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Original poster

Books you hate reading aloud to your children

116 replies

RosaTransylvania · 22/10/2007 22:39

Was thinking tonight, as I trudged through a book I particularly dislike, how often my children reject my carefully chosen good books in favour of utter tripe. We're talking the Rainbow fairy books obviously, or history-obsessed DD2's current favourites, the turgidly written My Story series (though I suppose they are educational).
DD3 hits me with Topsy and Tim, Little Grey Rabbit and the unutterably tedious Animals of Farthing Wood.
What do you hate reading aloud?

OP posts:
suzywong · 24/10/2007 01:20

I don't mind doing Thomas TT because I do it all in Received Pronunciation and a little bit of Kenneth Williams and some Bernard Manning for the Fat Controller of course, otherwise it would be unbearable

I refuse to read and loathe any Disney/Pixar spinoff as they seem to be written by a committee with English as a fourth language whom has not seen the original movie.

Thank the Lord I have boys, Rainbow S*dding Fairies sound dreadful

Original poster
RosaTransylvania · 24/10/2007 00:05

They are not very well written, but I quite like the pictures, which makes up for it. And my DD3 has a lot of Lola in her.

OP posts:
BadZelda · 24/10/2007 00:02

Surprised no one has mentioned the Charlie and Lola books - they're so badly written and have no flow I find; 'and then charlie said, and lola said' - it's like listening to a conversation in a laundrette.

Original poster
RosaTransylvania · 23/10/2007 23:56

I love Where the Wild Things Are. Couldn't tell you why though! It is all very arbitrary isn't it?

OP posts:
sallystrawberry · 23/10/2007 23:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gobbledispook · 23/10/2007 23:52

Luckily the boys love all the Julia Donaldson ones that I love too - so usually OK

Gobbledispook · 23/10/2007 23:51

Where the Wild Things Are - it's such an odd book imo. I don't know why people rave about it. I hate it if mine pick that one at bedtime.

Marina · 23/10/2007 23:42

Ds will have a stab at anything but he gave up on Lemony after one book thank goodness
We did The Butterfly Lion in 48 hours when ds was ill and will always remember it, I think. We both wept buckets at the end.
Animals of Farthing Wood - boak, as expat would say.

Original poster
RosaTransylvania · 23/10/2007 23:39

Yes Marina and Thomas too, thank fuck thankfully.
But not Lemony Snicket unfortunately.

OP posts:
colditz · 23/10/2007 23:38

Those awful disney books, where they condense the film into a short story, and the pictures relate to their 'story' in not one definable sense!

NoBiggy · 23/10/2007 23:38

That Little Bear Little Bear Little Bear one.

We had an utterly pointless one called Squeak squeak. Not any more

Marina · 23/10/2007 23:34

And don't get me started on the hatefulness of the quarrelsome, snobbish, dimwitted engines in Thomas...
But Rosa, you have probably escaped Captain Underpants

Marina · 23/10/2007 23:33

Your son is curiously cute too if I may say so Roy

RoyKinnear · 23/10/2007 23:31

thanks aitch - he was so lovely!

AitchTwoOh · 23/10/2007 23:26

can i just say that i love RoyKinnear's name? it makes me smile every time i see it...

mooncupconvert · 23/10/2007 22:40

Are rainbow fairies those awful Bella the golfish fairy type ones? ugh

bloody Pingu, sooo tedious

ditto Tweenies books, my heart sinks when dd gets it out

Barbie and the sodding Magic of Pegasus

specialmagiclady · 23/10/2007 22:33

LOVE the snail and whale - if you get the rhythm it's a joy to read.

Not keen on Thomas, but the old ones are actually fine.

My lEAST favourite is Bob the Builder. It's BEYOND dull - especially in magazines.

I was a huge fan of the Elephant and Bad Baby as a kid. The pictures are fantastic.

Also used to hate reading the Great Big Little Red Train which had a lot of nonsense about sidings and never quite gets into a rhythm. ZZzzzz

RoyKinnear · 23/10/2007 22:28

THEY ARE SHIT TOO!

RoyKinnear · 23/10/2007 22:28

MR MEN

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 23/10/2007 22:23

Rolad Dahl
Thomas
Mr Men
Fairy books

CarGirl · 23/10/2007 22:23

you know Thomas Books are one of the MAJOR reasons why I wanted dds reading one once was enough to make me think I hate the wretched engine

currantbunmum · 23/10/2007 21:43

Thomas and the way that most stories end with..."you really are a useful engine"

No you're not, you're an attention seeking little twonk.

Love Peepo, Each peach, Julia Donaldson, Dirty Bertie, and Lauren Child.

Habbibu · 23/10/2007 20:49

Have to leap to the defence of Mr Tickle, at least. He can reach biscuit tin from bed, tickles teachers, is orange - what's not to love?

margoandjerry · 23/10/2007 20:46

I love the Elephant and the Bad Baby ...

Hate books about potties - can't we talk about something more interesting?

ThreadyKrueger · 23/10/2007 20:44

Oh, and anything by Enid Blyton.