to feel uneasy about my son reading Enid Blyton books

[frances5]

My son wants me to read him a book called the "Wishing Chair", I have read two chapters of it and it has a pixie in it called "Chinky". To make it worst the drawing of "Chinky" shows an elf like creature with slitted eyes. However I think my son is totally and utter oblivous to this.

Admitally Enid Blyton lived 50 years ago when people didn't know better. But do you think I am making a mistake letting my son enjoy this book? He is even trying to read it himself that he is so desperate to know what happens next.

When my son chose this book I had no idea that it had a pixie in it called "Chinky" other wise I would have diverted him towards something like Ronald Dahl.

Goldenwings - I was actually being serious when I compared EB to fruitshoots. They are totally terrible books. That's why our school library is one of many that doesn't stock her.

Of course I don't particularly care what you give your infants to read. But didn't articulating this position so forcefully make you do a doubletake?

if we ban books for being primarily white and middle class then that's Quattrocento's list consigned to room 101

armadillo, nice to see you

No-one forced EB on me, I got the books out of the library all on my very own. Or bought them with my pocket money. I read all of E Nesbitt too. And Noel Streatfield. And Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and all the other classic children's fiction.

I know people dislike EB and I can see, of course, that Edith Nesbitt was a much better writer. But I think part of the appeal of EB (to children) is that she's a very easy read for people who are still learning how to do that. And she is a good story teller. I don't like the sexism/racism/class distinctions but you have to give her the story telling thing.

have to say is an interesting debate. Will be interested to see if ds does choose one of her books and what he makes of it if he does. Looking forward to when he gets into Harry Potte books, a little advance I think for him at the moment.

Agree re Alice in wonderland. Dire

But I was not being serious about calling social services on parents forcefeeding children fruitshoots. Either of the drinking or of the Enid Blyton variety.

I'm afraid I'm going to carry on probing you QC. Why exactly are they terrible? (pc issues aside). And does your school library stock Harry Potter - now that is dross IMO (but of course it would have never existed without EB, read into that what you will).

pointydog - are you goingt o answer last post about why I said get over yourself?

and its not a saying i say often. however im reading it as if parents are bad for letting their children read or read to their children eb books.

now i dont think thats fair because we all do our best for our children and just because we may do something that someone else doesnt agree with does not mean we are wrong.

if a child enjoys a book then i do not see it as mental torture

Oh Alice In Wonderland is utter shit.

I think anyone with a trace of anything that might be called PC are total serious humour-bypassed nerds, quattro.

I think childhood innocence is a myth. Just watch children in the playground (especially little girls) you get more bullying at school then you ever do as an adult. And of course stimulate their imagination - there are loads of really good books with magic, adventures and stuff in them, they just don't all combine it with girls that have to stay at home and boys that can't blub. And I'm not talking Harry Potter, I think they are pretty poorly writen, not nearly edited enough and fairly derivative too (but not as bad as EB!).

All I can say is when we have all been on here for 20 years, people will drop like flies, as their kids will get pg whilst teenagers/become criminals/become wife beaters/drug addicts/members of the BNP

and every other horrible thing you can imagine. I don't say all but some will fit into these groups.

It will because you didn't let them read Enid Blyton. You read it here first.

Heh Heh

Hello Armadillo and Edam. Glad you are rescuing the debate from the depths I took it to.

sorry quatrocenno (sp) im still fairly new to the board and not sure of peoples humour yet

whats a hampshire thing? im from portsmouth

And I recognise a fellow bookie in nookie

errrr. you implied that me or quattro banned books and might have a good readon for slating morpurgo. Which was a ridiculous implication. SO ridiculous that I replied ironically that I do all of those thiongs.

crikey, I am on wine you kow, it is very hard for me to justify things twenty mins agter i hvae posted

Why QC? Why? WHY?

Ooh pointydog is squaring up for a fight.

Well I won't have it. You you fruitshoot reader you.

So how far does "a trace of PC" go then? Does that mean that so long as abuse of any group is funny it's OK? Little Black Sambo for example?

WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?
WHY?

hang on. The people I thought I was agreing with on some level now seem to be rounding on me. Wat's going on?

Hey Quatro, didn't think you were being particularly crass or anything. But the idea of libraries banning books, esp. for children, makes me very uneasy.