AIBU to think that Tintin books are not suitable reading material for a 4 yo?

[bubbleymummy]

BIL bought them for DS1 for his 4th bday. DS absolutely loves them and reads them over and over and looks out for ones he hasn't read every time we go to the library. I didn't read Tintin books when I was younger so I really didn't know much about them but DH said they were fine. I then found out that there is lots of shooting and blowing things up in them! It just seems very violent for a 4 year old. :( DS does read other books as well (nice ones usually but he does love Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes as well - what is it about little boys??!) but I would feel really bad stopping him from reading what seem to be his favourite books at the moment. DH thinks IABU and that we grew up with Tom and Jerry and Warner Bros cartoon violence and that this is no worse than that. So what do you think? AIBU or should I take them away ASAP? :)

Also, it's not just boys who like Revolting stuff, and not all boys are interested in fighting or guns. And the ones who are ineterested in guns generally grow out of it.

(Mother of two boys)

interested

Agree this is not a boys thing.

I'd be more worried by the crass racial stereotyping then by any violence

They're adventure stories and adventure requires peril. At its simplest, peril usually involves potential violence of some kind or another, so that's what you're going to find in kids' adventures.

I bloody loved Tin Tin as a kid; he's a bit creepy and right wing for my tastes now, to be honest.

I too loved tintin, but think my dd (also 4) is too young for them.
I never 'got' asterix as a child, but reading them as a teenager, suddenly they were funny!

Sprung!

mutable I never got Asterix either, and that put me off them.

DS prefers Tintin. I do think a lot of it would be lost on a 4yr old, bubble what I'd do if I where you is not buy him any more, let him really get to know the books he has, and leave the rest till he is older.

DS sometimes plays detective, and he likes to have a gun for tihs, but he knows it's just a game, he knows that if he ever tries to 'shoot' me I get cross, and so he leaves he shooting till he has friends round that play with him.