Blue Fairy book needs an "R" rating

[Guest TheBugsMom]

I started reading this to my dd the other day and was a little surprised at the graphic violence that was displayed (burning dogs to ash and boiling a man till his flesh separates from his bones) but carried on. Today we read East of the Sun and West of the Moon and the White bear wanted the young daughter of a poor man, and in exchange he would make the dad and the family rich. The dad sold his youngest daughter to the bear who then laid with her every night. Even this I was able to get past. I did however stumble in the next reading, in fact stop altogether, when upon reading Little Red Riding Hood I got to the part where the wolf wants LLRH to lie with him and she undresses and gets into bed with him. HOW does one explain that to a 5yr old. I have decided the Blue Fairy Book (which so many have recommended) will be put tossed.

 

I knew some of the versions of these classic tales have ( either in their original state or doctored state) a very mature in them, even X or XX theme, but I honestly never expected this from a book I see on so many reading lists for young children.

 

:blink:

[dirty ethel rackham]

Gives a whole new meaning to "blue" in the title! (sorry, couldn't resist.) My son did a unit on fairy tales for his fantasy literature class where he read tons of fairy tales close to their original forms and I don't remember this stuff coming up.

[Virg]

Wow we have some OLD fairy tale books that by all means aren't Disney quality but I really don't remember a s*xual theme to them. There was definitely violence and harsh punishments but... wow is all I got! I will remember not to pick that one up!

 

Glad you shared though! :)

[Alicia64]

Wow! I'll keep that in mind.

 

I was reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to my 7 year olds -- recommended by SWB in SOTW -- and was a little annoyed at the basic storyline.

 

A stunningly beautiful woman is sent into Sir Gawain over and over as her husband, the Lord, is out hunting. Sir Gawain has to resist her -- and prove himself worthy to call himself a knight.

 

Come on, I read this in entirety when I was 14, but should 7 year olds be reading this stuff? I had to explain in the best G rated version I could think of what was happening. Ugh.

 

And, yes, this was meant for kids. The illustrated pictures were beautifully done.

 

Anyway, your's sounds awful.

 

Alley

[Daisy]

pg. 82

 

The Wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bed-clothes: "Put the custard and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come and lie down with me." Little Red Riding-Hood undressed herself and went into bed, where being greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her night-clothes, she said to her...

 

Okay, neither my children nor myself thought this was a big deal. The Wolf is pretending to be her grandmother. It is absolutely not sexual. The Wolf (as grandmother) told Little Red Riding Hood to come lie down with her (Grandmother is bed-ridden. "Come lie on the bed with me" doesn't seem like that big a deal). Little Red Riding Hood undressed, which we assumed likely meant she took off her red riding hood and her outer garments which one would expect. Again, nothing sexual.

 

This didn't faze us. Actually my children didn't sexualize any of the stories.

[NanceXToo]

I remember having a whole set of those "color" fairy books when I was young- I'm not sure how old I was when I was reading them to myself but I want to say I must have been somewhere under 10 years of age.

 

And I remember some of those stories really scaring the heck out of me!

 

I wouldn't even buy them for my 10 y/o, let alone read them to my 5 y/o LOL.

[JudoMom]

pg. 82

 

 

 

Okay, neither my children nor myself thought this was a big deal. The Wolf is pretending to be her grandmother. It is absolutely not sexual. The Wolf (as grandmother) told Little Red Riding Hood to come lie down with her (Grandmother is bed-ridden. "Come lie on the bed with me" doesn't seem like that big a deal). Little Red Riding Hood undressed, which we assumed likely meant she took off her red riding hood and her outer garments which one would expect. Again, nothing sexual.

 

This didn't faze us. Actually my children didn't sexualize any of the stories.

 

:iagree:

[DaffodilDreams]

Adults bring experience and baggage along when reading these tales. Under typical circumstances, a child would not do so - or at least a child's experience and baggage would not be equivalent to an adult's. Fairy tales are actually wonderful tools to help a child process good vs evil. So far, I've only run across one tale that I just couldn't read to my dd - and even then, that was based on my attitude toward the story. She would most likely have been fine with it.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

Gives a whole new meaning to "blue" in the title! (sorry, couldn't resist.)

:lol:

[abbeyej]

Okay, neither my children nor myself thought this was a big deal. The Wolf is pretending to be her grandmother. It is absolutely not sexual. The Wolf (as grandmother) told Little Red Riding Hood to come lie down with her (Grandmother is bed-ridden. "Come lie on the bed with me" doesn't seem like that big a deal). Little Red Riding Hood undressed, which we assumed likely meant she took off her red riding hood and her outer garments which one would expect. Again, nothing sexual.

 

This didn't faze us. Actually my children didn't sexualize any of the stories.

 

Adults bring experience and baggage along when reading these tales. Under typical circumstances, a child would not do so - or at least a child's experience and baggage would not be equivalent to an adult's. Fairy tales are actually wonderful tools to help a child process good vs evil. So far, I've only run across one tale that I just couldn't read to my dd - and even then, that was based on my attitude toward the story. She would most likely have been fine with it.

 

:iagree:

[dangermom]

I don't think of the real fairy tales as being for a 5yo. I'd wait for the Lang color Fairy Books until more like 8-9. If you want softer versions that are classics, read Wanda Gag's "Tales from Grimm."

 

I do find that kids take the old fairy tales in stride more than adults do. Kids are naturally violent creatures, with strong feelings, and fairy tales seem to help them channel that and learn to deal with it.

[LaissezFaire]

I agree that we adults tend to perceive things that are not there. As written for a child, a child's mind would not go to such places. I really do think it means "lie" as in lay down, not have 'tea'.

 

My 11 year old DD loves fairy tales in their original form. They are gruesome that is for certain but it's written in a way that is blatantly not real.

[Jenny in Atl]

Fairy tales originally were not written for children, or at least not just for children. They were folk tales, moral tales, that often were to scare the heck out of those listening.

[Word Nerd]

I know Ambleside Online suggests selected stories from that book in Year 1 and includes alternative ones if kids are especially sensitive.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Okay, I know everyone has different standards but I wanted to let everyone know what the book actually says so that someone doesn't avoid this great book because they think it insinuates s**.

 

"but when she had lain down and put out the light a man came and lay down beside her, and behold it was the White Bear, who cast off the form of a beast during the night. She never saw him, however, for he always came after she had put out her light, and went away before daylight appeared."

 

"So she told how every night a man came and lay down beside her when the lights were all put out, and how she never say him, because he always went away before it grew light in the morning, ..."

 

"So when she had reached home and had gone to bed it was just the same as it had been before, and a man came and lay down beside her, and late at night, when she could hear that he was sleeping, she got up and kindled a light, lit her candle, let her light shine on him, and saw him, and he was the handsomest prince that eyes had ever beheld,..."

 

The gist of the story is that he is under a curse where by he is a white bear during the day and a man at night. The girl must keep the secret of his changing into a man for one year to break the curse, but her mother gets the information out of her that a man comes at night and lays down beside her. Her mother gives her a piece of candle to light so she can see the man the next time...which she does and then the story goes on for some time after that where the girl searches east of the sun and west of the moon to save him from his curse because she has come to love him.

 

My dd7 didn't blink an eye at this because to her people who are married are supposed to sleep in the same bed and because they were sleeping in the same bed they must be married. Honestly I didn't blink an eye about it either which is why when I read the op's post I was trying to figure out where in the story I had missed such apparently blatant reference to "lying" together.

 

To reiterate : I'm not trying to belittle the op's opinion or views; like I said everyone has different standards. I just wanted others to know what it actually says so they can make their own determinations.

[littlebug42]

Okay, I know everyone has different standards but I wanted to let everyone know what the book actually says so that someone doesn't avoid this great book because they think it insinuates s**.

 

"but when she had lain down and put out the light a man came and lay down beside her, and behold it was the White Bear, who cast off the form of a beast during the night. She never saw him, however, for he always came after she had put out her light, and went away before daylight appeared."

 

"So she told how every night a man came and lay down beside her when the lights were all put out, and how she never say him, because he always went away before it grew light in the morning, ..."

 

"So when she had reached home and had gone to bed it was just the same as it had been before, and a man came and lay down beside her, and late at night, when she could hear that he was sleeping, she got up and kindled a light, lit her candle, let her light shine on him, and saw him, and he was the handsomest prince that eyes had ever beheld,..."

 

The gist of the story is that he is under a curse where by he is a white bear during the day and a man at night. The girl must keep the secret of his changing into a man for one year to break the curse, but her mother gets the information out of her that a man comes at night and lays down beside her. Her mother gives her a piece of candle to light so she can see the man the next time...which she does and then the story goes on for some time after that where the girl searches east of the sun and west of the moon to save him from his curse because she has come to love him.

 

My dd7 didn't blink an eye at this because to her people who are married are supposed to sleep in the same bed and because they were sleeping in the same bed they must be married. Honestly I didn't blink an eye about it either which is why when I read the op's post I was trying to figure out where in the story I had missed such apparently blatant reference to "lying" together.

 

To reiterate : I'm not trying to belittle the op's opinion or views; like I said everyone has different standards. I just wanted others to know what it actually says so they can make their own determinations.

 

 

:iagree:East of the Sun, West of the Moon is my favorite fairy tale of all time. I forced my Mom to read it repeatedly when I was kid. I never picked up on any sexual over tones to it but my Mom never injected them either. I am usually more concerned about the graphic violence in such stories as my children are pretty sensitive to that. Just another thing that each person needs to assess for themselves.

[Veritaserum]

:iagree:East of the Sun, West of the Moon is my favorite fairy tale of all time. I forced my Mom to read it repeatedly when I was kid. I never picked up on any sexual over tones to it but my Mom never injected them either. I am usually more concerned about the graphic violence in such stories as my children are pretty sensitive to that. Just another thing that each person needs to assess for themselves.

 

My girls and I enjoyed many of the stories from The Blue Fairy book. We really liked East of the Sun because it had a strong female character. For us there wasn't anything sexual in it at all. :confused:

[Ravin]

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

--G.K. Chesterton

[nmoira]

Okay, I know everyone has different standards but I wanted to let everyone know what the book actually says so that someone doesn't avoid this great book because they think it insinuates s**.

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

Of course they can be read that way, if only between the lines; however, the point bears repeating, and repeating and repeating that children won't read them this way until they're older and start taking college lit classes. :tongue_smilie:

[asta]

I take it the OP has never read the original Grimm Brothers?

 

They would terrify a modern child and give them nightmares for life.

 

Night mares. The real ones.

 

 

a

[helena]

I take it the OP has never read the original Grimm Brothers?

 

They would terrify a modern child and give them nightmares for life.

 

Night mares. The real ones.

 

 

a

 

Yes, I remember my daughter coming down one night with her Grimm book in hand, asking if I had ever read the real Cinderella. She was so freaked out about how the step sisters cut off parts of the feet to fit in the slipper.

Gruesome!!

Of course she still reads it. ;)

[Jenny in Atl]

I take it the OP has never read the original Grimm Brothers?

 

They would terrify a modern child and give them nightmares for life.

 

Night mares. The real ones.

 

 

a

 

Or even many of Hans Christian Andersen's stories, like The Red Shoes or The Little Mermaid (not airbrushed Disney version). We love HCA, Brothers Grimm, as well as many others...

[pooh bear]

I take it the OP has never read the original Grimm Brothers?

 

They would terrify a modern child and give them nightmares for life.

 

Night mares. The real ones.

 

 

a

 

Or read Pinocchio? I think Walt Disney just took the title and the idea of a wooden puppet, but never read the book.

[Guest TheBugsMom]

Thanks for the varied replies. I am glad I was able to give some heads up to those who might have been surprised, like I was, at the extreme violence and implied relations. I wish I had been given such a warning before reading it to my dd. Sadly my dd notices if I hesitate to edit on the fly and wants to know exactly what is written so that suggestion is not applicable for my situation. Another suggestion is, as an adult, I preceive things not really there, which I can swallow. However my dd is very astute and right away questioned if the White Bear and the girl got married, as well as questioned why would Little Red Riding Hood undress to snuggle with her granny. Not all children pick up these little things, but some do. Therefore the heads up to those parents of children like mine.

 

I do appreciate the suggestion for an alternate book and will see what Ambleside suggests.

[SquirrellyMama]

I take it the OP has never read the original Grimm Brothers?

 

They would terrify a modern child and give them nightmares for life.

 

Night mares. The real ones.

 

 

a

 

We read the original Little Mermaid (Hans Christian Anderson, I think). Oh my word. I was so sad and traumatized but my kids loved it. :001_smile:

[Gratia271]

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

--G.K. Chesterton

:001_smile:

 

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

Of course they can be read that way, if only between the lines; however, the point bears repeating, and repeating and repeating that children won't read them this way until they're older and start taking college lit classes. :tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree::iagree:

[Lizzie in Ma]

pg. 82

 

 

 

Okay, neither my children nor myself thought this was a big deal. The Wolf is pretending to be her grandmother. It is absolutely not sexual. The Wolf (as grandmother) told Little Red Riding Hood to come lie down with her (Grandmother is bed-ridden. "Come lie on the bed with me" doesn't seem like that big a deal). Little Red Riding Hood undressed, which we assumed likely meant she took off her red riding hood and her outer garments which one would expect. Again, nothing sexual.

 

This didn't faze us. Actually my children didn't sexualize any of the stories.

 

Adults bring experience and baggage along when reading these tales. Under typical circumstances, a child would not do so - or at least a child's experience and baggage would not be equivalent to an adult's. Fairy tales are actually wonderful tools to help a child process good vs evil. So far, I've only run across one tale that I just couldn't read to my dd - and even then, that was based on my attitude toward the story. She would most likely have been fine with it.

 

:iagree::iagree:

Couldn't have said it better.

[nmoira]

However my dd is very astute and right away questioned if the White Bear and the girl got married, as well as questioned why would Little Red Riding Hood undress to snuggle with her granny.

That's a reasonable assumption to make, and a question I'd welcome; as was mentioned above, don't mommy and daddy share a bed? Here's a simple and honest explanation: It was not uncommon in the way-back-whens for people to share a bed. Even strangers staying in inns would do it.

[Nicole M]

When were these first published? Late 19th century, if I recall.....

 

For a little historical perspective, you might be interested in an essay in the book called WildThings: Children's Culture and Ecocriticism. The essay is the first one in the book, and discusses the "pornography of pain" in 18th and 19th century literature. Remember that with the industrial revolution there were more and more children working in factories, and reformers and children's writers were interested in the moral lives of these children. The inclusion of really graphically violent scenes (according to this and other critics) was to engender sympathy on the part of the children, and, in the case of stories where the violence is perpetrated against nature, to (re-)connect urban children to the natural world.

 

Now I need to go track down that blue book and check it out. My children are older, and we didn't read those collections. I also feel that fairy tales are more appropriate for slightly older children, personally, so I didn't any when my children were very small.

[kalphs]

pg. 82

 

 

 

Okay, neither my children nor myself thought this was a big deal. The Wolf is pretending to be her grandmother. It is absolutely not sexual. The Wolf (as grandmother) told Little Red Riding Hood to come lie down with her (Grandmother is bed-ridden. "Come lie on the bed with me" doesn't seem like that big a deal). Little Red Riding Hood undressed, which we assumed likely meant she took off her red riding hood and her outer garments which one would expect. Again, nothing sexual.

 

This didn't faze us. Actually my children didn't sexualize any of the stories.

I remember reading this book as a child.

I don't ever remember thinking it was any thing sexual.

[Terabith]

What bothers me is some of the lessons at the end of the stories....the sexualized themes don't really bother me, but some of the violence bothers me. I can handle the step sisters chopping off bits of their feet even, but them having their eyes plucked out by the birds on the way to the wedding.... I don't know, but it bothers me somehow. I know in Charles Perrault's version, they are sorry and she forgives them. That doesn't really ring true, but I worry about the vindictiveness, for lack of a better term, of some of the endings.

 

I agree that fairy tales are suited far, far more to the 7-9 yr old age range than the younger set. I read some to my six year old, but only bc she likes them. I generally prefer folk tales for the 4-6 year old set, and there are so many wonderful folk tales out there.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

Or read Pinocchio? I think Walt Disney just took the title and the idea of a wooden puppet, but never read the book.

 

 

We read Pinocchio last year and I was thinking Disney, but it was BAD!! The boys of course loved it, but Pinocchio was so bad. We really like old fairy tales, the boys would much rather hear the gruesome versions than the dolled up Disney ones.