We love books. What we would do without good books I do not know. Which brings me to the library. What we would do without the library I do not know, but I feel a little excited each time I walk in there knowing I can borrow up to 60 items and not pay a cent.
We visit the library at least once a week and use our full quota (remember there are 6 of us!)
But something has been bothering me about an increasing trend in children’s fictions. Many adult writers seem to feel that the dumber their books are the more they will sell. And I guess they must be right because a lot of these authors are very popular.
These books lack dignity. They belittle children. They force the child into a stereotypical box of giggles over obscenities and slang. They “dumb down” the child not to mention the parent or other adult who has obtained the book in the first place.
I have my own personal boycott against these authors and hope that others will do the same so that “toilet fiction” will eventually fizzle out altogether.
I detest these as much as you do. I try my best to make sure they don't come into the house. When I read with the children, and they know I love to read their books, I always talk to them about the quality of the writing and the character development and what makes a good story, knowing that they will become more discerning about what they read and hopefully the choices they make. My latest wonderful find is the "Mysterious Benedict Society" books – there are 3 in the series out so far. I now have a 17yr old who regularly request penguin classics for presents too, so I think it must be working.
I have noticed the same. When we were seeking out books for our eldest (boy) when he reading ability was growing fast- book content was not 'developing' at the same rate! We turned to 'the classics' (read- books we loved as kids) and our children have been fed with Enid Blyton, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Moby Dick (chilren's edition), Milly Molly Mandy (I love her, my mother loved her- she has stood the test of time!) and taught- I think, I hope- that just because a book is easy to read doesn't mean it's a good book.
I agree with you whole heartedly but my boycotting these books for the last 15 years or so has made no difference. I think you just need to take a stand and teach your children to, in effect, look down on these sorts of books so that they don't become ridiculed but more the ridiculer. I don't think you can win a fight against this but simply teach your children to stand up for right. Hope that makes sense and, no, I am not advocating bullying but rather not taking flack from others with lesser standards. Cherrie