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Original poster

Children’s books you don’t like?

274 replies

MagnaDoodle · 09/09/2018 19:36

Anyone got a book or two that makes them inwardly sigh and weep when DC asks for them?

I had to read my most disliked book today. Burglar Bill. Dirge.

OP posts:
dontticklethetoad · 09/09/2018 23:06

This...

Children’s books you don’t like?
JynxaSmoochum · 09/09/2018 23:10

Anything made to fit a TV theme or spin off from a popular series by a different author. Normally devoid of coherent plot and decent language structure.

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 09/09/2018 23:12

Harry Potter

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Children's books
MrsMarigold · 09/09/2018 23:19

I love Clarice Bean, she is wonderfully precocious. David Walliams - the Worst Children was just money spinner imho. Thomas the Tank Engine and Mr Men. Rupert Bear - horrendous racism my MIL found some in the attic and we agreed they needed to be burned.

Original poster
MagnaDoodle · 09/09/2018 23:20

The Grear Dog Bottom Swap could be a thread in itself tbh 😐😐

OP posts:
paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 09/09/2018 23:21

Oh so many. Reading this I can't think of any I actually like and I love books!

Also had all my DC totally transfixed by You Choose (which is actually brilliant but only hindered by it's crack-like appeal to small children) but discovered each time the older one like to read to the younger and now the DTs will do it together. Result! BUT what on earth is Just Imagine about ? Total drivel.

Beamur · 09/09/2018 23:21

The Large Family books (the elephants, all dreadful)
Not a fan of David Walliams either.

Original poster
MagnaDoodle · 09/09/2018 23:23

I don’t much like the David Walliams books either. But I did find the illustrations in The Queens Orangutan very funny Grin

OP posts:
jammydodger5 · 09/09/2018 23:27

Biff and chip

paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking · 09/09/2018 23:28

Yes really don't like David Walliams books. Really shallow. Can tell they are churned out and not crafted.

GreyCloudsToday · 09/09/2018 23:29

Fucking Thomas! Santa bought all eleventy-billion of them in a set which he only realised later was a grave error. Now our kid is obsessed. And now to add insult to injury Nanny has developed an addiction to buying cheap Chinese Thomas merch off eBay.

Lookatmemeow · 09/09/2018 23:33

The You Choose books; take flipping forever to get through. Whilst DC choose every piece of furniture/shoe/hat/hobby I'm generally asleep next to them.

skankingpiglet · 09/09/2018 23:34

Paddingtonthebear Oi Frog is a great book! It's one of my new-ish found favourites (and the sequels), along with Mopoke.

Katedotness1963 · 09/09/2018 23:35

Goodnight Moon
Anything by Roald Dahl
A book my eldest was given as a birthday present about a farting dog.

Lyte · 09/09/2018 23:38

Thomas the tank engine. The most boring tales ever! But DS loved them. I used to shudder at the mere sight of Thomas’ smiley face gazing up at me from the book shelf. Much preferred reading about Biff and Chip and the magic key. Smile

Makegoodchoices · 09/09/2018 23:45

BeastQuest books. Formula written crap that my son adores.
Repeated reading of the sentence “while there’s blood in my veins I will complete my quest” gives me the rage.

And the main character -who has magic armour that gives him all sorts of powers - is horribly patronising to his female sidekick...despite the fact she faces all the same dangers with none of the magical protection. Awful, awful books.

NastyCats · 09/09/2018 23:45

@ohbuggerandarse I worked with a friend of Rowling's editor on the HP books. Apparently as a wedding gift I'm Rowling gave her a story made up from all the characters the editor had, well, edited.

I hate(d): The Large Family and the A Good Night's Sleep book ; the Farmer Duck book where you have to keep saying "How goes the work?"; Rainbow Magic Fairies and a lot of Dahl - very smug and very critical. I dislike books about bodily fluids/functions which are apparently hilarious as 'kids love that'. Do they? Also my children do not like to be scared when I read them a story so books about lost toys, monsters, ghosts, etc were all out.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/09/2018 23:54

Hating books is ridiculous. They're a window into imagination for our kids and through loving hearing them, they learn to love to read and to imagine and to create.

I'm sorry, but I think this is pretentious bollocks. Likewise the comment above about it being better for children to read any book than do other things such as watch youtube.

Why, for crying out loud? Don't you think there are such things as bad books, or are we teaching our children to be undiscriminating sheep who can't tell good from bad? And what is wrong with watching some TV or a video on youtube or going for a run around the garden or whatever else it may be?

A good book is great. But fetishising any printed object held between two covers is just odd, and no service to children at all.

Lyte · 10/09/2018 00:05

To be fair, as formulaic as it may be, it’s the BeastQuest books that switched on ds2’s passion for reading. I bought him one BeastQuest and he hasn’t stopped reading since. I first heard about them on MN Smile, that was 7yrs ago.

123fushia · 10/09/2018 00:06

I love reading good story books to my class. Y3, and I make sure that we have lots of fabulous books in the classroom.
In my opinion, the most disappointing, badly written stories are those written by David Williams. Difficult to read out loud and not engaging. Sorry DW fans. X

Squidgee · 10/09/2018 00:25

No I dont think there is any such thing as a bad book.

If a child enjoys the story and it encourages them to want to read more, its not a bad book.

I can understand not enjoying a book for your own reasons, but it doesn't make it a 'bad book' just because you didn't like it.

Greyhound22 · 10/09/2018 00:58

DS was kindly gifted a big pile of books the other day.

Lots of classics that we haven't read before and we are reading one every night at the moment so have got to know a few more the last few weeks.

A couple of nights ago we did 'Where the Wild Things Are' I was quite excited for that one and then it really didn't do anything for me. And the pictures are really creepy Grin

I can't stand the Dinosaur pooping ones.

Also ones where it half rhymes and half doesn't - what's that about?

We do love the Julia McDonald ones though. Well I do.

I'm just glad it's made DS want a story every night.

PepperSteaks · 10/09/2018 06:27

Tuck by Kes Grey. Daisy is so spoilt and my DD ripped it (she’s never ever ripped any other book) write where it had been signed from her so I feel sad whenever I read it.
Some of the Peppa Pig books are so wordy. I feel like I’m reading war and peace rather than a story about a pig having a birthday party.

Cblockbitch · 10/09/2018 06:35

the highway rat by Julia Donaldson. doesn't quite rhyme and the pace is off.

Mum2OneTeen · 10/09/2018 06:52

Any "Mr Men" books, crap illustrations and idiotic story lines. Nothing to redeem them at all.