I would like to introduce you to three of Kiddo’s favorite series:
Stink
George Brown, Class Clown
Captain Underpants
Do you sense a theme?
I understand there are parents out there who really try to edit what their children read based on whether or not the content is “appropriate.” (A word which means different things to different people) In general, I’m not one of those parents. Part of this is due to laziness, yes, because once your child starts reading on his own, who can read every book first? But mostly I want my sons to enjoy and read books that interest them. And if that means books that heavily feature burps and underpants, so be it. Plus, I just love hearing Kiddo giggle uncontrollably while he is reading.
Now, of course, I don’t think Kiddo should be reading — at the age of 6, To Kill a Mockingbird
When I was a kid I read everything, (seriously, I had no social life, all I did was read) and probably a lot of books my parents would not have thought “appropriate.” So, I just don’t think it will damage kids to read books in which not everyone is couth and properly dressed. You wouldn’t believe some of the garbage I read — including all the Sweet Valley High
Right now he loves burping and underwear, but I’m confident he’ll read War and Peace
This is a potentially huge topic and it’s obvious I have not covered all the points or gone into depth, but I’m curious: do you, or do you plan to control your child’s reading?
I’m linking to What My Child Is Reading
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Great post! I am very selective about what I will read to Gerrick and try to personally only expose him to the highest quality literature, but I have always told myself I won't censor what he wants to read to himself (to a degree! He won't have my permission to read Harry Crews at 10!) He's been eyeballing those Goosebumps books for years now. He knows that I won't read them, but that he's welcome to read them himself whenever he wants to try.
I have a girl, and I still read whatever she wants. Of course, some books tend to stay accessible to her but out of sight until they are due back to the library, as a concession to my own sanity.
Most American men don't read for pleasure. I used to tell moms of boys all the time when I worked in a bookstore–If you want your son to grow up to be a man who thinks reading is fun, you need to let your little boy read books that he thinks are fun.
I personally hate gross out humor but love gross history books. We love the picture book The Flight of the Dodo, which features target pooping.
Okay, somehow my reader stopped getting your posts on this blog. Weird.
I am completely with you on reading books in the corner of the library in middle/high school because I was too embarrassed to check them out! And no, I don't intend to control my child's reading. If they want to read something, they will, and I'd prefer that they not feel they have to hide it from me!
Love this post! When I was a teacher I noticed it was hard for boys to find books they truely enjoyed reading and really, isn't that the point? So Captain Underpants was a mainstay in my classroom. I appreciate anything that encourages reading.
I don't plan on censoring when it comes to my kids. I plan on using common sense. I'm currently reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to PBug (who's five) and there's no other way to describe it: she's hooked. But I plan on taking it slowly through the series because there are some pretty adult themes later on. There will come a point when she will choose what she reads and I won't disallow any books. What I will do is raise her with common sense and good critical thinking skills so that questionable material won't have a negetive influence on her values.
That's the same reason my mom always bought my brother Popular Science magazines and the World Record Books. She was just happy he was interested in reading something. I also think that books like Captain Underpants helps boys bond and give them something “cool” to discuss with their friends.
I also read the Sweet Valley High series and in grade school all the Babysitter Club books. Yes, garbage! But, I think it is important to encourage reading for enjoyment, and I don't plan to micromanage my childrens' reading.
Reading is the big thing, here. Lots of times we've read series together, but lots of times we didn't.
Don't forget to show them Artemis Fowl (tween criminal mastermind in a world filled with dwarves and elves) and Gary Paulsen's books!
Interesting topic. I don't plan to control my daughter's reading, but I am a bit concerned that she is already exposed to too much, so to speak. She is very sensitive to inappropriate behavior (OK, to the behavior that is deemed inappropriate in our family, such as lying, taking things without permission, using bad language, bullying or sneaking behind parents' backs), and she is confused when this same behavior is presented as “cool” in some of the books she came across. I do believe, however, that values are formed at home and not just by indiscriminate reading, so I am not concerned that she will follow bad role models from the books.
Thanks for joining WMCIR!
in theory i agree w you but the junie b jones books give me almost physical pain. and michael is the one actually reading them aloud, i'm just in the same room occasionally tuning in by accident and then regretting it. why do they have to exist? why?!?!?
that being said, i let him take out one from the library this week only objecting under the excuse of that he already has a jbj book out from the library, but then giving in like the sucka i am.
I agree…great post!…and an interesting topic.
For the most part, I do not censor what my girls read, and they read A LOT! I will tell them if I believe that something might be too scary or that they might not be ready for the topic area yet. They read a lot of chapter books that are pretty easy read series, but they also read more “high quality” books. Plus I read aloud to them and we do audio books in the car. I try to take a well-rounded approach to reading…I feel that their loving to read and reading for pleasure is so important!
I plan to pay attention to what my daughter reads. I don't think that pre-pubescent children should read sexually explicit material, and I think themes that require maturity to understand should be read when the child is older. For example, I LOVE Harry Potter, but won't read it to her until she is much older (she's 4). It was pretty frustrating when I had YA reading groups when I was at the bookstore and we would discuss Harry Potter, and parents would get mad at me because their 4 year old child couldn't follow what I was saying. Not my fault.
I agree with you that kids should be encouraged to read what they like. I remember feeling some shame when my mom called the Judy Blume and Babysitters Club books I liked “drivel.” With older kids, it can be a great moment for a conversation about literary values, about why some things are considered “quality” lit by some people and others aren't.
And yet… I've been resisting giving my 6-yr-old son Capt. Underpants. I should probably get over it. I am wary of books (aimed at boys OR girls) that construct hyper-conventional gender roles (like Fancy Nancy for girls).
I will read whatever to whomever at my house… but I must admit that after the first Captain Underpants book I was not very enthusiastic to pick up another. I don't mind potty humor and twaddle but all of the books are the same. They are run together in my mind.
Have you tried the Wimpy Kid series? They are FABULOUS!
I try not too – Although I can't stand certain books (like Junie B. Jones) I think those kind of annoying books still count as reading and that's good.
However, I have made my daughter wait on books that are too mature or make her scared and give her bad dreams. I think these books are opportunities to talk about making good choices with our minds and what we put in them!
On this post I do tell parents a few books I don't recommend and got a few good arguments against my opinion.
http://imaginationsoup.net/2011/03/what-to-buy-in-aprils-scholastic-book-orders/
I saw the Underpants series in our library! I made a note of it for when J gets older. He's just learning about underpants in potty training
I too love to hear J giggling while I'm reading and I just blogged about “I Love You, Stinky Face” which we laughed all the way through (reading it several times in a row). Fun!