To ban David Walliams’ books

[Strictlycomeparent]

When his books first started coming out (pre me having kids) I was a bit surprised as his comedy is very much not family friendly. I read one when mine were little and was totally shocked by the attitudes it was promoting in children. The books seemed mean and unpleasant. He is someone who I have never understood how his brand of ‘funny’ is seen as anything other than a kind of bullying.

So I decided not to ever buy them for my kids and ask family members not to either. I mentioned this to a friend and she thought I was being very strange and acted like they were children’s classics that I was depriving my children from.

AIBU?

I feel the same about Roald Dahl, the books were everywhere when I was growing up in the 80s but I haven’t got them for my kids.

Roald Dahl books are brilliant though.
George's Marvellous Medicine
The Twits
Matilda
The Witches
They're great books 🙂
(personally I never liked BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory much)

Ha!

When I was 7 Mallory Towers turned me from a reluctant reader to an absolute bookworm.

I get why people wouldn't especially want their kids reading either author, but I think anything that gets them reading...

(My parents banned Grange Hill..)

YANBU. Horrible man and the books of his that I've read were incredibly boring.

Some were ok - gangsta granny was fun to read when my son was about 6.

I did like Ravi and his shop (98 snickers for the price of 95)- I tried to do his accent but it always came out welsh

I do see that they are pretty mediocre though and we got bored after the 3 books as the stories got more nonsensical and lacked any point at all.

The biggest problem is I don't like David Walliams - especially after seeing what he did to that boy on stage. I couldn't touch his books after that and I boxed them for charity.

FGS cancel everything
wrap kids up in cotton woll
Be offended by everythi8ng and everyone on the planet
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I must live in a parallel universe to everyone here. My kids loved them, I thought they were great and I had no issues with my kids reading them. Likewise all my friends.

Me and DS liked them when he was 10. Gangsta granny made us laugh. I didn't find the book unappropriate at all and very well suited for 8-10 year old boys who are not avid readers.

Neither have I. Never bought anything by Dahl but left the kids to choose their own books at the library so it was up to them if they read any.

I buy books for friends' children, I won't be buying books by DW. I have no desire to spend my money on supporting someone who absolutely gives me the creeps. There are plenty of good authors to choose from out there.

My DC has naturally avoided them. But had to watch one of his films at school before they were reading at that level and really disliked it so I guess the books didn't appeal when they got to the right level of reading.
Saying that I loved to read as a child, I read every Jaqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton, Rohl Dahl book there was. My DC is more selective but likes some of the books from all 3

Honestly I am of the opinion I dislike Walliams books and I hope they don't get hooked on them but I'd rather my child be reading and opening the opportunity to talk about the styles of writing, the mannerism behind it etc. than watching some of the chaotic films and kids 'programmes' shown today.
Walliams books are in school libraries and public libraries, if they really want to read them you can't really ban them.

ANYTHING that gets kids reading is fine by me. And his books definitely do that.

I don’t believe in banning books. It’s a dangerous way to go. Fortunately my DD never liked Ronald Dahl books - because he really was a hateful man. But I wouldn’t have stopped them reading them.

I'm not a fan of banning books. Whatever you might think of him and his writing style, he has been a successful force in inspiring children to read.

And I think trying to dictate what others buy for your children is rude.

This is my feeling.

The attitudes demonstrated in his books are unkindness, sneeriness, and judgemental-ness.

The way the boy and his parents describe the granny in Gangsta Granny (all-out loathing purely due to her age and loneliness) I found shocking. People will rush in here to say: “but they found out in the end she was cool because she was secretly a jewel thief!” - but that’s missing the point. If she hadn’t been a jewel thief they’d have continued describing her in the vilest derogatory terms, apropos of nothing. She’s not an unkind/unpleasant/loathsome person (à la Mrs Twitt or Miss Trunchbull). Williams has taken those tropes from Dahl but misfired them at ‘nice’ characters purely because of their age - and purely to get a laugh.

Punching down is exactly what he did in Little Britain and it STINKS.

I’m not a fan of cancel culture but I’d cheer if this nasty, cruel, sleazy man got cancelled from everything for life.

They prompted discussion in my house.

Dc have always read a lot anyway so we didn’t need them for that. We did get given one and that was enough.

The books are dreadful. Repetitive and vulgar.
But I don’t ban books, so my son has read the lot.

I use the word ‘ban’ loosely… meaning I don’t buy them and prefer family (who always ask what they should get) don’t either. I wouldn’t tell other people what to do in their own families.

I’ve learnt to trust those spidey senses …

We had the CDs on while we drove through France as like a lot of children my son really enjoyed them and anything to get him more in to books at the time.
However I remember Ratburger being pretty disgusting and from the books we listened to I felt there was a real lack of positive women in them.

I wouldn't ban them but I'm grateful that ship has sailed for us.

They are pretty rubbish but they got dd into reading and she has grown up a kind and empathetic person.
I didn’t like Jaqueline Wilson either.

Ah I see

The books clearly have different ghost writers as some are less awful than others.
But yes, it's bad enough that they are all very derivative and clichéd but I could over look that if it weren't for the fact that some of the attitudes and values in them are appalling.

I didnt "ban " the books though. I'm not a fan of that. But if a child wanted to read one we would talk about some of the problematic parts. I don't think we need to shield our children from the world (including abhorrent stereotypes) ..We need to help them learn to navigate it thoughtfully

I definitely never bought them for my children/encouraged them to read them

YANBU

Not only has he borrowed heavily from other authors, (besides the obvious, don’t forget Anne Fine); he’s monopolising the children’s book market over some super talented authors who don’t have celebrity status or a mammoth publishing and PR team behind them.

Not only are his books rubbish, he gives me the creeps. I am waiting for his downfall. He has definitely got secrets hidden (and hidden for him) and I’ll bet they are hideous.