No, Blue Fairy Book does not need an "R" rating...

[5LittleMonkeys]

you just need to pre-read before you read to your dc if you are very sensitive to fairy tale violence or are uncomfortable reading about a man and a woman sleeping in the same bed to your dc. (There is no insinuation that they are intimate.)

 

I know I will probably catch some flak for this but the Blue Fairy Book and specifically East of the Sun and West of the Moon, needed to have someone defend it. It bothered me that some people might just see the title to the other thread and automatically assume that they should steer clear of the book. Okay, now I'm gonna go hide.:D

[Mom in High Heels]

And I agree. Can I hide with you? :D

[unity]

According to Bruno Bettelheim that fairy-tale violence serves a purpose for little kids. Obviously, some kids/families don't want it but I totally agree that it's unfair to imply it should be withheld from kids under 17 (like an R rating indicates).

[Jenny in Atl]

I agree! Most everything does not need a rating. I thought many here don't like some other entity doing their job for them.

[pooh bear]

Agreeing here.

 

Not all stories have to end in a happy way.

[Kate in Arabia]

The remake of the movie Clash of the Titans was rated NC17 here -- I tried to take my kids to see it at the theatre and was turned away at the door. People can have really different ideas as to what should be rated what...

[NanceXToo]

I really don't think anyone here would just read a thread title and mindlessly assume they should steer clear of a book. I'm sure they would have read through the thread (or the book) and come to their own conclusions.

[LaissezFaire]

The remake of the movie Clash of the Titans was rated NC17 here -- I tried to take my kids to see it at the theatre and was turned away at the door. People can have really different ideas as to what should be rated what...

 

Don't worry, you didn't miss much. LOL

[nmoira]

Yes, yes, and yes again.

[Kate in Arabia]

Don't worry, you didn't miss much. LOL

Oh, we took them to a matinee showing when we visited the States; I paid for a ticket and drink for my brother to go with us; at the end I apologized, lol, and he said, "Hey, at least I got a free coke."

 

But my kids thought it was awesome, lol.

[Nicole M]

I think the OP in that original thread was blindsided by the violence, and was not really suggesting any rating. I posted in that thread that if you're interested in some of the history of "the pornography of pain" in 18th and 19th century writing, check out a book of essays called WildThings: Children's Culture and Ecocriticism. I think it's important to remember that what we think of as "classic" children's stories, i.e., holding deep, timeless wisdom, was written in a particular time and place for a particular audience -- in this case, children moving into more urban settings and working in factories. Authors were responding to a shift in culture, a shift in our sense of what it means to be a child. Sure, these were old stories, but they were written down by particular people.

[Tutor]

We generally ignore ratings and just preread or research any books, movies, music, whatever before our children partake if a cursory introduction hints at anything one of our children may not be able to handle. When others ask me if I think something is "suitable for children," I never give a yes or no answer. It depends on the maturity level of the child, belief system of the family, family dynamics (is there good communication within the family?), and then I offer basic descriptions of scenes/ themes to judge what types of things a particular family might find offensive.