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Do the Horrid Henry stories glorify badness and therefore have an adverse effect on children's behaviour?

43 replies

TooTicky · 17/09/2006 21:47

Discuss.

OP posts:
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bogwobbit · 18/09/2006 15:19

My ds loves HH.
I also agree that they can be quite cathartic for children for children. Ds is quite a well-behaved boy (usually) although not to the point of being like PP and it causes him great amusement to hear of HH's antics although I don't think he would ever in a million years them - he'd probably be too scared
I find them mildly amusing in general, with some absolutely, hilarious bits but also think they're a bit 'formulaic'.
To be honest, I think that to assume children have ideas 'put into their minds' by children's books is doing children's minds a great dis-service.

batters · 18/09/2006 15:22

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ScummyMummy · 18/09/2006 16:21

Sorry- got spelling wrong before. It's actually VarjAk Paw. Has really hooked in one son who is very good at reading in terms of decoding but a real flibbertigibbet attention span wise and tends to give up on books quite easily. He's been reading bits to me and I've also been looking over his shoulder in amazement that he's still reading it- from the bits I've seen and heard I can definitely see the attraction. Varjak Paw website here

Sorry for hijack, twig.

dinosaur · 18/09/2006 16:23

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

marthamoo · 18/09/2006 16:34

I think they're pretty awful stories - formulaic, cliched etc. but no, I don't think ds1's behaviour was adversely affected by reading them. Maybe because they are so formulaic they aren't in the least realistic - and the silly names add to their 'unrealness' I think.

Ds1 loved them though - found them very funny - I'm glad he's outgrown them now and might try and avoid them with ds2 (that's mean, isn't it - when it's me that doesn't like them? Don't like Captain Underpants either and ds1 found those hysterically funny too).

kittywits · 18/09/2006 16:35

no, definitely not

AbbyLou · 18/09/2006 17:47

I teach Y1 and Y2 and read them regularly to the children in my class who love them. They find them really funny and think that it's great that just for once, the good guy loses! They know it's only a story and love the escapism they get from them! I often have children asking to borrow them for the weekend to read at home. Whenever we have the book club at school children are thrilled when there's a HH book for sale.

AbbyLou · 18/09/2006 17:47

I teach Y1 and Y2 and read them regularly to the children in my class who love them. They find them really funny and think that it's great that just for once, the good guy loses! They know it's only a story and love the escapism they get from them! I often have children asking to borrow them for the weekend to read at home. Whenever we have the book club at school children are thrilled when there's a HH book for sale.

TooTicky · 18/09/2006 18:15

Scummymummy, the Varjak Paw books look wonderful - just right for my ds1. Thanks

OP posts:
singersgirl · 18/09/2006 22:44

Actually I much prefer Captain Underpants (though obviously it wouldn't be my own chosen bedtime reading ). DS1 preferred these to Horrid Henry, and, though they're gross and silly, the boys' pranks are a bit more inventive and I thought some of the jokes were actually quite good .

COD · 18/09/2006 22:44

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CristinaTheAstonishing · 18/09/2006 22:57

It did affect DS(6). He started calling us names (bad) but also thinking up alliterative names for others (good, creative etc). He knows some passages by heart and would come up with ready-made rude answers. He told his teachers at school he has nits. He started booing and hissing rather too much. A few other things where he got fact and fiction tangled up.

He reads at least one of the books every day. We read a few stories too and liked them but, unfortunately, found quite a few similarities with HH's parents

COD · 18/09/2006 22:58

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threebob · 18/09/2006 23:57

Bartholomew Bear says "Nah" all the time and doesn't do what he is asked - ds did go through a brief period of imitation - but when he discovered that unlike George we would put him in time out - he stopped. Dh does still refer to needing to use a big voice - and ds responds to it.

Thomas the Tank Engine trains are often "naughty", but end up eating humble pie.

Jez Alborough's Duck is thoughtless and sometimes just plain nasty - leaving his friends in the mud when he could have taken them home. Ds noticed this the other day - and said he wanted to take the book back to the library because Duck wasn't a good friend. I have noticed that is the follow up books Duck gets him comeuppance with a flooded bathroom, or having to walk to the petrol station whilst the others go for a boat ride.

He says things from Movies that are not really appropriate "shut up" from Madagascar being the main one. We have told him that "shut up" is okay in the movie but not at home.

In conclusion - children will copy - it's how we deal with the copying is important. I would much rather discuss Duck's shocking behaviour and how it's not on, than those bloomin awful morality books they have in preschools and kindies. Though ds does love those too unfortunately.

I realise it must be difficult if your child is very literal though.

Chandra · 19/09/2006 00:08

Yeah they imitate everything, DS was limping on Saturday and, this morning he was talking to himself and said "hello, I'm Dr House"

FGS if he saw House it was only a glimpse!

MrsSpoon · 19/09/2006 12:38

Scummy, thanks for the reminder about Varjak Paw, DH bought this a couple of years back at the book fair and at the time it was beyond DS1 but he would probably enjoy it now, must go and look it out.

Affie · 21/09/2006 13:46

Hope it's not defamatory but I just don't think HH books are that well written, they are formulaic (same things happen) and the characters are one-dimensional and the names get on my nerves. I don't think they encourage bad behaviour at all. Dd read them aged 6/7 but now son at same age am encouraging other books that will entertain, use his imagination and make him think - like Mr Magieka, Ms Wiz, Clarice Bean, as well as books for younger readers by Anne Fine, J. Wilson, Roald DAhl. Let's not forget the great winnie the pooh too who's been over-ridden by his disney persona, they are hilarious.

Bink · 01/10/2006 19:46

SCUMMYM: a capitalised THANKYOU for telling me about Varjak Paw - I bought both books yesterday and if only I could post a picture of dd & ds's bedroom - each on its respective back on its respective cabin bed with a volume over its nose. Dd is already on the sequel, ds is deep into the first.

I had no idea of it & have had 40 minutes of deep peace while they read. Ergo, you are a star.

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