Magic Faraway Tree - how sexist?!?!?

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

I recently ordered the whole Magic Faraway Tree collection to read to DS (6) at bedtime. I remember the stories being so exciting as a child, and DS seems so far after only 4 chapters, to be loving them too.

Only thing is.....I thought they'd been modernized in more ways than just the children's names. (In our copies of the books the children's names are Beth, Joe and Frannie, not Fannie etc)

But I keep reading that Joe does this, that and the other......Joe said "Come on girls...." (and the girls come running) ...... Joe decided blah blah. Basically it seems like Joe's in charge and the girls are simpering seconds.

Also old-fashioned in other ways. Like "I say!" "Do let's!" etc. But that doesn't really bother me, it's the sexism and patheticness (is that a word?) so far, of the girl characters. Does it carry on like that?!

Also slightly amazed at things like "the children were set to work at once" (by their parents) when the family moved into their new house, having walked 5 miles there from the station. Can you imagine a thread on here in Property/DIY: "have just moved house - have already set the children to work".?!?!?

Oh I know it's only trivial stuff really but I just didn't think it would appear to be that old-fashioned. It's certainly different from our last one - The Bare Bum Gang!

I've just read this to DS (4) - his first 'proper' book. He was absolutely captivated and he insisted we start at the beginning again as soon as we finished!

It was one of my favourites, and clearly the story has lost none of it's impact in firing a child's imagination, but I confess I was squirming at some of the outdated attitudes and language.

DS is very receptive to language and I couldn't bear him to start coming out with words like 'queer' which have completely evolved in meaning. So I found myself doing a lot of editing!

I'm currently expecting number 2 - going to be a girl - so we've been discussing names a lot. So it was funny when DS suggested Fanny!

I would be more concerned when they want to make the honey buns. I spent a lifetime trying
Either edit as you read (I do that lots, many children's books seem badly phrased to me and I make up my own, naturally better version as I go along) or balance it with a good girl heroine.

Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf would be my number one choice.

Ha, if you think that's sexist, try the Secret Seven.

IIRC the girls in the Secret Seven were not allowed to come on any of the adventures/investigations (even if they'd had the idea) because they were girls. Admittedly the girls did complain about this, but still.

DS would still have us read the Magic Faraway Tree to him if we hadn't refused outright gently persuaded him otherwise. We must have read all three (we have the trilogy in one book) a dozen times in the past 6 years.

I used to discuss some of the stereotypes with him - still do when we see something sexist elsewhere in the media. I think discussing and challenging these things is better than shielding DCs from them entirely.

I don't think I picked up on any racism in the updated versions though, tbh.

I used to love all the Enid Blyton books. And I'm neither sexist nor racist. It doesn't harm your children.

And I agree with minipie about the Secret Seven. Poor Janet and the other girls spent lots of adventures just waiting around for the dangerous stuff to be over. It doesn't matter though, because that's just how it was at the time. I was six when I started reading these books by myself, and I understood this.

I brought a 1970's edition from my favourite second hand bookshop in town during the summer holidays and have read it to Ds1. I didn't pick up too much on the sexism, as first of all th girls do as much as Joe and secondly as the oldest he'd be expected to take charge.
What I did note was that the mother of the story was perfectly happy to let her children walk off with people she had never met before and to stay out until past midnight for an eight year old's birthday party .