to feel uneasy about my son reading Enid Blyton books

sorry quatrocenno (sp) im still fairly new to the board and not sure of peoples humour yet

whats a hampshire thing? im from portsmouth

Hello Armadillo and Edam. Glad you are rescuing the debate from the depths I took it to.

All I can say is when we have all been on here for 20 years, people will drop like flies, as their kids will get pg whilst teenagers/become criminals/become wife beaters/drug addicts/members of the BNP

and every other horrible thing you can imagine. I don't say all but some will fit into these groups.

It will because you didn't let them read Enid Blyton. You read it here first.

Heh Heh

I think childhood innocence is a myth. Just watch children in the playground (especially little girls) you get more bullying at school then you ever do as an adult. And of course stimulate their imagination - there are loads of really good books with magic, adventures and stuff in them, they just don't all combine it with girls that have to stay at home and boys that can't blub. And I'm not talking Harry Potter, I think they are pretty poorly writen, not nearly edited enough and fairly derivative too (but not as bad as EB!).

I think anyone with a trace of anything that might be called PC are total serious humour-bypassed nerds, quattro.

Oh Alice In Wonderland is utter shit.

and its not a saying i say often. however im reading it as if parents are bad for letting their children read or read to their children eb books.

now i dont think thats fair because we all do our best for our children and just because we may do something that someone else doesnt agree with does not mean we are wrong.

if a child enjoys a book then i do not see it as mental torture

pointydog - are you goingt o answer last post about why I said get over yourself?

I'm afraid I'm going to carry on probing you QC. Why exactly are they terrible? (pc issues aside). And does your school library stock Harry Potter - now that is dross IMO (but of course it would have never existed without EB, read into that what you will).

But I was not being serious about calling social services on parents forcefeeding children fruitshoots. Either of the drinking or of the Enid Blyton variety.

Agree re Alice in wonderland. Dire

have to say is an interesting debate. Will be interested to see if ds does choose one of her books and what he makes of it if he does. Looking forward to when he gets into Harry Potte books, a little advance I think for him at the moment.

No-one forced EB on me, I got the books out of the library all on my very own. Or bought them with my pocket money. I read all of E Nesbitt too. And Noel Streatfield. And Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and all the other classic children's fiction.

I know people dislike EB and I can see, of course, that Edith Nesbitt was a much better writer. But I think part of the appeal of EB (to children) is that she's a very easy read for people who are still learning how to do that. And she is a good story teller. I don't like the sexism/racism/class distinctions but you have to give her the story telling thing.

armadillo, nice to see you

if we ban books for being primarily white and middle class then that's Quattrocento's list consigned to room 101

Goldenwings - I was actually being serious when I compared EB to fruitshoots. They are totally terrible books. That's why our school library is one of many that doesn't stock her.

Of course I don't particularly care what you give your infants to read. But didn't articulating this position so forcefully make you do a doubletake?

Must be a hampshire thing then. Just clicked on your profile Goldwings - what part of hampshire?

alice in wonferling is crapola imo

it may well be patronising but i find saying that social services should be called for mentally forcefeeding children fruitshoots an insult frankly.

I have to say I agree with Pointydog in this (except about the banning childhood )

There is too much insidious racism in this society as it is. I don't want my child to pick up more.

EB's books treat anyone who isn't white and middle class appallingly (and that's before you get onto the way women/girls are treated).

I never want to show or teach my child even in the smallest way that that is ok. These things go against a lot of what I believe in. By getting him to read/enjoy them I am condoning these attitudes.

Why is it ok to be offended by something if it is against your religion but not if it is against any other moral standings you may have.

These books are often very offensive. They go against a lot of what I believe in. I don't want my child exposed to these by me until I can explain why they are wrong in a way he understands. Even then I still won't be getting him to 'enjoy' a book that gives out all this messages. It would be wrong.

Not in response to you post it isnt IMO:

By pointydog on Fri 22-Jun-07 23:12:53
I don't let my kids browse libraries.

I ban lots of books and comics and tv programmes.

I slate morpurgo

There you go awen. Fits all your PC boxes. Carry on with your sneering you are so justified

goldenwings says it too surprisingly

Well EB does all those things and you compared her to fruit shoots. Now I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing those, but I understand that the received MN opinion is that they are very bad indeed.

'get over yourself' is patronising.