it. He asks the wise octopus (or something) what to do and does the octopus tell the fish to just be humble and find fish who will accept him for who he is? No. He says to give one of his scale to all the other fish, and then everyone will be the same (one colorful scale) and everyone will like him, which is what happens. Appalling.

Hate that book! What a great message. If there's anything special about you, you have to give it away to everyone else so they will be your friend.

Oh, I kind of thought the message was: Don't be vain or boastful about what you have that others don't. Joy comes from sharing what you have and don't "need."

[Anonymous]

THIS is a great thread.
(1) Love when Tallulah gets in the bathtub with Maisy.
She IS pushy but it is just so unexpected and too funny. We always had good laugh about that one.
(2) Don't like most Sandra Boyton. Why does she have to introduce the word "ugly" so often in cute toddler rhyming books. It's odd.
(3) Agree that Mo Willem's pigeon series is annyone. But love Piggie & Gerald.
(4)My MIL gave us "I Love You Forever," too. Creepy.
(5) Runaway Bunny is creepy. Many years ago, husband took to quoting the page "Become the wind and blow you." Never could read with a straight face again.

[Anonymous]

My husband can't stand Eloise. He thinks she's a total snot and worries about our daughter emulating her.

Ha.

[Anonymous]

I hate the Mo Willems books too. The pigeon driving the bus one is so annoying. What a whiney brat that pigeon is. I was afraid it would teach my kids some bad ideas about how to behave so I disposed of it.

SIL loves that book and her kids are holy terrors so perhaps there's something to my theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Richard Scarry -- the "Cars, Trucks, and Things That Go" book is I swear like 70 pages long. I think DS deliberately chooses it for bedtime because it takes forever to read it. And you have to find this super teeny tiny bug "Goldbug" on nearly every page. It drives me insane. But...DS loves the book and the pictures are cute and interesting, so what's a mom gonna do, right?!

There was a Thomas the Train ABC book that we also "lost" at one point because it was so obnoxious.

+10000 for CTandTTG. I refuse to read it at bedtime and tell him it's a book for in the car or for quiet time. I regret ever buying that book, though DS does love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know I'll be a minority in this, but I've never taken to the Mo Willems books. Can't really explain why. They seem to try to hard to be winking at adults, as if to say "we're cool." DS loves them, though, so we read them all.

Yes, I hate the urban hipster feel of those Mo Willems books too!