the most overrated childrens books

Meg & Mog
On the Way Home

Little Miss - written by the son who really has none of his father's talent
Marvin Wanted More
Bob the Builder
Thomas the Tank
Winnie the Pooh
Charlie and Lola - by the time they're old enough to read it, they're into Judy Blume
Smartest Giant in Town
Charlie Cook's Recipe Book
Quite a number of the Little Princess books

Enid chuffin bloody lardy dah Blyton

Tis refers to older children but Michael Morpurgo books are pants - I realise this is not going to be a popular view but I always think these are the books that adults think children should be reading and liking but in fact children don't like them - they are children's books for adults iyswim

I agree about the Thomas books. Ds was never really that fussed with them but he had a little friend who always wanted me to read them to him. I found it very difficult to put any enthusiasm into reading them, they really are very dull.

that bloody hungry caterpillar one. i hate it with a passion, luckily ds does too.

I love that Peter Rabbit's dad was put in a pie - talk about risk!

On another note, I don't much enjoy Squirrel Nutkin but it was my grandfather's favourite - born 1903 - and I love reading it to my kids born over 100 years later and watching them enjoy S.Nutkin's antics as much as he did.

I think people underestimate the savagery and brutality of Beatrix Potter. Death is everywhere - count the corpses in Jemima Puddleduck. Read The Tale of Samuel Whiskers and quake. The latter is like Cormac McCarthy's The Road, retold with kittens. There's a great essay by Graham Greene about this.
Personally, I think Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy is hugely over- and the rest of his work (eg the brilliant I Was A Rat) under-rated.

Leaps to the defence of the Elephant and the Bad Baby - the illustrations are particularly fabulou. I realised when I bough the book for my children that I had totally mixed up my memories of a sweet shop in my home town with the sweet shop in this book. It's the most beautiful place in the world....

I LOVE B.Potter, such rich language:

"Mr Drake Puddleduck advanced in a slow sideways manner and picked up the various articles" is my favourite EVER sentence.

I loathed reading Mr Men aloud but understood the appeal of the format and the illustrations. Amongst many loved books I really enjoyed reading "The Wind Blew"

Am surprised the unspeakably tedious Spot hasn't appeared on this thread yet. Our copies got "lost" as the only viable alternative was for me to chew my own arm off.
Hate Thomas, but think all the backbiting, unpleasantness, and unhealthy level of competition among the engines is an excellent preperation for working life.

As you can gather ds is a huge fan of Thomas the Tank.

There is a world of differecne between the original books and illustrations and the smaller TV seried led ones. We love the original ones, especially when they refer to real places and engines such as the Tallyllyn railway.

Dd is an avid reader, we are reading Little House in the Big Woods together at the moment, she loves Enid Blyton and are just about to start Lion Witch and Wardrobe (she saw a stage version last month and has to learn a monologue for an exam.

The f*cking Old Bear books by Jane Hissey. Mawkish, quaint and tedious! MIL gave DS#1 a boxed set of these when he was small - after 6m I hid them DD found them the other day - 'Mum, look what I found, what where they doing at the back of my wardrobe?'

I can tolerate almost anything (even Mr Men) but I'm already sick of Thomas books.

We love bear hunt and Dr Suess.

I'm a huge book fan - both kids and adults - but there are some VERY over-rated kids books in my opinion:

Beatrix Potter - I gave these to charity, I found them boring as a child and worse as an adult.

Thomas the Tank - rubbish, how did it ever get the status it has

Mr Men - stories not so bad but the language style, grammar etc is appalling.

Most things given in your bookstart packs are rubbish quality & dull.

I'm sure there are far more but those are my main hates.

I'm going to stick up for Bear Hunt though - it took me a while to like it but my 3yr old absolutely adores it and we now go on park hunts/school hunts/shop hunts/home hunts etc etc which keep him occupied on walks!

Definitely Thomas the Tank Engine books. Deadly dull.

Also dislike 'The Rainbow Fish' and 'Elmer' as they are so trite (yet both nicely illustrated -what a waste).

Someone said that 'My Naughty little sister" is hard to read. I haven't tried reading it but we have a gorgeous Audio book of one of the them which we all love, so maybe try that? Its on bookdepository.

Hate, hate, HATE any Disney book featuring stills from the folm and a terrible retelling of the story. We were once given one and it was quickly banished from the house. They are so long and so badly writen. What a way to ruin a good movie!

Also hate books that make noises.

I really loathe Mr Men - SO tedious to read

Also loathe those dreadful "Thats not my..." bad enough the first time, but how many times will they rehash the same er...'plot' for want of a better word!?

I liked the original 'Duck in Truck' but find the sequels a bit cringe-worthy as duck is so blundery and irritating.

I think the "Hairy McClary" illistrations are overrated, but the poems are great so that makes up for it.

Like GOABH, Peace at Last, Dr Suess and Julia Donaldson books ...

However, I think there is a special place in hell for the 'author' of the bloody Princess Poppy books ... they are just dire!! Not to mention the excretable Maisy tripe ...

Anyone else enjoy those great books by Giles Andreas (I think) - Rumble in the Jungle, Giraffes Can't Dance, Commotion in the Ocean - they are my 2.5 yo DS's favourite books ..

Rainbow bloody fairies. Have read the whole series to dd three times since Christmas and am facing the prospect of starting again tonight. Mind you, not sure they could be described as "over-rated", that would suggest someone rated them in the first place.

Hate Mr Men, tedious beyond belief.

Am amazed how many people don't like Dr Seuss. I think they are wonderful.

I love most of the books on here! Julia Donaldson books are such fun to read, and how can anyone not like it when Tigger has haycorns for breakfast?? DD2 tends to love anything with poo in it, so I'm fed up with The Little Mole who knew etc etc etc. Have just discovered the Roddy Doyle kids books - was actually laughing out loud at the giggler treatment

Only ones I hate are the princess fairy books - boke!

I once rewarded DS for good behaviour (aged 2 or so) by letting him choose a book in M&S - he set his heart on a big Thomas one that also made noises. It was the bane of our lives - we were always trying to hide the bloody thing. Soooooo boring and preachy and the sounds were maddening - the worst was the (American???) fat controller saying "Being useful can be fun - and it doesn't hurt a bit!" Arrrrggghhh! (why would it hurt anyway?)

I think it may have finally, erm, failed to make it through our house move. Yippppeeee!

other horrors - I agree Miffy is yukky (I feel physically uncomfortable being near the book & rhymes are ddreadful), Guess How Much I love you seems to be pointless & too short & not interesting at all, agree with comment on Elmer being clunky to read.

I try to avoid TV ties-ins though we have been given a few Dora books which DD loves & they are bearable.

Fifi Flowertots book also very poorly written. I say written but I think they simply take random lines from script and don't bother to even try & get a flow or sense into the story (as per Thomas/Pat/Bob books).

DD was given a BBC compliation with Thomas, Postman Pat, Bob Builder etc. It is the worst pile of shit I have ever encountered. BBC should truly be embarassed for publishing it or allowing it to be published. It is sSo poorly written I can't bear to read it let alone aloud - DD is always dragging it out but now I have hidden it. Feels wrong to throw away a book, but I couldn't expect anyone else to read it so will recycle it this weekend.

Mr/Miss Men - boo hoo - I don't like them much either. Just horrible to read aloud.

Little Princess - we have one called "I want My Mummy" - read this to encourage your daughter to act like a spoilt brat. dreadful stuff.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr Seuss, Julia Donaldson, the Mr Pusskins books, Nick Sharratt is usually OK. Rhymes are interesting to read & keep you focused.

We do a great family reading of ROOM ON THE BROOM, where Papa narrates & DD & I do all the voices (by heart). "Maybe this once I'll have witch without chips" - how can you not enjoy that rolling off your tounge?

We have a good home library but love our trips to local library too - where DD gets out Mr Men books (amound others) & I hide them enroute to desk.

DD is really into Goldilocks at the moment so might be time to investigate some more of the old traditional stories.

Oh and I'm amazed Angelina Ballerina hasn't appeared on this thread - luckily not something we have, but I've seen them elsewhere and read some and I was just appalled. Awful, depressing, antifeminist claptrap.