To please check children's books!!

[MrsTermites]

It seems The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase is being bought by some older family members for children in the belief it's a lovely story like The Incredible Journey. It is not a children's book - a fifth of it is about a prostitute who gives blow jobs and hand jobs and there is a LOT of other detail. None of this comes up in the blurb, which of course is fine if you know it's an adults book, but it is getting some very shocked young readers I understand.

I didn't think you had. It's not "porny" or "smutty" or "tacky" but don't let that get in the way of your frothing.

Did you read the second half of my response sentence (that you quoted)?

It's a bit like the time I saw the Boy in the Stripe Pyjamas in the childrens DVD section at the supermarket! Bloody harrowing film.

Its completely different. The boy in the striped pyjamas is suitable for older children. The holocaust is not something to pretend didnt happen or to hide from children. There are age appropriate ways to present and discuss it.

you do know books can be catagorised by age in smaller breakdowns than "child" and "adult". Obviously if you had an advanced reader or mature child you could progress further along the age range.

Of course I do - that's kind of the point I was making in response to some of the comments on here; but when you say 'the age range', that does indeed suggest a sharp binary cut-off between books for under 18s and books for adults, when older teenagers will frequently be interested in books that are not specifically for under 18s. I've never seen a book with a suggested age-range of 25-35.

Also, whilst it may be possible online, if book retailers have the knowledge and are willing to spend the time to cover all eventualities, but in actual bookshops, I can't see them thinking about every category that a book could come under. Would they really take pains to ensure they always kept at least one copy of A Tale Of Two Cities in their 'adult' section, 'classics' section, 'children's' section (in case they don't think to look in 'classics', which may also include Lady Chatterley's Lover anyway), 'travel' section etc. ?

Perhaps you should read it in its entirety, it's beautifully written. The sex isn't the whole way through and in context doesn't read as porn or smut at all (to an adult obviously, the intended readership).

Yes I read all of your post, why?

The sex isn't the whole way through and in context doesn't read as porn or smut at all (to an adult obviously, the intended readership).

Why are you deliberately missing the point? It was given to children, it has been accidentally bought as a children's book. It doesn't matter who the intended readership was, I'm not reviewing the book.

Yes I read all of your post, why?

As in the bit starting with 'but':

No, I'm just going on OP's description - but I'm talking about books (and other media sources) in general, not just this one.

Before you accused me of frothing over just this one book. Unless you're accusing me of not having read every single book that has ever been published - in which case, I am guilty.

Of course it matters who the intended readership is. You're upset that an adult book contains adult description, when really you should be upset at the gift giver who doesn't know how to search properly for what they're buying. We didn't need a public service announcement to warn us.

It’s like all those kids who asked for Minecraft and elderly relatives accidentally bought them Mein Kampf.

A real struggle faced by real families.

From that I could easily have bought it for a dgc.

So what you're saying is that you froth over lots of books you haven't actually read yourself, and just base your opinion on other people's frothing. Okay got it

You're upset that an adult book contains adult description

Glad you've understood this 👍
**

I've looked it up on Amazon and it's really not obvious. I could think it's for a child.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boy-Dog-Seishu-Hase/dp/1398515388/ref=ascdff_1398515388/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=606815993243&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3505042317337787623&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006524&hvtargid=pla-1679260590909&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Someone is certainly in a mood today! 🙄

Will there be hundreds of children who have received this book from well-meaning people who didn't realise the intended audience is adults? Probably not, but evidently it's happened to at least a couple of people, and it's a good reminder that these kinds of mistakes can happen. Why is that so difficult to grasp? You don't think it's relevant? Fine; you've made your point!

I wouldn’t of known that. I mostly buy books second hand though. Perfectly reasonable for booksellers to stick an explicit content on the blurb somewhere. Same way music sellers state explicit lyrics.

Hysterical claptrap.

@teaandtoastwithmarmite from your Amazon link....
"Contemporary Fiction"
"Literary Fiction"
"Mysteries"
Personally I wouldn't think this is a children's book from that.

It's a parental advisory for explicit lyrics because music is more accessible across age groups than literature is.

The parental advisory here is implied, in that the book in question isn't a children's book. Do we really need to babysit people who don't understand how books are categorised by sticking warnings all over them?

Some books do have a little circle on the back that tells you what sort of content is in them (sex, violence, drug use etc. That some people might choose not to read). I don't think anyone's calling for a full on explicit content warning just as basic guide as to what the story contains. I was a very advanced reader and read some highly inappropriate books! I used to steal my mums books when I was 10 years old and those were things like Robert Pattison, Tess Gerittsen and Kathy Reichs, I also bought 'my best friends life' from a library in year 7 (so around 11 years old) and that had a lot seriously graphic descriptions of what went on in a brothel! So it's sensible to look at what your children are reading - especially if it's a book they are gifted and not one you have read yourself.