"Bad stuff" in otherwise charming older children's books

[LunaMom]

Boy, does this bum me out.

Our library is having a book sale this weekend, and I went yesterday and today and got a whole bunch of stuff. I was so happy - I was even singing a little book-loving song on the way home!!! (Okay, I'm weird! ) A big carton of books, some for me, some for dd, some for dh - for THREE BUCKS!

Of course, I had gotten dd a lot of the stories I remember loving as a kid, but of course I didn't remember everything - there I was, reading her "Bedtime For Frances," a very cute book, until I got to the part where Father tells Frances she will get a spanking if she doesn't go to bed. Yikes. I changed it and had Father say Frances would be too tired to play the next day instead, but now I want to either hide the book or change it with permanent ink in case Grandma or the babysitter ever reads it to her! Of course, I've taught her that we do not write in books...:

[Clarity]

print new words or write them on a strip of paper then glue stick it over the words on that page...

[khrisday]

We have the same book and got it at a library sale as well. I used it as an opertunity to discuss discipline methods with my kids rather than changing it.

[3girls1boy]

This isn't even a super old book, but in "Arthur's Halloween," Arthur and D.W. go into a stranger's house on trick or treat night and have donuts and apple cider! I always have to say to the kids, "Now you would never do that in real life, would you?"

[beccaboo]

That's funny - when I read the title of your thread I thought, "I wonder if she's talking about 'Bedtime for Frances'?" I noticed it once while I was perusing books at the bookstore, and was totally shocked to see the spanking part. I've decided just to stick with "Best Friends for Frances" (though I leave out that she calls Albert "fat") and "Bread and Jam for Frances," but I'm not sure what I'd do if I already had gotten the book.

There's also a spank in "Ping the Duck," though it's not such a big part of the plot, but my most vivid memory of Ping from childhood was that spank, so it did make an impression on me.

The smoking in older books also bothers me. Curious George and George and Martha come to mind immediately, but I know I've seen it elsewhere as well.

Congrats on your "new" books though! It's fun to get a good deal.

[LunaMom]

Speaking of Curious George, those kind of bug me as well. Something about a white man traveling to Africa and capturing a monkey to bring back just doesn't sit right with me...

Khrisday, I thought about using it to teach dd about "other" people using spanking as discipline, but that's a lesson I'd like to leave for a future time. I think it would upset her too much.

[darlindeliasmom]

This book came home from school in Delia's take home bag...we both reacted the same way...huh? Delia said, "well, they're not very nice parents!"

Lesson learned!!

[LunaMoom]

My dd really likes "the giving tree" by Shel Silverstein,but something about it really bothers me. As a survivor of domestic abuse I just think that tree needs more self-esteem or something. But when we read it we discuss how you can end up giving too much and ending up without yourself.

[LunaMom]

I just did a double-take, LunaMoom...I was thinking, "Wait a minute, I didn't write that...MY dd doesn't even HAVE The Giving Tree!!!" :LOL

[beccaboo]

I find that the "good" in Curious George outweighs the "bad," but I know just what you mean, LunaMom. I edit the part in the first book where George is sad to leave the jungle, but it doesn't negate the fact that he was removed from his home by force.

[glh]

Did you ever notice in some of the older books that they always say "mother" they never say mommy or mama, but at the same time they will say "Daddy", not "father"? I always change it to mama.

I also got a book for my 6 year old son called "Mrs. Piggly-Wiggly", if you don't like even reading about harsh discipline stay far, far away from this book. Reading those older books does make you realize how spanking was just taken for granted years ago (like when I was growing up).