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.

Although my kids are older now so I am unaware of this book- I used to let them watch ‘In The Night Garden’ that quite frankly presented as if it had been written by someone who was doing a lot of mind-altering substances.

I loved reading this book to my daughter. You have all just ruined it!

I love your interpretation.

I’d love to know what you think of “the tiger who came to tea” was the mother in fact just an alcoholic?

Also on a related topic, why is Caillou bald and where are Max and Ruby’s parents.

I feel like you have all the answers.

I just had to look at some samples of these books on Amazon.

Fox looks immensely surprised. Either he's still trippin' or he got the shock of his life last night.

As for Mole and his spectacles, he's having a good old rummage round the house and everything looks normal....except for the two giant snails on lettuce leaves casually sitting in his sideboard, where most people keep their plates and glasses. WTAF?

In real life, Tiddler would've been suspended by page 4

And the fisherman would've been on a factory ship

Sorry, I didn't mean one of her books it's The story of the little mole who knew it was none of his business.
Not the catchiest of titles but my son loved it.

She does write mad books when you look at them in depth.

I wasn't that impressed with Mole's Spectacles, but DP (who really needs her glasses) tells me it's a totally accurate representation of the bewilderment and confusion you feel when lose them and can't really see and everything is a blur.

I think the most bonkers is Toddle Waddle. Mother takes her toddler out for a stroll with a duck, but ends up stranded at the end of a pier with a load of randomers as night falls.

Oooh new gruffalo book with granny gruffalo is out later this year!!

I think it is quite an accurate portrayal of dealing with a toddler, though. Monkey mum was probably just trying to have 5 minutes to herself.

I used to think of it as an animated almanac of mental health issues. Macca Pacca clearly has OCD and probably anxiety and depression. Upsy Daisy and Iggle Piggle are co-dependent with Upsy Daisy displaying narcissistic traits. Iggle Piggle’s nightly lone sail is a quest for oblivion. The Pontipine children are neglected and probably suffer from attachment issues.

I love the old man's shifty facial expression on the page where she says "thank you old man for the work you have done"

TBF, statistically yes.

The pontypines and wattangers are clearly in some kind of swinging agreement.

The OP's description of the storyline makes the book sound absolutely and astonishingly absurd and if I still had a young child to read aloud to I would have had the same reaction! 🙄
With regard to 'being off their faces' I can only wonder at Ms Donaldson's own 'frame of mind' when concocting the story for small children? 🤔😕
There's funny and quirky and the there is downright bizarre and completely irrational and this book sounds like it definitely falls into the latter category?! 😮

Doesn't that apply to a lot of things made for children? Magic Roundabout seemed to me to be a junior version of Monty Python for example. These were all written for children who probably thought none of the things mentioned here when they were hearing or reading them, it's just when adults engage in twisting the stories to fit their adult prejudices!

Just read the Scarecrows' Wedding to DS. He said 'what's a cigar?'

Hahaha, my "head-canon" about this one is that Fox and Mouse are lovers. My eldest loved this book so much that we had to repair all the flaps at least once.

Oh yeah, been there with the flappy repairs. So many came off over a few years between 2 DC I lost a couple and when we read it now and get to a ‘who’s behind this…’ moment, I make a joke of it and act surprised like ‘oh, funny frog has lost his front door!’ and ‘what a breezy house mole has, hardly worth sweeping!’ 😁

Not a fan of Scarecrow’s Wedding. First bit fine, makes sense but think it’s dredging the barrel a bit if you have to introduce a shady ‘cad’ character as a plot device in a kids book who also smokes (?)

Yes, late DH and I always said the same thing. Also Abney and Teal.

Of course fox looks surprised. The realisation that you fucked a mouse last night kind of does that to you.

😆😆😆

Oh for fox ‘ake, this just gets better and better 😂

I am not familiar with this book. I would however like to express my horror at a hen walking on egg sarnies. It’s absolutely ghoulish.