Books you hate reading aloud to your children

[RosaTransylvania]

Was thinking tonight, as I trudged through a book I particularly dislike, how often my children reject my carefully chosen good books in favour of utter tripe. We're talking the Rainbow fairy books obviously, or history-obsessed DD2's current favourites, the turgidly written My Story series (though I suppose they are educational).
DD3 hits me with Topsy and Tim, Little Grey Rabbit and the unutterably tedious Animals of Farthing Wood.
What do you hate reading aloud?

I hate reading Guess How Much I Love You out loud. Too repetitive. It's a cute story but HOW many times can you say Big Nutbrown Hare... Little Nutbrown Hare... Big Nutbrown Hare... Little Nutbrown Hare...

The strong yellow digger.

It has been read AT LEAST 4 times a day since it arrived in the house about 4 months ago.

Have tried to get rid a few times and when ds is in bed and hasn't had it read to him we get 'Digger Digger' in the saddest little voice for HOURS afterwards. So we end up giving in and fetching it from the bin!

Bloody Charlie and Lola, I know the grammar is supposed to be appalling but it really gets on my proverbials.

Choo-choo clickety clack, dig-dig-digging and Emergency. Utter drivel.

Not a huge snail & the whale fan either!

Well, at least it's short, Habbibu, and you don't have to bluff your way through existentialism in the interval.

Indeed! (Although you can't pre-book drinks for the middle of Owl Babies. Maybe that would help.) Na, it's hidden (though she never showed much interest, to be fair) and instead we delight in Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type.

I quite like the snail and the whale - but agree it's too long.

Ditto to everyone else with Thomas, Mr Men and all digger/tractor/fire engine etc etc yawn yawn books which aren't actual stories just a bit of vague info about them i.e., the strong yellow digger digs a hole, the strong yellow digger fills the hole with sand, the strong yellow diggers pats the hole with his bucket, the strong yellow digger goes home for the day ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But do love the Gruffalo, and The Gruffalos Child.

interesting to see some we disagree on...we love snail and the whale, did dig digging was a big hit about a year ago and i do like guess how much i love you

Anything with excessive repetitive lists in eg. The Elephant and The Bad Baby.

Somehow reading the repetitive bits makes me feel like I'm going mad

when I was a kid the Elephant and the bad baby was one of my FAVOURITE books

so I bought it for DS and have to agree, the repetition KILLS me to read aloud

but maybe it was exactly that which I loved about it originally?

pigletmaker -my DD loved it too but I have to say that I think I hid it somewhere before DS came along as I couldn't face it again

Thomas
Noddy

Rainbow blardy Fairies, The sodding Tiara Club, Holly's Christmas ruddy Wish - Lots of fold out letters and joke books and just too blardy long. The Princess and the Wizard, even if it does have "glitter on every page".
Love Snail and the Whale though - has been known to make me quite emotional

I hate Mr Men books too.

love peepo, gruffalo, g's child, monkey puzzle and ADORE the snail and the whale.

i too am allergic to dr seuss and dread the day that thomas enters the house.

oh yes, and hate the Mr Men as well.

Oh, and anything by Enid Blyton.

I love the Elephant and the Bad Baby ...

Hate books about potties - can't we talk about something more interesting?

Have to leap to the defence of Mr Tickle, at least. He can reach biscuit tin from bed, tickles teachers, is orange - what's not to love?

Thomas and the way that most stories end with..."you really are a useful engine"

No you're not, you're an attention seeking little twonk.

Love Peepo, Each peach, Julia Donaldson, Dirty Bertie, and Lauren Child.

you know Thomas Books are one of the MAJOR reasons why I wanted dds reading one once was enough to make me think I hate the wretched engine

Rolad Dahl
Thomas
Mr Men
Fairy books

MR MEN

THEY ARE SHIT TOO!

LOVE the snail and whale - if you get the rhythm it's a joy to read.

Not keen on Thomas, but the old ones are actually fine.

My lEAST favourite is Bob the Builder. It's BEYOND dull - especially in magazines.

I was a huge fan of the Elephant and Bad Baby as a kid. The pictures are fantastic.

Also used to hate reading the Great Big Little Red Train which had a lot of nonsense about sidings and never quite gets into a rhythm. ZZzzzz