To think that Horrid Henry is..

[bridgeandbow]

just well - horrid, as well as poorly parented, undisciplined, unaware of consequences and, quite frankly, a total brat. All made worse by the fact that his more sensitive brother is portrayed as a bit of a wimp.

My DS 5 got a book for his birthday, we have read one story and both agree that it is rubbish. Why should my son want read about this brat?

[alistron1]

My DS's both love horrid henry, however they much prefer 'just william'

[DarrellRivers]

I love William and Horrid Henry

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

My two love it (books and audio books) we haven't watched it on TV. It has helped DS's reading and we talk around the subjects of the stories quite a bit.

[icantbelieveimnotbitter]

I hate horrid henry too. Was banned in our house (tv). Then DD started bringing the books home from school as part of the reading scheme, I did not approve. Cannot understand why a school would have them, so said she couldn't have them. Her teacher told me she'd have to bring her own books from home as she'd done the other levels and they only had those or bloody rainbow fairies (boring, and all the same).

[bridgeandbow]

Good to know I am not a total freak then. I agree mercibucket that the books shouldn't be read as manual on how to behave at home but my issue is, does a 5 year old really know that?

We saw the tv programme this morning and it was dreadful - yes, his parents just don't want to know.

[quirrelquarrel]

Henry was amongst the books my parents banned- so when I was at my best friend's house I'd settle down in her room and read all the verboten volumes her mum had bought for her and she'd never read, I loved Henry! He was completely different to anyone I knew. I went through a phase of reading "baby books" and he was perfect escapism :D

[wook]

I'm surprised about parents banning reading material from their children- yes there may well be better writing out there, and/or better behaved protagonists but why can't the child make decisions about what they want to read?
Genuinely mystified as to why anybody would want to do this to their dc. Very draconian move, and surely only likely to create intrigue in a 'Frankie says Relax' kind of a way.
When ds read these books with me (before he grew out of them, which happened quite soon) we would just have a little chat about what was going on - eg why is Henry doing this?, why would Henry's mum do that? That's not very kind! etc - same as with any book, you discuss it!
Our dcs will meet people who have nits, call each other names, act out at school, play tricks, tease, namecall etc- and they will do those things themselves, whatever they read.
Puts me in mind of friends who were not allowed to watch Grange Hill- flippin 'eck!

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

My DS found Horrid Henry books a bit boring. As much as I'm an anti-Americanism fascist, we all lurved Captain Underpants. (Not so much when DS put 'squishies' under the toilet seats at the local ball pit place!)

[HeadfirstForHalos]

Yes, I'm surprised at parents banning books too! Mine love the Horrid Henry's, and they certainly don't behave the way HH does! I think they like to be "shocked" at the things he does, as they are the things they would never do!

[Bearcrumble]

I used to deal with the complaints for the Horid Henry TV show.

I vividly remember one angry parent ringing up because one of the characters had a Liverpudlian accent and had stolen something. He thought this was terrible typecasting and wanted to assure me that scousers were not all thieves.

I restrained myself from saying 'yes but you've proved the sterotype about them being whiners'.

[tattycoram]

Don't know about teh books but I have just banned the programme for my four year old. His behaviour was getting even worse than normal. I think it's probably fine for older kids but DS1 just copied him

[BelovedCunt]

i think banning a book like hh is po faced in teh extreme.

[munstersmum]

Loathe Horrid Henry. DS has a couple but I shan't be buying any more. Even worse was the stage show (went with friends & their kids before DS had read any).

[aldiwhore]

I am not into burning books or banning them... but I have been known to hide ones I don't like.

My eldest knows not to behave like Horrid Henry (Dennis the Menace doesn't both me at all for some reason) and my youngest soon learns that there's a difference between comedy entertainment and actual real life acceptable behaviour.. that's something we all learn, Horrid Bloody Henry or not.

The stage show??? Oh ye Gods!

[TheMitfordsMaid]

My son loves Horrid Henry. I think it is actually quite refreshing to read a book that doesn't have a moral message flung overtly in your face. My son isn't stupid enough to copy Henry's behaviour. After all, he doesn't expect to see a talking pig after watching Peppa.

[itsabiggywhatdoidonow]

I hate horrid henry and knows it, she loves it, some times I do need to need to enforce hh bans in my house.

Once I put dd aged 5 on the naughty step and in her screaming hissy fit she proclamed, I hate you mummy, and Im going to marry horrid henry and leave this house and theres nothing you can do about it!

I had to go into another room and piss my self laughing. This followed by another ban along with a chat about some issues thrown up by hhs behaviour his poor parenting. I thing sometimes like anything we do need regulate what our children are exposed to and with hind sight 4/5 was not an appropriate age for dd to be viewing or reading hh I think 6/7+ is far more appropriate, so I have taken books away and avoid it on tv.

[itsabiggywhatdoidonow]

oh and dd also gets reminded hh is not real!

[wonderfultykes]

I HATE horrid henry and thank goodness so does DS. It reminds us of a boy who pushed DS down the stairs aged 3 - he loved those books, so there you go !

[ilovemyhens]

Horrid Henry is banned in our house.

ds1 did receive some HH books one Christmas, but after reading one to him for about 15 minutes I realised that it was horrendous and contained just the behaviour that I was trying to cope with in ds1 The books were binned after that and they don't watch CITV anyway.

[wonka]

I hate Captain Underpants, please somebody tell me how reading this encourages good spelling?

[FreudianSlipper]

have not watched it yet

but i can not stand She's A Little Princess, she is a horribly spoilt little girl who has no consideration for others because she is allowed to behave in such a selfish way. what is cute about her or am i missing the point is it meant to show little girls how not to behave

[SpiderObsession]

"I don't think it's supposed to be read as a manual on how to behave at home"

Unfortunately that's just how DS(5) saw it. He mimicked the behaviour and insults in school and at home. He has social development issues and is too literal in his thinking.

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Ha ha, Captain Underpants and spelling! Not a good role model, mind you , neither is Winnie the Pooh! Luckily my DSs read them well before they could spell, and had grown out of them before juniors when they started to knuckle down to writing properly. The books did give them a love of reading, however, which is just as important IM humble O.

[CalamityKate]

Horrible child and a terrible influence!

[HeadfirstForHalos]

Yes, the Little Princess is a brat. Peppa Pig is a whiny little shit too