Books You Loved as a Child But Don't Want for Your Kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Green Eggs and Ham! Someone need's to teach Sam I Am about CONSENT. It is 2018, Sam! #TimesUP

Pout pout fish too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

OMG we took this out from the library and holy hell! George smokes a cigar!

Haha, my DC loves Curious George but so much in those stories would totally get side-eyed today. Like in one story, George knocks over some exhibits at the museum and gets in trouble, but the museum director says he "will be forgiven" if he goes on this dangerous, life-threatening mission to space. And George does, because he is being pressured by the adults in his life and because he doesn't want to be in trouble. What?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Green Eggs and Ham! Someone need's to teach Sam I Am about CONSENT. It is 2018, Sam! #TimesUP

Pout pout fish too.

Oh for goodness sake, lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

OMG we took this out from the library and holy hell! George smokes a cigar!

Haha, my DC loves Curious George but so much in those stories would totally get side-eyed today. Like in one story, George knocks over some exhibits at the museum and gets in trouble, but the museum director says he "will be forgiven" if he goes on this dangerous, life-threatening mission to space. And George does, because he is being pressured by the adults in his life and because he doesn't want to be in trouble. What?

How about the one where he ends up in the hospital for eating a puzzle piece and causes an incredible amount of damage but everyone just laughs it off because he made the cancer girl laugh???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yea, I actually got a bunch of my old childrens books and now read them to my son who is 3.5. Ping was one, I remember loving it, but it is pretty messed up! He still asks for it sometimes, but I try to keep it out of sight, out of mind.

I remember loving Ping. Read it to my 4 year old and he didn't even pick up on the hitting stuff. Which, to be honest, doesn't bother me (to read about -- I don't do it).

However, Riki Tiki Tembo is a hard no. DH brought it home from the library because it was one of his favorites as a child. I'd never read it. That one has definitely not aged well. Predictably, DS loved it. We read it a number of times since he liked it so much and then when it came due from the library, we returned it and told him the library only lets us have a book once. "Sorry!"

I remember absolutely loving The Trumpet of the Swan but I think I was a bit older when I read it, maybe 6 or 7, so I haven't checked it out for my kids yet ...

Wait, what's wrong with the Trumpet of the Swan. I loved it too, and I got it for my DD. I didn't see anything wrong with the content, but I did notice how writing in kids' books has changed. It was really slow with a lot of detail. I'd like if my kid read it but I'm waiting because she doesn't have the patience for it, even though she can read at that level.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply there was something wrong with it -- I meant to say it's a book I loved and I don't know how it would strike me today because i haven't read it in years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

OMG we took this out from the library and holy hell! George smokes a cigar!

Haha, my DC loves Curious George but so much in those stories would totally get side-eyed today. Like in one story, George knocks over some exhibits at the museum and gets in trouble, but the museum director says he "will be forgiven" if he goes on this dangerous, life-threatening mission to space. And George does, because he is being pressured by the adults in his life and because he doesn't want to be in trouble. What?

How about the one where he ends up in the hospital for eating a puzzle piece and causes an incredible amount of damage but everyone just laughs it off because he made the cancer girl laugh???

Most of the Curious George books are questionable in that most involve giving a MONKEY an inappropriate amount of responsibility, being amazed that monkey fails to handle it properly, severely punishing said monkey (they put him in jail for calling the fire department), and then completely forgiving the monkey when he does something that unintentionally has a positive consequence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

OMG we took this out from the library and holy hell! George smokes a cigar!

Haha, my DC loves Curious George but so much in those stories would totally get side-eyed today. Like in one story, George knocks over some exhibits at the museum and gets in trouble, but the museum director says he "will be forgiven" if he goes on this dangerous, life-threatening mission to space. And George does, because he is being pressured by the adults in his life and because he doesn't want to be in trouble. What?

How about the one where he ends up in the hospital for eating a puzzle piece and causes an incredible amount of damage but everyone just laughs it off because he made the cancer girl laugh???

Most of the Curious George books are questionable in that most involve giving a MONKEY an inappropriate amount of responsibility, being amazed that monkey fails to handle it properly, severely punishing said monkey (they put him in jail for calling the fire department), and then completely forgiving the monkey when he does something that unintentionally has a positive consequence.

DD loves the one of Curious George at the Chocolate Factory, and I just keep reading it and thinking it should be renamed, "Curious George Commits Numerous Health Code Violations"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate that book about the fish that has to give away all his pretty scales or he won't have any friends.

Right! What happened to "Be yourself!" and "Don't give in to peer pressure!"

My kids were attracted to the book because of the pretty cover, but I read it through and thought, no way do I want my kids getting this particular message.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

YES! I was wondering why no one had mentioned Curious George yet. Hated re-reading the original when someone gave it to my DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I mean is books that include things you wouldn't want to teach your kids are ok. For me, an example is the book Ping. Every night the duck owner uses a switch to hit the last duck to get on the boat. Corporal punishment! And someone is always last so someone always fails! Later in the book, a fisherman has fitted rings around the necks of birds so the birds can't swallow the fish they catch (cruel!) and instead bring the fish to the fisherman. Any other examples out there?

Your title made me think of Ping. Great minds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The original Curious George- sister gave this to DS and I was shocked reading it after all these years. all about stealing a monkey from the jungle and putting him in a zoo!

OMG we took this out from the library and holy hell! George smokes a cigar!

Haha, my DC loves Curious George but so much in those stories would totally get side-eyed today. Like in one story, George knocks over some exhibits at the museum and gets in trouble, but the museum director says he "will be forgiven" if he goes on this dangerous, life-threatening mission to space. And George does, because he is being pressured by the adults in his life and because he doesn't want to be in trouble. What?

How about the one where he ends up in the hospital for eating a puzzle piece and causes an incredible amount of damage but everyone just laughs it off because he made the cancer girl laugh???

And then he takes drugs and gets all hight and stuff #curiousgeorgedoesopiates

[Anonymous]

Bluebeard. Horrific for a kids story collection.

I have it in a kids stories collection from the 70s, that includes several of the original Grimms Fairy Tales (Cinderella's stepsisters bloody feet), Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The little match girl - I LOVED it. An orphan survives by selling matches on the street corner. On Christmas Eve she’s very cold in a blizzard and sees a family in their home all warm and happy. They welcome her in and she gets to enjoy this beautiful family scene. Except she didn’t really, that was a hallucination from hypothermia and she’s dead found dead on the street corner in the snow on Xmas morning.

Oh, how I also LOVED that story! But you've omitted that beautiful ending where she strikes all the matches and "sees" her loving grandmother reach out for her and take her to heaven. I adored my grandmothers and thought it was so very sad and yet a wonderful ending that she went to be with her grandmother.

[Anonymous]

Little House on the Prairie. I was reading the book allowed to my kid and realized I was editing most of the stuff Laura wrote about the Indians.

[Anonymous]

When I was 10 I started reading my older sister's VC Andrews books- Flowers in the Attic series and the one where the girl is raped so the family messes with her concept of time and awareness. No way I would want those books in my house now.