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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:
AitchTwoOh · 23/10/2007 20:43

oh yes, and hate the Mr Men as well.

AitchTwoOh · 23/10/2007 20:42

love peepo, gruffalo, g's child, monkey puzzle and ADORE the snail and the whale.

i too am allergic to dr seuss and dread the day that thomas enters the house.

gingerninja · 23/10/2007 20:31

I hate Mr Men books too.

corblimeycharlie · 23/10/2007 20:30

Rainbow blardy Fairies, The sodding Tiara Club, Holly's Christmas ruddy Wish - Lots of fold out letters and joke books and just too blardy long. The Princess and the Wizard, even if it does have "glitter on every page".
Love Snail and the Whale though - has been known to make me quite emotional

CristinaTheAstonishing · 23/10/2007 20:29

Thomas
Noddy

BettyBatShapedSpaghetti · 23/10/2007 20:19

pigletmaker -my DD loved it too but I have to say that I think I hid it somewhere before DS came along as I couldn't face it again

pigletmaker · 23/10/2007 20:18

when I was a kid the Elephant and the bad baby was one of my FAVOURITE books

so I bought it for DS and have to agree, the repetition KILLS me to read aloud

but maybe it was exactly that which I loved about it originally?

BettyBatShapedSpaghetti · 23/10/2007 20:14

Anything with excessive repetitive lists in eg. The Elephant and The Bad Baby.

Somehow reading the repetitive bits makes me feel like I'm going mad

tassisssss · 23/10/2007 20:13

interesting to see some we disagree on...we love snail and the whale, did dig digging was a big hit about a year ago and i do like guess how much i love you

PanicPants · 23/10/2007 20:10

I quite like the snail and the whale - but agree it's too long.

Ditto to everyone else with Thomas, Mr Men and all digger/tractor/fire engine etc etc yawn yawn books which aren't actual stories just a bit of vague info about them i.e., the strong yellow digger digs a hole, the strong yellow digger fills the hole with sand, the strong yellow diggers pats the hole with his bucket, the strong yellow digger goes home for the day ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But do love the Gruffalo, and The Gruffalos Child.

Habbibu · 23/10/2007 20:10

Indeed! (Although you can't pre-book drinks for the middle of Owl Babies. Maybe that would help.) Na, it's hidden (though she never showed much interest, to be fair) and instead we delight in Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type.

ThreadyKrueger · 23/10/2007 20:06

Well, at least it's short, Habbibu, and you don't have to bluff your way through existentialism in the interval.

liath · 23/10/2007 20:04

Choo-choo clickety clack, dig-dig-digging and Emergency. Utter drivel.

Not a huge snail & the whale fan either!

screaminghousewife · 23/10/2007 20:04

Bloody Charlie and Lola, I know the grammar is supposed to be appalling but it really gets on my proverbials.

PanicPants · 23/10/2007 20:02

The strong yellow digger.

It has been read AT LEAST 4 times a day since it arrived in the house about 4 months ago.

Have tried to get rid a few times and when ds is in bed and hasn't had it read to him we get 'Digger Digger' in the saddest little voice for HOURS afterwards. So we end up giving in and fetching it from the bin!

BroccoliSpears · 23/10/2007 20:01

I hate reading Guess How Much I Love You out loud. Too repetitive. It's a cute story but HOW many times can you say Big Nutbrown Hare... Little Nutbrown Hare... Big Nutbrown Hare... Little Nutbrown Hare...

Habbibu · 23/10/2007 20:00

Well, yes, Thready, but I'm suicidal with boredom by that point. It would be good if it turned out that she was a parrot, or something...

boolepew · 23/10/2007 19:56

Mr. bloody Men. The new ones written by his son are a bit better.

ThreadyKrueger · 23/10/2007 19:56

Except that she arrives, Habbibu.

tassisssss · 23/10/2007 19:55

i hate all thomas books

ds loves them and has loads of them...ridiculously i bought a fair few myself

CrushWithEyeliner · 23/10/2007 19:54

angelina ballerina is FAB! i have the box set

spot gets on my tits...

Habbibu · 23/10/2007 19:54

Owl Babies. It's like Waiting for Godot for infants.

CorrieDale · 23/10/2007 19:51

The Thomas books, which DS has now discovered with huge enthusiasm. We had Cranky the Crane three times tonight, and it's just not that exciting. Or even that easy to read - TK is right. You are constantly tripping over your tongue because the words aren't where they're meant to be. And don't get me started on the plots...

bagpuss · 23/10/2007 19:45

The Rainbow Fairies and also bloody Miffy.

ThreadyKrueger · 23/10/2007 19:44

Oh yes, Winnie the Pooh. When I was a child I loved it (my mum was so good at all the voices). I really looked forward to reading it out to my own children. But when it came to it, I hated it, It is so precious, so knowing -- like talking over your children's heads about how utterly sweet they are