AIBU to have serious concerns about a Julia Donaldson book?

[BabyNameHelpPls]

Specifically, Fox’s Socks.

The fuck is going on with this guy? He’s woken up at 10am, his clothes are all over the place—his hat is underneath the bathmat, and one of his socks on the head of a frankly disturbing Mr. Punch character in the attic… how much did Fox have to drink the previous night?!

Or, as I’m coming to wonder, how involved is the mouse in all this? She’s so unreadable: at first I thought she was just smug, passive-aggressively following him around and not helping to find any of these clothes in bizarre places.

But does she, in fact, have MH issues, possibly even dementia? She pauses halfway through to make a hat out of a rose, for god’s sake. Is Fox a carer for Mouse? Did he sleep through his alarm from sheer stress and exhaustion, to find she had woken up and distributed his belongings throughout the house? Or is this an abusive relationship and she’s gaslighting him into thinking he’s losing his mind?

AIBU to be very worried that this is not an example of healthy dynamics, regardless of character motivations, and damaging to my toddler’s perception of the world? Should I ban the book? Or is there a more nuanced and wholesome interpretation of the work that I’m missing? Any advice welcome.

😂😂😂😂😂 I just read this book to my 4 year old today and had similar (but not as in-depth) thoughts. My little lad asked why Fox would keep his hat under the bathroom mat. Now I won’t be able to read it again without thinking either Fox is an alcoholic or being coercively controlled 😂😂😂

Isn’t there another one in this series where a mole has lost his spectacles and finds them in a teapot in the end? Equally bizarre. And all the other animals just react like “oh, it’s always in the last place you look!”

I don't have children

but I want to read this book now! 😂😂😂 sounds like they're all off their faces to be honest.

I believe he’s in Mouse’s house. This was a one night stand gone bad, and now Mouse would just like the Fox to leave.

I could never get over the ending of Hide and Seek pig.

Hens feet all over the egg sandwiches. Shudder.

But gorgeous books. I still know all the words the Rabbits Nap & 'read' it to my 12yo if he's stressed that he can't sleep. Sends him out like a light.

Rabbit's nap - if Rabbit had stopped looking for a place to sleep and either waited or talked to her friends she would have been fine. Builder Bear looks like a kind soul who would have found another task for a couple of hours, Tortoise would have stopped ringing the bell if she'd asked, and when they all turned up to sing her to sleep they were just causing more noise, and had stopped the original sleep-depriving noise! Had she even tried earplugs? Why did she let them in?

I found this book hugely frustrating as the mother of a toddler who woke frequently. Can you tell?

Can't a fox have a big night out without everyone coming for him. It was one night?

The scarecrows wedding , the man smoking a cigar 😂

Highway rat

And if you look at some of the illustrations in all of her books there are always people that look just like a creepy relative that you were always trying to avoid at Christmas.
And Zog and the nurse giving out peppermint's to suck.

Squash and a squeeze old lady dancing a jig , frolics and fiddle de dees.

Love your interpretation!! I read this to dgd and won’t look at Fox (or mouse) in the same way again 😄

😂 you’ve thought about it way more than me.

… But i had thought about it. My interpretation was that Fox and Mouse had hosted a mad house party over the days prior. Recreational drugs likely taken.

Ooh, interesting theory. Mouse does have a cup of tea, croissant, and something toasted in the fire while Fox has nothing, which could be a pretty strong signal that he isn’t welcome any more.

Was about to comment exactly this!

I can’t cope with “stair”. Singular. Bothers me every time.

12 years I’ve been saying this. How can he have no memory of removing one sock in the attic? Eccies. That’s how.

Also, there are many, many pictures of ducks in the house. It’s like if humans hung up pictures of steaks and roasts. Odd. Very odd.

I’m really sorry, I should have given a spoiler warning! Have given away a major plot point, my bad.

Ironically, Julia doesn’t use AI to write her books…

Who amongst us hasn’t had this happen? Especially the part when the ONS tries to drag things out and won’t F-ing leave.

As someone with ADHD, this is just a normal morning for some of us 🤷‍♀️🤣

That's nothing compared to Hare cutting up the bloody curtains to make the world's most hideous dress!! That book needs a secret bonus page: "and then Hare realised cutting curtains was a naughty thing to do, so she went to Dunelm Mill and bought some new ones out of her own pocket money so be warned the end."

I've just looked this up
There are so many of them! I'm going to have to discreetly read them in the back of the bookshop! 😂

I think Fox and Mouse are married and have been for ages. She's sick of telling him to pick up after himself/picking up after him so she's gone rogue and taught him a lesson by hiding his stuff everywhere.

I have mixed feelings about Room on the Broom. Shedding items of clothing all over the place, collecting randoms and giving them a lift- none of it’s wise.
What a night though.

his clothes are all over the place—his hat is underneath the bathmat, and one of his socks on the head of a frankly disturbing Mr. Punch character in the attic… how much did Fox have to drink the previous night?!

Sounds like one of my kids who doesn’t drink alcohol. This is exactly what it’s like if they try and get ready without first taking their ADHD meds and letting them kick in. That same kid has a ‘responsible’ professional role at which they do well. But, yep, the morning start without ADHD meds, you find a sock in the sink for example.

DH has a theory that Mouse is an evil Misery-type character who is toying with Fox and won't let him leave.

It would explain Mouse's unsettling smile...

Yup:

Yesterday upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there again today,
Oh how I wish he’d go away.

That’s annoyed me for over sixty years. 😃