Does anyone remember the book where "The Blah" came along and smashed all the main character's crayons? I read and read and read that book.
I also read the devil out of James and the Giant Peach. There was a period of at least a year where EVERY OTHER time I went to the library, I checked that book out. If I wasn't taking it back, I was checking it out. Try that for the 8-10 year old nephew set.
As for the younger kids, there's this funny dichotomy that happened with my daughter. When she was about a year to 15-16 months, she tolerated longer books really well. But then once she learned how to turn the pages for herself, she didn't tolerate the longer books so well. She wanted to get the page turned ASAP, so if it had more than a sentence or two on the page, I didn't have much hope to convey all the text before the page turned. Sometimes I put my foot down, but really, I decided that reading every word on that page to my 2 year old is not worth that fight. We have enough fights on enough fronts that I just gave up on that one.
So i read the shorter ones - or rather the ones with not so much text on each page. A Snowy Day, Olivia, The Lonely Firefly (really all the Eric Carle jernts), Knuffle Bunny (all the Mo Willems jernts are pretty good and well liked - H did an impromptu recital of Leonardo the Terrible Monster from memory at dinner last night).
As for the issues of the one james, regarding the content of books, we've gotta be ware. I remember we had a copy of Little Black Sambo around my house (did you all know that Sambo was a dark-skinned Indian and not an African at all?) and I read that book as a kid. I think I came out decently well in the racial outlook department, despite having read one of the classic racist texts as a child. There's no chance in hell I would read that book to my daughter though. I think my point is that the fact that there is objectionable content in books aimed at young children does not necessarily mean that those children will imbibe that objectionable content so thoroughly that they cannot be functioning, sensitive, thinking people who treat all others with respect, whether they be sambos or coolies or just plain crackers like most of us fools on here.
We're right to worry about it, but worry more about our own parenting than the content of the books we read our kids. And specifically, our behavior when the kids are watching. They will ape you like a motherfucker, even if that means saying "It's green motherfucker!" from the carseat in the back. Not a moment I'd like to experience (so far so good, but I have muttered that or similar oaths in H's presence).
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
Kids are the best. And you should read to them every night if possible. Making reading part of their lives is one of the best things you can do for 'em. That and loving them all the way.
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
Kids are the best. And you should read to them every night if possible. Making reading part of their lives is one of the best things you can do for 'em. That and loving them all the way.
Peace, JRoot
I just tracked down the first two books last week - nearly 30 years since I read them but my 8 year old daughter is absolutely loving The Great Brain. He's such a mercenary little bugger. As good as I remembered it to be.
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
In the Great Brain they're Catholics in a Mormon community.
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
In the Great Brain they're Catholics in a Mormon community.
Mormons call other Christians gentile. They consider themselves as the lost tribe of Israel and Jews as part of their family.
they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy)
Yes! That was the one where he stole the key to the school, made a copy by getting an imprint of it in soap, then escaped at night to buy candy which he would sell to the other kids at a mark-up, right?
I really think those books helped shape the man I am today (for better or worse).
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
In the Great Brain they're Catholics in a Mormon community.
Mormons call other Christians gentile. They consider themselves as the lost tribe of Israel and Jews as part of their family.
I like how JD and his brothers instill religious 'tolerance' into the local Mormon kids through their ability to whip any kid their age.
Comments
^^^ESSENTIAL
also for any budding entrepreneur:
don't let monkeys make a monkey outta you
^^^Also key
I also read the devil out of James and the Giant Peach. There was a period of at least a year where EVERY OTHER time I went to the library, I checked that book out. If I wasn't taking it back, I was checking it out. Try that for the 8-10 year old nephew set.
As for the younger kids, there's this funny dichotomy that happened with my daughter. When she was about a year to 15-16 months, she tolerated longer books really well. But then once she learned how to turn the pages for herself, she didn't tolerate the longer books so well. She wanted to get the page turned ASAP, so if it had more than a sentence or two on the page, I didn't have much hope to convey all the text before the page turned. Sometimes I put my foot down, but really, I decided that reading every word on that page to my 2 year old is not worth that fight. We have enough fights on enough fronts that I just gave up on that one.
So i read the shorter ones - or rather the ones with not so much text on each page. A Snowy Day, Olivia, The Lonely Firefly (really all the Eric Carle jernts), Knuffle Bunny (all the Mo Willems jernts are pretty good and well liked - H did an impromptu recital of Leonardo the Terrible Monster from memory at dinner last night).
As for the issues of the one james, regarding the content of books, we've gotta be ware. I remember we had a copy of Little Black Sambo around my house (did you all know that Sambo was a dark-skinned Indian and not an African at all?) and I read that book as a kid. I think I came out decently well in the racial outlook department, despite having read one of the classic racist texts as a child. There's no chance in hell I would read that book to my daughter though. I think my point is that the fact that there is objectionable content in books aimed at young children does not necessarily mean that those children will imbibe that objectionable content so thoroughly that they cannot be functioning, sensitive, thinking people who treat all others with respect, whether they be sambos or coolies or just plain crackers like most of us fools on here.
We're right to worry about it, but worry more about our own parenting than the content of the books we read our kids. And specifically, our behavior when the kids are watching. They will ape you like a motherfucker, even if that means saying "It's green motherfucker!" from the carseat in the back. Not a moment I'd like to experience (so far so good, but I have muttered that or similar oaths in H's presence).
While I'm going off, I'll go back to The Great Brain books. Not only are they dizzying for little boys, but I believe that the protagnist and his family are Jews in a world of gentiles, yet they go to Catholic school (at least they did in the Great Brain at the Academy). If that is incorrect, I blame my fading memory of the books, but I am certain it is from those books (+ sunday school) that I learned what a gentile was.
Kids are the best. And you should read to them every night if possible. Making reading part of their lives is one of the best things you can do for 'em. That and loving them all the way.
Peace,
JRoot
I just tracked down the first two books last week - nearly 30 years since I read them but my 8 year old daughter is absolutely loving The Great Brain. He's such a mercenary little bugger. As good as I remembered it to be.
we used to act this one out in nursery school. We had all these funny hats and we used the jungle gym as the tree.
In the Great Brain they're Catholics in a Mormon community.
Mormons call other Christians gentile. They consider themselves as the lost tribe of Israel and Jews as part of their family.
Yes! That was the one where he stole the key to the school, made a copy by getting an imprint of it in soap, then escaped at night to buy candy which he would sell to the other kids at a mark-up, right?
I really think those books helped shape the man I am today (for better or worse).
I like how JD and his brothers instill religious 'tolerance' into the local Mormon kids through their ability to whip any kid their age.
I had no idea. Then or now.
It's actually a pretty big part of the story in the first book.