'Fess up - what children's books make you groan?

[BohoMama]

For me, it's the ever-popular Clifford series. I loved 'em as a child, but now as a mama they seem so trite, and the drawings are awful. (Yes, I read them upon request but not with the same relish as other books.

I don't like Thomas the train books either!

[bean0322]

Oh my gosh...don't get me started!

Like you, the Clifford and Thomas books. Also, the Arthur books. My oldest son went on a huge Arthur binge and I was miserable. What else? Never liked Goodnight Moon.

Babe is calling - more soon.

[tibdoml]

Guess How Much I Love You - it's just a book about how the parent will always love more than the kid. The dad one-up's the baby right to the end. Sewwt book, and good words, just a crummy way to portray it.

and

I'll Love You Forever - really not a book for kids! It's about getting older and dying!

[TortelliniMama]

The Rainbow Fish -- If you don't give people what they want, then no one will like you. Or, it's important not to stand out or be special in any way if you want friends.

The Giving Tree -- Uh, could the boy possibly find any other way to meet his needs/wants without the tree repeatedly sacrificing herself? I was just talking about this book with someone who said that her mom always said it was a great example of how parents sacrifice for their kids. Uh, I suppose, in some cases that's true, but I don't think those are *healthy* parent-child relationships.

I totally agree with Guess How Much I Love You, too. Can you picture gift-giving at their house? Dad unwraps some child-made treasure that the baby bunny slaved over and says, "Wow, this is the greatest present ever. That is, it *would* have been, if I hadn't made you *this*!" and whips out an even cuter gift.

[FreeRangeMama]

The Berenstein Bears. The Papa is always yelling and threatening, the Mama is passive agressive, and the cubs are brats

My ds LOVES them though. He has 15 of them and reads them to himself all day. Plus we need to read at least one at bed time.

[riversong]

I can't stand No David. The mom yells "No!" throughout the entire book until she hugs her son at the end. The illustrations are hideous. My 1st grade students love it, but I hate that it's even in our classroom library. Suffice it to say, my dd is not getting this book for our home bookshelves.

[boatbaby]

Goodnight Moon

I can't believe somebody got PAID to write that.

[MotherWhimsey]

someone gave us this jonah and the whale book and my dd loves it cause it has a fish in it. I HATE it. It's one of those scare tactic type books. You better be good or else a big fish is going to come and eat you up! It has mysteriously disappeared several times but I keep finding it back in the book basket. Not sure how it gets back there, I think dd keeps finding it.

[MelMel]

berenstein bears here too, very hostile and rude...not fun or pleasant or very creative.

'paperbag princess' and 'i will love you always' are both by munsch (sp?) i think...and i dont like either one of them, not very well written imo, kinda lame and choppy....and i know the story behind 'love you always' but i still dont like it.

i also dont like 'jack and the beanstalk'. just because he is a giant doesnt auomatically make him mean and worthy of being stollen from and killed.

any tale of female woes that are cured and become 'happily everafter' when some guy finally discovers and marries her.

i actually dont like dr suess very much either i can rhyme too if i just make up all the words : some of them are kinda fun, sneeches and zaks and green eggs, etc...but green eggs would of been better at half the pages....i am not morally opposed, lol, they just make me groan when she grabs one.

they cant all be 'moonkeys' 'elisabeti''s and 'elmer's now can they

[Altair]

i LOVE the david books. I find that they really can help Kindergarten classes start to talk about what is appropriate at school and whatnot, and the dicipline in the book seems like such a spoof anyway. i just find that the books bring out so much laughter and conversations that they are really worth it!

(i love David Goes to School)

I don't like ANY books tied to TV shows or movies. that cuts out about 90% of the books published right now.

I don't like books with gender of racial stereotypes. there are just too many to name.

i don't like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. no reason, it just annoys me to hear it all year. I don't like the jamberry one..

i'm just DYING to say which ones i love!

[amybw]

I dont like the "Dum Ditty" book by is it Berenstein or Dr Seuss?

Not a fan of the Carl the dog books either. WTH leaving your baby alone with a dog to babysit!

My son ADORES Thomas and we bought this big thick book and read a chapter a night.
I dont think these stories are so good. What can kids learn from train wrecks where no one suffers any consequences from their practical jokes? :

[broodymama]

I know it is also a nursery rhyme, but for Christmas DS got the book version of "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". DH and I think it's a bit morbid and it has been put away until I remember to get rid if it.

"I don't know why she swallowed the fly, perhaps she'll die."

[green betty]

Amen on the Carl books. My mom gave me one--I guess she thought we'd like it because we're dog people. The mother leaves the baby alone in a crib, and then she LEAVES THE HOUSE with no one else but the dog home. WTF?

I generally dislike didactic books that are built around the message they want to send. Literature is art. That absolutely includes children's literature. Ah well, we've come a long way. Can you believe that Maurice Sendak was vilified when Where The Wild Things Are first came out? It portrays a boy who is angry with his parents and fantasizes about his anger. Very risque for the time!

[JBaxter]

Ours is Chicka Chicka boom boom I actually woke my self up reciting that this morning

Chicka chicka boom boom
will there be enough room
A told B and B told C
I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.....

THe odd thing is this book was my ( now) 14yr old son's and I remember hiding it behind the TV set for a while

[LadyMarmalade]

Originally Posted by uuelisabeth

Can you believe that Maurice Sendak was vilified when Where The Wild Things Are first came out? It portrays a boy who is angry with his parents and fantasizes about his anger. Very risque for the time!

But he got an even bigger caning over 'Mickey in the Night Kitchen' because it showed *gasp* a naked child!

[mollyeilis]

Goodnight Moon drives me mad b/c of that one bad/non rhyme in it.

Nursery rhymes are awful. Some friends bought some inexpensive (possible dollar store, not that there's anything wrong with it, but I don't think they even LOOKED at the stories before popping out their dollars) nursery rhyme books for the baby shower they gave me, and gack. that One and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie? Yuck!

There's more nasty rhymes in it, but the one that's even worse than the bird pie one is...the one about a fairly obvious (stereotypical visual cues in the picture) enslaved woman telling someone what her children are good at, and telling the person to take whichever child pleases them. :Puke



We have this goodnight book and I can't read it anymore (even though it's GORGEOUS) b/c it's just ridiculous. There is no "mama fish", mama fish swim away, they aren't there to say goodnight...and what's this "the whole wide world is going to sleep" business, am I going to have to UNteach the concept that it's dark at the same time once he starts learning about things like that?...and quite frankly the stars being "on the loose" scares me.

[earthflower]

Definitely No David! When I opened this post this was the book that came to mind!

[oceanbaby]

Originally Posted by tibdoml

I'll Love You Forever - really not a book for kids! It's about getting older and dying!

Absolutely - I had to get rid of that book.

[IansMommy]

UUuuuggghhh--anything disney princess, and Berenstein Bears.
I also can't stand Curious George.

[pammysue]

I cannot stand Little Bear. The simplicity and repetition drive me nuts . I guess it is good for new readers , but I cannot stand it. Say "she said" just once instead of "Mother Bear said" for the twentieth time!!

Originally Posted by uuelisabeth

I generally dislike didactic books that are built around the message they want to send.

I totally agree!