Is this an inappropriate book for a 4yo?

[GreenCereal]

My mum has sent this for DS’s 4th birthday. It says on the front cover it is a road safety story, and is called the Rascally Hedgehog - a young hedgehog called Timmy keeps crossing the road to meet up with friends at nighttime. I’ve attached the last two pages where DH and I thought wtf?

I called mum to ask if she’d actually read it, and she said she thought it was a good book and I could just change the ending if I didn’t like it. Nevermind that DD7 usually reads to DS and I probably wouldn’t show it to her either?

AIBU or am I being too precious?

At 4 he needs to be physically prevented from running into the road. I cannot understand how so many parents are happy to let their small children run/scoot/bike ahead along pavements with cars zooming past. Before 7 children just don't get the whole cause-effect thing. When I was nannying a few years back the 4 year old dropped a leaflet which she was carrying, and dived straight after it, right in front of a car! (I was actually holding her hand but not tight enough apparently!) When I was able to speak again and exclaimed that she could of been run over, her 6 year old brother defended her with a 'But if she hadn't the LEAFLET would have got run over!!'

Bin the book, and hold your son's hand.

😂😂

I can't stop laughing 🤣...... I'd have wondered WTF too. It definitely reads very sarcastically.

I don't think it's inappropriate for a 4 year old, I'd read it to DDs and they do need to know about how dangerous roads can be but like a PP I wouldn't be reading it to them before bed. Although thinking about it DD2's (age 3) favourite bedtime story is Chicken Licken where the fox tricks all the birds, puts them in a pie and eats them all at the end so maybe she wouldn't be at all fussed by Timmy being DEAD.

The expression on the rabbits is too much for me.

‘Charlie chicken, Connie chicken and Carly chicken are all DEAD in a PIE and about to be EATEN. How SAD.’

Bin it. Awful!

Absolutely agree that it’s an important message. I just thought the hedgehog sprawled on the road and the tombstone were a bit much. Also a strange choice of birthday present!

Chortling out loud at this! 😀

The author is also the publisher. Self-published children's books can sometimes be problemmatic.
https://www.copypress.co.nz/shop/the-rascally-hedgehog/

Who the hell calls a hedgehog Timmy ffs? Tiggy, Spike, Cactus, or Flea-infested-snuffle-shuffler would be much better. God rest your prickly soul, Timmy 🦔

Omg 🤣 Reminds me of when I got a personalised Christmas book for my son. It was a story about how santa had lost all his clothes and needed a little boy to help him find them... I was reading it going how did this get printed 🤣

Funny

I spose it gets the message across

That'll show yer!
You're no match for me!

Oh shit 🤣🤣🤣 OP that's really funny!

I think it depends on the child. My 3 year old would laugh but that's probably more a reflection on my parenting that yours

And I'm definitely going to start reading books that I'm planning to give as gifts

Its not one of those adult parody books is it?

Why would anyone buy that ever?! Never mind for a 4 year olds bday gift!

I think it’s fine.

I quite like that it’s so blasé. In the UK we have an awful relationship with death and its almost seen as a dirty word.

Death doesn’t have to be all on your knees screaming wishing it had been you instead.
It can just simply be that they are dead and that’s that.

Found a description online...

"A delightful story to teach about road safety"

Good find

It describes itself as "a delightful story with a powerful road safety message."

Also the illustrator is called Polly Rabbits.

Snuggle I've seen you tell this story so many times but it is so so true and illustrates children's lack of perspective absolutely perfectly!

I would not read this to my 4yo because he tends to lodge black-and-white ideas in a portion of his head entitled "TO DISPROVE" and shreds my patience in the meantime. Rather than talk about being running over causing death we tend to stick to "It would hurt A LOT" since that is at least definitely true and he probably doesn't want to prove it.

This is hilarious 😂.

Sorry OP but it really is.

"what a shame"

One birthday probably about 3 or 4, I knew my mum was a bit short on funds and I requested for DS1 just some nice books from a charity shop. Most of them were fine, but there was this bizarre one from the 90s called "Postman Pat Gets Fat" and it was all about how he kept eating cakes and biscuits and sandwiches offered by everyone in the village and (shock horror) he gets fat. The doctor is displeased and so he goes on a radical diet and eats nothing except for one treat at the end of the week and the doctor is happy again.

Where can i buy this book? 😂

This is so funny 😂
But no, I wouldn't read it to a 4 year old!