Pam B Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 What is up with SO MANY childrens' books having cursing?? I am at my limit with buying books and having to toss them due to the deplorable language they contain. I would feel guilty if I were to see them, and you can't take a book back to the book store after it's been read through about a quarter of the way! :rant: Am I the ONLY one that feels this way? Isn't there a site that tells whether or not certain books have cursing, or name calling? How are we suppose to raise our kids properly when there is so much JUNK out there? It is impossible to preread every book they want to read. I just cannot do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfall Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Are you talking about actual children's books, or young adult books? I've never seen any cursing in any of the many chapter books I've read to my daughter but they're really books for children, not teens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam B Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Oh I am talking about childrens' books, although I realize young adult books have the same (plus more) problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwenhwyfar Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 i'm curious what kind of words you define as "cursing" ... as i've never seen a children's book with anything in it that i would define as such.... can you provide book titles & examples? (or just examples?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Yes please give us some examples! Also, I would bet that if you took the book back to the bookstore and explained your problem, they'd take it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMom66 Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Were these books you purchased for curriculum or "fun" reading? I also would like to know which books they were. I see you have older children so I'm wondering if these are books that I will come across soon. I agree with the previous poster about trying to take them back. Doesn't hurt to try. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I'd write to the publisher and tell them which books and provide specific examples that you find unacceptable. If enough people voice their opinion, it could make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I've never come across cursing we read tons of books. Maybe my MIL pre-screens or something before she purchases? I'm wondering what books you're reading? Maybe you could post and ask for suggestions that fit your standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I haven't run across any cursing either. Can you list the books so the rest of us can avoid them (if needed)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 What is your definition of cursing? I can't think of a single children's book I've read that contains cursing. Young adult, however, is a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I can give an example of a book we decided my daughter would not read at age 10 because of the language. Inkdeath had multiple instances of b!tch and d@mn. Frustrating considering the first book in the series didn't contain nearly that much language so of course my daughter was looking forward to Inkdeath. Now I would probably define that as a YA book but my library didn't. They filed that series in with elementary chapter books. I've run across others but they tend to be older books and ones we would know to pre-read anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I can give an example of a book we decided my daughter would not read at age 10 because of the language. Inkdeath had multiple instances of b!tch and d@mn. Frustrating considering the first book in the series didn't contain nearly that much language so of course my daughter was looking forward to Inkdeath. Now I would probably define that as a YA book but my library didn't. They filed that series in with elementary chapter books. I've run across others but they tend to be older books and ones we would know to pre-read anyway. Wow! Thanks for the heads up, Daisy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 We mostly stick to classic book lists and haven't run across this. I don't let my kids "loose" at the library so I guess we haven't seen much of this. We did make a mistake the other night and let the kids watch a Harry Potter "behind the scenes" with the kids "documentary" and I was sorry we didn't preview it. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Ultimately the parents are responsible to pre-read, censor, whatever. There is a huge difference between children's books and middle school books, even in regards to classic literature. It is good to be aware of that fact especially if you have a precocious reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aquiverfull Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I don't remember coming across anything other than The Fighting Ground by Avi. It used the D word repeatedly. I edited on the fly until I got sick of it and we quit reading it. I don't appreciate curse words in children or young adult books. I'd like to know the books you are speaking of so I can avoid them also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I'd be interested in knowing some of the titles, Pam. Consider it a PSA for the rest of us!! In all the libraries we've been to the Harry Potter series has been in the children's section and there's definitely cursing in those books! And Tinkerbell does call Peter Pan an a$$ repeatedly, but I don't consider that cursing (as I assume she means the animal and not the body part!) I can't think of any others that I've allowed my kids to read. Did "Because of Winn Dixie" or the Percy Jackson books have any questionable language? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews This website reviews all types of media, including books. It gives an age that they feel it is appropriate for, whether there is an educational value in it, if there are good role models, what kind of violence it has, if there is any sexuality, drinking, smoking, or drugs in it, and if there are curse words. There is also a section titled, "What Parents Need to Know" that lists any additional concerns with the book and a section that gives ideas to talk about with your kids after they've read it. If find the site really helpful for movies. Not only do they review books and movies, but they also review games, mobile apps, websites, tv shows, and music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 :bigear: Still curious about titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanda7 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 We recently read Roller Skates, a Newberry winner from 1937. Usually, the older books are "safer" for that kind of thing. The book had cursing, a 10yo finding an adult friend murdered and her toddler friend dying of an illness at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 We live in Missouri and each year they have Mark Twain Awards. The kids in ps (which mine were through 4th grade) were encouraged to read all the entries so they could vote. One year 3 of the books my dd brought home had cursing. Words like d@mn and h@ll. That was a K-4 school with only children's books in it. The books were winning awards as quality children's literature. I was very frustrated. They weren't the only books my third and fourth grade kids brought home with cursing in them either. I think it is very common even among "quality" books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 We recently read Roller Skates, a Newberry winner from 1937. Usually, the older books are "safer" for that kind of thing. The book had cursing, a 10yo finding an adult friend murdered and her toddler friend dying of an illness at the end. Yikes, can you tell me the actual words or pm them to me? This is on my 11yos reading list. If they are relatively minor, I'll let her read the book anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 yes please share which books....add me to the list-I haven't found any bad language in any of the kids books we've used....... :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I honestly can't remember any books I've read to my children that had cursing in them, and we are avid readers. On the other hand, I've seen people complaining about The Wind in the Willows because it had the word 'ass' in it. It seems to depends largely on what people consider cursing and what age group we're talking about. My 13 yr old has read Inkdeath (mentioned in another post), but I wouldn't have let her read it at age 8. I remember reading some of the Little Britches series and coming across d**n or h*ll - can't remember which it was. It seemed to fit in with the story and was not gratuitous at all. I might have substituted a drat for it - cant' really remember as it was some time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I honestly can't remember any books I've read to my children that had cursing in them, and we are avid readers. On the other hand, I've seen people complaining about The Wind in the Willows because it had the word 'ass' in it. It seems to depends largely on what people consider cursing and what age group we're talking about. Yeah, the silly @ss in Wind in the Willows wasn't a big deal for our family and we are pretty conservative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I remember quite a bit of it in Little Britches, but since I read it aloud I could edit. We listened to Dragon Rider (same author as Inkheart) at the recommendation of quite a few posters here. There were a couple instances of d***it. I can handle one instance for a 3rd or 4th grader but if I would have known I would have read it aloud myself or not had my little ones listening when we played it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 (edited) i'm curious what kind of words you define as "cursing" ... as i've never seen a children's book with anything in it that i would define as such.... can you provide book titles & examples? (or just examples?) How to Eat Fried Worms has the word B**tard in it. I was scandalized when I read it in third grade (as a class assignment). I had to go home and ask my mom what it meant. As a bit of an aside... I was at B & N today and I was just saddened at the YA section which is a large majority or dark/evil/vampire type books. By large majority I mean WELL over half of the selections fall into this category. I am not against that genre but it's way overdone to the point of offering very little else. I think we'll stick with classics..or Redwall. Edited October 14, 2010 by LaissezFaire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammaofbean Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 are you reading chaucer you them? jk! ha! but i do find classics to be racier than contemporary kids lit. regardless of what you don't like about the book, if you know that this is a recurring issue for you keep the reciept, at many stores you CAN return a book in new condition within a certain period of time. i also like to check out books from the library to peruse before i buy, but that isn't always possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 At my kids' former school one of the other moms told me her 3rd grade daughter started reading a series from the school library aimed at the elementary age group. Apparently it had a sex scene in it! (so sorry I don't know the name of the series, I have boys) This resulted in a talk with her daughter that was more extensive than she preferred to have at that age, and also a talk with the librarian. Who for some reason did not find the book inappropriate? This is an elementary K-8 school. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I'd be interested in knowing some of the titles, Pam. Consider it a PSA for the rest of us!! In all the libraries we've been to the Harry Potter series has been in the children's section and there's definitely cursing in those books! And Tinkerbell does call Peter Pan an a$$ repeatedly, but I don't consider that cursing (as I assume she means the animal and not the body part!) I can't think of any others that I've allowed my kids to read. Did "Because of Winn Dixie" or the Percy Jackson books have any questionable language? Hmm . . . Harry Potter is in the YA section at our library (which I think is a good thing!). The only thing I've come across so far is "@ss"--referring to the animal--in a couple of classics. I don't mind reading it in that context, but I'm afraid my boys will repeat it and run into trouble, so for now I edit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorMama Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 What is up with SO MANY childrens' books having cursing?? I am at my limit with buying books and having to toss them due to the deplorable language they contain. I would feel guilty if I were to see them, and you can't take a book back to the book store after it's been read through about a quarter of the way! :rant: Am I the ONLY one that feels this way? Isn't there a site that tells whether or not certain books have cursing, or name calling? How are we suppose to raise our kids properly when there is so much JUNK out there? It is impossible to preread every book they want to read. I just cannot do it! Maybe it's just me, but I'd probably let cursing go with books for older kids. The truth is, a lot of people talk that way, and censoring for language can make you miss out on some fantastic literature. So for kids who are old enough to know perfectly well that the words aren't appropriate to say...meh. I'll be honest, though - a lot of the 'cursing' people have mentioned in this thread really wouldn't even be on my radar. I'd let my 6-year-old read a book with 'd*mn' or 'hell' in it without a second thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Many years ago there was a poster who had a problem with the use of the word A-S-S (I hope that gets through the word censorship) in period British books. Is that one of your problems? In Britain it means donkey - we have a different pronunciation/spelling to mean backside. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 we have a different pronunciation/spelling to mean backside. Would that be a-r-s-e? That's actually one of our favorite words around here, although the kids know not to say it outside the house. We are fairly relaxed about minor cussing around here, mainly because I have a hard time excising certain words from my speech. I have never heard my kids use harsh speech in anything other than jest with us or when my dd dropped something heavy on her foot and let an expletive fly. So cursing in books wouldn't be a huge deal for us, but I feel the OP's pain because I feel like I have a hard time finding books for my kids that don't use potty humor and have kiids being mean to each other. I second the suggestion of Common Sense Media. I would also suggest checking out a book called Honey for a Child's Heart (or something along that lines) ... or other such as The Read-Aloud Handbook, the book by Esme something-or-other about getting kids to love reading, or even the Core Knowledge book of books for kids. Oh, and when we listen to Black47, my kids love to shout out the lyrics, "Is this what I've been educated for, to wipe the a-r-s-e of every baby in America????" :D Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 So cursing in books wouldn't be a huge deal for us, but I feel the OP's pain because I feel like I have a hard time finding books for my kids that don't use potty humor and have kiids being mean to each other. I second the suggestion of Common Sense Media. I would also suggest checking out a book called Honey for a Child's Heart (or something along that lines) ... or other such as The Read-Aloud Handbook, the book by Esme something-or-other about getting kids to love reading, or even the Core Knowledge book of books for kids. Tara Potty humor gets me more worked up than an occasional mild curse word. Honey for a Child's Heart is by Gladys Hunt. Books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson is another good. Also check out Ambleside Online's reading list - although some of those older ones might have an occasional '*ss' in them. Lots and lots of excellent literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Avi is a repeat offender. My fourth grader informed me The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle had the D- word and the H- word multiple times (how did I miss them? I preread!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Avi is a repeat offender. My fourth grader informed me The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle had the D- word and the H- word multiple times (how did I miss them? I preread!) I loved that book when I was a kid!! I was just thinking about getting it the other day for my 8yo. Cursing does not really offend us, though. I just remember it being an exciting story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We recently read Roller Skates, a Newberry winner from 1937. Usually, the older books are "safer" for that kind of thing. The book had cursing, a 10yo finding an adult friend murdered and her toddler friend dying of an illness at the end. I saved this one for High School! Definitely too much for the pre-teens, I think. One book I can remember with bad language was The Great Gilly Hopkins. It is a powerful book so I gave it my girls when they were 12-13 or so and we talked about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Maybe it's just me, but I'd probably let cursing go with books for older kids. The truth is, a lot of people talk that way, and censoring for language can make you miss out on some fantastic literature. So for kids who are old enough to know perfectly well that the words aren't appropriate to say...meh. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixpence1978 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I was rereading Bridge to Terabithia, one of my favorites from childhood, a couple months ago. I never noticed this as a kid, but now that I am a "grown up", it stuck out to me. Jesse was complaining that one of his sisters was "b!***ing" about something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Wow, Roller Skates? I loved that book when I was 10 or 11. I think sometimes we forget that children are not reading books with adult eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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