(And the reason I “have” to read his stories are the kids love them, and teaching French Immersion you have to go with what works!)

Sarah, my husband abhors Munsch! I don’t mind him, but mostly because I like looking at Martchenko’s illustrations.

I don’t like most Munsch books, but I could read The Paper Bag Princess over and over.

Somehow my nephew and, five years later, my son got addicted to Mortimer, which isn’t terribly offensive. So one day we were browsing some Munsch books and I hurried my son to pick one out.  It seemed okay from the cover. What a horrible book! A little boy who pranks people, even adults, and their way to discipline him is to get him back. I just went to our shelf to find it to give the exact title, and it seems to have disappeared. (Thank you Daddy!

tell me about it!  i didn’t realize that when i asked for the book (i just loved the illustrations).  it just seems so unfair to not actually have to SHARE your things but give them ALL away. 

maybe that needs to quietly disappear too…

Yay! I’m not the only Rainbow Fish hater! Apparently it is supposed to be about sharing? Or something? And my reaction is “Okay, so the moral of that story is that people will only like you if you give them whatever they want?”

Put me down as another Rainbow Fish hater!  People look at me like I’m crazy when I say I can’t stand this book but a previous poster was spot on, it’s liberal drivel, at best.

I’m glad other people see it this way too! The first time I read it (don’t laugh) I couldn’t get “communist!” out of my head. I felt bad, because sharing your possessions with those less fortunate is a beautiful lesson, but this was just so wrong-headed.

I love Babar and Curious George and so do my kids!  I guess it’s because I don’t pick up all the things you mentioned and if I don’t pick up on that I doubt my children do.  I just try not to read too much into children’s books.  The classic ones are mostly just meant to be funny or interesting and don’t have a “message”.  Children’s books today all seem to have a message, some I agree with and some I don’t.  But I don’t think they have to have a specific message to be good literature for kids.  These are the wonder years where books need to excite a child’s imagination and not get bogged down in pedagogy.  Fairy Tales have stood the test of time because they are engaging the imagination not because they each have a specific message (although a few might).  Yes, they generally involve good vs. evil but they aren’t politically correct or trying to convince a child to do their homework or not fight with their siblings.

By the way I have two degrees in English Literature.  My shelf is full of the classics with every little contemporary material.

Dr. Maureen, don’t you know about the “skipping pages” trick with Dr. Seuss?
When my 2 year old chooses “One fish, Two fish” for the thousandth time in a row, *somehow* the pages seem to stick together and the book is only half as long!  How ‘bout that!

Me too.  The illustrations are creepy.  The rhymes are pathetic.

Oh my gosh, Seuss is one of my all time favorites!  I just think they are hysterical.  Don’t like all of his books of course but there are so many I love.

I agree with you, Arwen, about the books that are made from kids’ TV programs. If I see a Dora book in the library, I know what I’m getting. What I hate are the TV programs that riff on good children’s books and then get made into bad children’s books. Someone up above mentioned the original Curious George books vs. the umpty thousand new ones, all with the same plot: man with yellow hat tells George not to be curious. George is curious. He almost gets in trouble. Then everything is all right. The clue phone is ringing, man with the yellow hat, and it’s for you.

We love the Max and Ruby books by Rosemary Wells, but oh the made-from-TV-episode ones are not the same.

Oops, I was originally going to comment about Dr. Seuss good and bad, but then tried to change my mind. Unsuccessfully, it appears.

I also strongly dislike Junie B.  My oldest daughter got into them when her 1st grade teacher read them to the class during “break” time.  That did get her into reading chapter books but I gently nudged her on to better books as quickly as I could! 

I do have to admit to liking the Amelia Bedelia books.  My 6 year old is in love with them right now and I can read them over and over.  I also don’t mind the Arthur books.  D.W. is a brat but all of my kids recognize that right off.  As for the “agenda”, well I work part time and my husband is a Pampered Chef consultant and wears an apron and we are about as conservative as they come so I guess I just don’t see it.  After all you never Kate or D.W. in daycare or anything.

The Giving Tree depresses me.

About a week ago there was a blog discussion in the New York Times about “The Giving Tree”, most people couldn’t stand it.

I’m interested in the negative responses to the Giving Tree; I love that book!  My parents gave it to me at my first Reconciliation, to remind me of the vastness of God’s love and forgiveness.  That’s always what I think of when I read it.

Anything by Judy Blume should just be thrown in the trash. 
I was looking through the Horn Book awhile back for book recommendations and was just shocked at some of the books recommended for teens.  Some of the stuff from these books I can’t even write here because it is so filthy.  my son volunteered at the library for awhile reviewing “galley books” (preview copies from publishers) and I can tell you that 99% of what they’re coming out with for teens is trash.  Lots of Harry Potter rip-offs, lots of lewd stuff.

Laura,
If you do a search on the the New York Times website you will find the discussion.  It was under one of the parenting blogs.  It was very interesting.

We’re huge Boynton fans.  I like the illustrations and the way the books rhyme.  They’re silly books.  Of course, not all Boynton books are equal.  Some are not very funny at all.  Perhaps those are the ones you were given.  Those are the ones that are still in mint condition after nine years in our house.  I highly recommend Hippos Go Berserk and Pajama Time.

I’m not a big Boynton fan either.

Oh my gosh I love the Frances books!  I guess like Arwen said it’s just a matter of individual taste (and I suppose children’s temperaments plays a role, too).

I love the Frances books too!

Completely agree- what an unbelievably weird book!  We, too, got it as a gift and I was weirded out not only by the story but by the pictures!  It is just a very strange book and I cannot believe they are making a movie from it.  It may be “artistic” but it seems to me just to be gross.  That one definitely got “lost” quickly.

I also have to say that while my son loves trucks, truck board books have to be the worst!  They are so, so boring.  A picture of a truck and then the name of the truck.  And that’s it.  No story, nothing.  However, he adores them.  Finally, at age three I’ve started saying no to them at night.  I want a story to read not just names of trucks to point out!

Wait—there’s a book about a farting dog?
Sometimes I read things about the US and I think people are just making it up.

Beth—you might like Truck Driver Tom by Monica Wellington.  We are huge fans of hers!