AIBU to find David Walliams inappropriate for kids?

[chen05]

AIBU to find David Walliams books a bit inappropriate? I'm not sure what age they are aimed at but we bought a few for my 8 year old son to try and re-engage him in books/ reading. We bought the CD's for the car too, so his younger sibling also listens. The main issue I have is the language. In the few books that we have read or listened to, he has used 'shut your face', 'woofter' and 'slag' to name a few. (I may have totally mis- head the last one but I wasnt going to rewind the CD to double check!). There are also numerous mentions of people smoking fags, there is always a mum that has died or abandoned the kids, and one of them goes on about a page 3 model. My son seems to enjoy them, so I guess he's doing a good job at engaging kids, but as a mum I find the language he uses really inappropriate. Is it just me?

I’ve read them to my kids. Which books have ‘slag’ and ‘woofter’ in as those have passed me by!
I think they are very appropriate for kids and very funny.

David Walliams seems a bit too slime as a person for me to try his books.
Jacqueline Wilson though - ugh. Isshoos-based books for children drive me nuts. Must it all be educational, all the time, gritty social realism. PC hammering and not just stories?!

I am SO unimpressed by David Williams books. The way they are marketed to look like RD books - is just sacrilegious imo.
He doesn't even come close.

He makes my skin crawl

^ Me too! I found those sketches where he pisses copiously in a shop aisle dressed as a scruffy elderly woman particularly hideous. Creepy man.

Walliams came along too late for my teens.

Jaqueline Wilson got my daughter hooked on reading from around 9 or 10 and she's been an avid reader ever since - I think the books spoke to her as being real and tough - but as everyone's said fairy tales are pretty gruesome and cruel. My DD went to a book signing with Wilon but was too shy to tell her how she transformed her life. But she did.

I haven't read his books but the dead/absent parent thing is all over kids books and films - from Bambi's
Mother to mufasa in the lion king to Frozen. The kids in Enid Blyton's books were either at boardinf school or palmed off on Queer Uncle Quentin. I guess it's the only way they can have adventures without anyone noticing. I never minded when I was little and my kids don't mind now.

He gives me the creeps so I wouldn't give the books to my kids just for that reason.

Not logical I know.

I prefer to imagine that they're all ghostwritten because he's such a talentless prick.

Im mildly curious re "slag" and "woofter"..if an OP wrote about someone on here and described that person using these words and similar, there would be uproar. That cannot be denied - MN doesn't go for people being described in derogatory fashion, no matter what the context (& context is no excuse anyway is it)

But because its David Walliams and its in a book + aimed at children, somehow that makes it ok?

Ive no opinion on the books either way, but the attitude that "oh well kids know these words anyway (no - not all of them do, despite the trend now of hurtling kids towards adulthood), what then re kids who may find eg "woofter" uncomfortable perhaps in terms of their own sexuality, depending what life stage they're at?

Literary snobbery vs life reality I suppose

Looking for a good kids book try the bolds by Julian Cleary. Brilliant books. We are DW fans as well and the derogatory words tend to be said by really horrible characters which I think is the point. Bolds is brilliant though. My DS is 7 but struggles to find books for his reading age that match with his actual age and these do.

Mistress I would assume - but haven't checked - that the derogatory words like "woofter" might occur in the context of e.g. Boy In A Dress where the main character has to endure & then overcome that sort of abuse. So it's being used for good, not perpetrating bad.

Most children's books will explore this - "mudblood" in Harry Potter for example is clearly a racist taunt, and it's obvious to children it's a "bad word". So "woofter" would be the same.

Tried to read a David Walliams book with my Y4 class. Needed to explain a lot of vocabulary as I read, and found it boring. Didn't finish it. 😕

DD read loads of DW and JW when in year 5/6. I slightly despaired but decided that reading anything was better than not reading plus she also got the fact that these books were not real life. She is now in year 10, reads a huge variety of books, will try anything and loves writing. You need to decide what works for you but TBH a lot of kids fiction is a bit rubbish but if it keeps them reading - then good. I imagine there are few kids these days who just read David Copperfield et al.

The word slag does not appear anywhere in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I have the Kindle versions and just did a word search to check. I checked all 7 books to be sure and nowhere, so either you’re mishearing, or you have some very dodgy audio versions. Word is not used, whether derogatory or not.

really dont like his books ........come on there must be other people who can wrote an engaging book that doesn't endorse aggression - like all the time ....or is this an outlet for the kids "dark side"

The word slag does not appear anywhere in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

I must admit, having listened to all the unabridged audio recently with DC, that I think I heard Riddle's mother, Merope, described as either a "slag" or a "slut" by her brother, Morfin (because I had a bit of an internal shocked gasp to myself!) It occurs when Dumbledore & Harry are experiencing the pensieve memories, and so I thought it was Half Blood Prince. Perhaps it has been erased from the Kindle version?

Ah-ha - it is "slut" not "slag".

"Dishonoured us, she did, that little slut!"
—Morfin in regards to his sister [src]

From harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Morfin_Gaunt

My little boy (6) and I LOVE reading a chapter or two of a proper book every evening. It’s our thing! We have read all the dahls amongst others and I thought seeing the reviews that the David Williams would be good. They’re crap. He doesn’t like them and I don’t like them. I think they are poorly written and unfunny! We have just finished The Creakers which was fabulous and are now half way through A Boy Called Christmas! Which is fab!

My friend works in a year 3 class that is currently studying Billionaire Boy, so they can’t be that inappropriate.

I struggle with David walliams and jaqueline wilson for my 8 year ild. I just think they are inappropriate and could be much better written. But she avidly reads them!

..and slag comes from 'slag heap' which is a pile of waste material...

I doubt you'd find any child who knew that, they are either going to not know what it means or take the more customary meaning nowadays. Most adults would too.

Jacqueline Wilson uses the word in at least one of her books. Neither of my children have read her books or David Walliams - my son tried a DW book and decided that it was badly written and my daughter wasn't into anything JW style thank goodness.

@just5morepeas He gives me the creeps so I wouldn't give the books to my kids just for that reason.

Me too, I don't know what it is about him but he comes across to me as being slightly odd in a not good way. I met him once and something seemed very strange.

I think the word slag is used in The Demon Dentist when they are in the vicinity of a coal mine and it is referring to the slag heap.

Not my favourite author, they aren't the best written books. But they are engaging and currently popular.

Wasn't keen on the reference to the dad's porn collection under the bed in The Boy in the dress that was being read by DDs class in yr4

YANBU. I find them inappropriate full stop. Absolute rubbish a parody of Ronald Dahl.