Perspective changed on books you read as a child?

[greedychops]

I was reading Topsy and Tim go to the doctors to dc this evening for a bedtime story.

It was one that I really liked as a young child, and I remember the story and the pictures well, but it just hit me, that now I am really the mum in the pictures, not T & T, and that she looks quite old really. Not how I feel at all. I still feel more like the twins.

Anyone else realised that their perspective has changed from books they enjoyed when a child?

Unless you've saved the one from your childhood, then the book might be quite different.
I've got an old and new version of T & T dentist, where in one Topsy has the hole, and in the other Tim does, the dentist has become female in the newer one etc.

In T & T go swimming, the old version Tospy learns to swim first and Tim a few days later. Works well as a story because you get Tim's frustration, but when he swims he swims underwater first and gets a special prize. The new story has Topsy swimming, Tim doesn't manage it immediately but the swimming teacher comes over and gives advice, whereupon he promptly swims. Find it rather iritaing myself as it implies to a child if they do the "right" moves they will swim.

Tansy has gone from the newer ones, and although Tony has stayed as friend they have a more "diverse" set of friends than the original. That is definitely an improvement.

Oh yeh - I wondered where Tansy had gone, but haven't got enough of the new ones to compare to the old.

We saved a lot of our children's books, including a lot of Ladybirds, and now visiting grandchildren are enjoying them too. It's amazing how you find yourself reading them the same way that you always did,and the ones you used to do on automatic pilot are still in the brain (no wonder I can't remember if I turned the gas off, my brain is too clogged up with The Elves and the Shoemaker). It's scary enough realising that you are now the Mummy, but just wait until you find you're the Granny!

I find some books I think I liked as a child very annoying as an adult, to the point I don't want them in the house - I am afraid the whole 'Topsy and Tim' series falls into that category - so preachy and worthy! My mum gave the kids 'Topsy and Tim's Pets' or something like that and I hid it after a couple of reads, it irritated me so much! Maybe this is just me though!

I used to love The Bullerby children books by Astrid Lindgren. I bought a copy from Amazon Marketplace in a fit of nostalgia and was so disappointed...the stories were so dull and twee!