I can't think of any right at the moment but I've read some poorly written, weird story, creepy, etc children's books in the past and wonder how the heck some of them get published!
What are the worst children's books you've come across?
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Oh I feel like I have lots already. My favourite worst one is a book about a lamb who goes around looking for his mother. He finally goes right up to her and asks her if she's seen his mother, and she's like "I am your mother'". But it's not like a situation where he never met his mother, he just lost her. Who wouldn't know their own mother when you find her after you just lost her?
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@cvbee: bahahaha!!! so funny.
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Goodnight moon is pretty creepy. I know it's popular and we read it almost every night, but have you ever read it?? It doesn't even really rhyme and it's so creepy with lines like "goodnight nobody"....
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@mrs. wagon: haha this made me lol...
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@mrs. wagon: lol very true... goodnight bowl of mush. Who keeps hot cereal on their bedside table?
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@mrs. wagon: haha i know, and the old lady whispering hush! she sounds mean lol
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@Coco Bee: Wagon Sr. is convinced the bowl full of mush is like Soylent Green....
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@mrs. wagon: @Coco Bee: the bowl of mush always gets me. so weird! and the creepy old lady...
one time, cb checked out a bob the builder book from the library and it made me want to claw my eyeballs out. SO bad.
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@mrs. wagon: You made me LOL! I just read it for nap time and every single time I read it I just don't get why it's so popular.
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Okay, all you GNM haters, I have to stick up for my book. I love that book. I love that we say goodnight to mush and to and old lady whispering hush, and especially nobody and goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere. What are you talking about no rhymes? young mouse, toy house The list goes on. It's not supposed to be too catchy or else it won't put you in the goodnight mood. I love that it gets darker and darker. I love looking at the bunny on the bed and how he changes position each time. I love love love love that book.
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Now my turn to hate on a much-loved book.
Guess How Much I Love You
I really wanted to love this book. There was a kid in my kindergarten class who always asked me that and then told me to the moon with a big smile and a hug. DH and I started saying that to each other. So I was super excited when I got the book, which I had actually never read. But the dialogue is so boring and annoying to read. As a kindergarten teacher, I'm very good at reading kids books, but this one is tricky for me. I love you , no I love you more. Like, why does the parent not just let the little baby bunny win at the 'I love you the most' contest so we can all just go to sleep? bah.
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@cvbee: IRL I always have i love your more contests with kids and I always had them with my sibs and parents!!! I wouldn't have wanted my mom to concede!! We actually came up with some phrases we now say to each other all the time as a result of it
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@Coco Bee: that is super sweet. I will try to think of you the next time I read the book (I snuck it down to the bottom of the pile today) and maybe I can love it, or at least like it.
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Once Upon a Potty. I had it when I was a kid and I remember giggling at the ridiculous pictures. And who in the world uses a pitcher as a potty!?
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Pat the Bunny because it smells bad!
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@cvbee: My sister's famous line is, "I love you more than all the bags!" My mom said, "what?! all the bags?"
"Yeah mom, all the bags in the whole world. There's lots'a them!"
hahahaa!!!My little brother came up with, "Yeah, well I love you more than the whole wide world n' the universe! GOTCHA!!" hahaha we say it alll the time now and that was 15 years ago
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The Runaway Bunny is really bad. Good night moon is weird too.
I'm not a Dr. Seuss fan either.
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@Sweet T: never read it but I have a general distaste for potty books. I hope we never have to use them.
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@chopsuey119: aww bummer! I LOVE Dr. Seuss!
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Oh I am also not a Dr. Seuss fan!!
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@mrs. wagon: YES! Glad I'm not the only one!
@Coco Bee: haha. I think he was mental! -
@Coco Bee: It's such a ridiculous book. There's a boy version and a girl version. I'm assuming they're the same story with different names and characters. One of the pages has the little naked child bent over and says, "A bottom for sitting and a little hole for making poo-poo." It's so weird!
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@mrs. wagon: Goodnight mush?! I believe the author must have been on mushrooms when she wrote that book. Just look at the psychedelic colors and the blank page and all the random associations... She had to be high!
I also do not like "But not the hippopotamus" by Sandra Boynton. Where the hell did the armadillo come from at the end?! Makes no sense.
Don't even get me started on the Thomas the Train books. Crack in the track?! Just plain sucks!
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@Mrs. Jacks: not sure I read that one but I love Sandra Boynton books - they're so cute!
I'm not generally a fan of the licensed characers books (Thomas, Dora, Diego, Barbie etc).
@Sweet T: ummmm that's disgusting.
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@mrs. wagon: & @chopsuey119: What?!?? What?!? How is that even possible? Are you against rap & poetry as well? I loooove dr suess! Creative genius.
I agree runaway bunny is a twisted story! Velveteen rabbit too.
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@Sweet T: GROSS!
I can't think of any at the top of my head right now, but I've read so many crappy kids books.
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@mrs. bird: what?! Velveteen rabbit is the best!!! We had a reading from it at our wedding.
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We have this book called 10 Little Rubber Duckies or something like that.
It is kind of sad/scary. I feel really bad for the ducks. -
Lol this thread is getting crazy!!
@Mrs. Jacks: you totally reminded me of my least favorite book of all our books. It's "Doggies" by Sandra Boynton. Oh my goodness. We thought it would be great since we love dogs. I HATE THAT BOOK. Of course it was Wagon Jr.'s favorite when I was a SAHM and he'd ask for that book over and over and over again.
It's basically like one dog, woof. Two dogs, bark bark, woof. Three dogs, grr grr grr, bark bark, woof. And so on... up until like TEN DOGS. Seriously?!?!??!
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@birdofafeather: it's beautiful, but you have to admit its creepy & dark for a children's story!
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@mrs. bird: @chopsuey119: glad to know I'm not alone either. I know so many people love Dr. Seuss. I think I had a traumatic experience with being forced to eat green-tinted eggs and ham in nursery school and I've hated him ever since. But I really hate all of those nonsensical creatures and such.
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@mrs. bird: is it?? I haven't read it in awhile... hmmm I should read it again. I bought it for DS a couple months ago!
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I can't stand the How Does a Dinosaur do 'x'? series. The answer is always that he does it very compliantly, which I find just creepy and mind-controll-ish.
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I can't believe no one has brought up "I love you forever." doesn't get creepier than that.
Also, I like the Mr. Men and Little Miss books but they're a little weird. Like these random men who come to give Mr. Messy a bath? Or how Mr. Tickle tickles random people? It's pretty weird.
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"The Giving Tree" is so effing sexist. I hate it. Hate hate hate.
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@HabesBabe: I haven't read that in a loooong time! I don't remember it being sexist, just really sad.
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I totally agree with @cvbee... Good Night Moon is awesome... and I was disappointed in Guess How Much I Love You too (cute story, but awkward to read).
And like @sloaneandpuffy, I Love You Forever is super creepy.
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From what I've read so far, it's Swedish Folk Tales by Polly Lawson! It's an old school book that's translated to English. Like old, old school as in grandma's had the same book. I'm into fairy tales and woodland stories but um ... how do I say this ... it's kind of racist! Haha!
From the few stories that I read, it's all about an ideal, blonde haired girl and a dark troll wanting to steal her looks or obsessing about her. It even mentions something about suicide in one story ... so yeh. I think I may pull it off LO's shelf.
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Can we talk about the original Curious George book? The man in the yellow hat is poacher who kidnap s George from the forest so he can sell him to the zoo. And then he leaves a wild animal alone in his apartment, unsupervised and without basic necessities for hours on end. George gets arrested and jailed before anyone decides that's a bad idea.
Also, I love Dr. Seuss but What Was I Scared Of? features a pair of pants as a main character. That one is almost too much for me.
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