Children's Books I hate! - Page 12

[Benji'sMom]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb

Well I'm sure this has been mentioned, but I really hate "I'm a Big Sister" (I think that's the title). Baby is bottlefed, of course, and it never ONCE shows the mom holding it! It's held by dad when it's being fed, but other than that it's in a stroller or walker. Yuck. I hate that freaking book.

We had the same one for big brothers. Litterally the baby is in the stroller outside, and anytime he's inside, he's strapped into the carseat. Why would a baby be strapped into a carseat while wide awake and "playing" with his big brother?:

[Heffernhyphen]

Originally Posted by mommymarliah

. . .about a lion with special needs "Leo The LAte Bloomer"

Interesting how we all have our own perspectives and can read the same book with such different eyes. Bear in mind, I haven't read it in a while, but I didn't see it AT ALL like you describe.

First off, I don't see Leo as having "special needs," I just thought he had his own individual time table. And I thought the father was adorable, pretending not to watch, but so interested in his own kid that he couldn't help it. Some parents feel a lot of pressure if their kid isn't performing according to "the experts" milestone calendar.

Our DS definitely has his own time table. He did everything late, but eventually he did get there. I think this book is a fun reassurance that even if Zoe walked at 10 months and your DC is still figuring it out at 17 months (like my kid), it's okay. They'll get there, even if you don't stress out and watch them every second.

[sunnysideup]

Originally Posted by Heffernhyphen

First off, I don't see Leo as having "special needs," I just thought he had his own individual time table. And I thought the father was adorable, pretending not to watch, but so interested in his own kid that he couldn't help it. Some parents feel a lot of pressure if their kid isn't performing according to "the experts" milestone calendar.

Yeah, that was my take on it too.

[mchalehm]

Originally Posted by g&a

I don't understand the appeal of Goodnight Moon either, but toddlers LOVE LOVE LOVE it, so it stays in our house. Sometimes it doesn't have to make sense to be a good book.

g.

I like "Goodnight Moon"--I think it's the page that says, "Good night, nobody." There's just something so funny about it.

[monkeys4mama]

Originally Posted by Daffodil

I think it's weird how many people think the mother in Runaway Bunny is too controlling. (It's been mentioned before in threads like this.) It's about a little bunny, not a bunny who's grown up and ready to get his own apartment. If you were a little kid thinking about running away, would you want your mom to just shrug and say, "Okay, bye, it was nice knowing you?" If your 3 year old did run away, wouldn't you search the world and do whatever it took to find her again?

OK, so this has absolutely NOTHING to do with books, but your question reminded me of something... When my brother and I were little kids, we got mad at my mom and told her we were running away. She packed us sandwiches and apples and wrapped them up in red bandanas which she tied to the end of stick for each of us.

We left the house but couldn't figure out where to go so we sat down on the front boulevard in front of our house (a very quiet little residential neighborhood). We were laying out there on the grass eating our sandwiches when my aunt and uncle came over with our cousins to bring us "May baskets". That was the end of our "running away".

[KermitMissesJim]

OT--warriorprincess, I love your sig. One of my big pet peeves, handled with humor. Love it.

[ShadowMom]

Maybe I am alone in this, but I am just so sick and tired of books always having to have a "moral" or teach some stupid lesson.

This is why I love the Richard Scarry books we have. They're just filled with life, and how stuff works, and cool drawings!!

But I just disagree so strongly with little kids being preached at all of the time - although thankfully, I think my child doesn't even notice it most of the time (He's 3). But I have had to eliminate so many books from our repertoire because of this - some of those older books are really bad. In order to teach kids a lesson, they are either beaten or threatened with it!

But anyway, I just wish books didn't focus so much on that... why do all of these books try to instill morals in my kid? That's my job. Lay off it!

Although I do have to admit that every I read "Because a person's a person, no matter how small!" in Horton Hears a Who, it does bring tears to my eyes. :

[malibusunny]

"As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be" from yertle the turtle does the same thing to me (I read it to my high school students every Dr. Suess day and we talk about Dr. Suess as a political activist, so it's fresh in my mind).

[monkeys4mama]

Originally Posted by g&a

Green Eggs and Ham - You get pestered to do something you don't want to do until you give in. Especially when this is a message about food - You might not be hungry, or in the mood for eggs but I'm pestering you to eat them anyway. Not a good way to teach kids to stick up for themselves or to listen to their bodies about food.

I am perplexed by this response to this book. It's supposed to be FUNNY. It's over the top, not serious. The whole point of it is the absolute absurdity of the story and the ridiculous lengths Sam goes to. Kids think it's silly fun. I think it's silly fun. And sometimes humor is a way to get through to people of all ages with a message. In this case, the message is simple, "you might like something if you actually tried it". I don't see anything so awful about that.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by AuntNi

Love You Forever. The big guy in his mother's lap just creeps me out.

I liked this book UNTIL we received a copy from my MIL!

[A&A]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

There aren't any i HATE at the moment...

BUT - I never understood the appeal of...



Goodnight Gorilla

It's the page that says, "Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight." It's fun to read. (Yeah, looks kinda boring just in text, I know!)

[A&A]

Originally Posted by formerluddite

and amelia bedelia: stupid is not that funny to me.

She's not necessarily stupid; she's just very literal. "Dust the furniture" means put dust on it, and "string the beans" means put strings on them! A "shower" for a guest means just that......shower her with water.

We find the books hilarious!

[chefpaige1]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

There aren't any i HATE at the moment...

BUT - I never understood the appeal of...

Goodnight Moon
Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Olivia
Moo-Baa-La-La
Goodnight Gorilla

You've gotta read the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with a rhythm. That's the whole fun of the book! Clap along or bounce while you read it rhythmically. Fun!

[dharmamama]

re: Rainbow Fish

I just asked my five-year-old daughter, Ramona, whether she likes the book Rainbow Fish. She said yes. I said, "What do you like about it?"

While banging furiously on a blob of playdough with a hammer, and without even looking at me, she said,

Originally Posted by My daughter Ramona

I like that even though Rainbow Fish is mean to the little fish, he [the little fish] keeps coming back and asking for what he needs. You always tell me to do that. And I like that Rainbow Fish finds out that he can do something to make the other fish happy, because he didn't really know that at the beginning of the book. But he found out that he could do something good for the world.

Namaste!

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by A&A

It's the page that says, "Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight, goodnight." It's fun to read. (Yeah, looks kinda boring just in text, I know!)

I had one kid who would laugh hysterically at the teeth in the dark. Dc would clamp his teeth together and say, kind of in a muffled laugh, 'Hi. It's just me". Cracked himself up daily for quite a long time...

[North_Of_60]

Originally Posted by AuntNi

Love You Forever. The big guy in his mother's lap just creeps me out.

Originally Posted by felix23

: The mom in I love you forever needs to cut the apron strings and let her son grow up. I really hate that book, it is just creepy.

Ah, I love that book. My mom gave it to me after DD was born, and it made me cry. It was touching to see someone want to hold her baby, and even more touching to see that mama nurturing attitude carried out past infancy (something that is lacking from both mine and my husband's family).