Thank you, kind librarian, for introducing my child to....

[kdownie]

the Rainbow Magic Fairies! ugh... I'd been trying to avoid those!

[ProudGrandma]

I hate it when the libraian does this...I have had that happen to me before too...UGH!!!!!

[Dandelion]

I'm sorry. Don't know anything about the Rainbow Magic Fairies, but I've had this happen before too. They mean well, but it's frustrating. :glare:

[NotSoObvious]

Sometimes I overhear recommendations from the children's worker in B&N and I want to shout, "Noooooooo!!"

[LibraryLover]

:) lol My oldest was led to a series about kids on a school bus.

 

I don't recall the series, but he's 24 now, and quite sophisticated and thoughtful, and in a very intense graduate program.

 

Really. I promise. He still has a brain. :)

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, often I want to scream in the library or at the bookstore over the garbage that is being so enthusiastically pushed. Why aren't they recommending good old EB White?

[LibraryLover]

Yes, often I want to scream in the library or at the bookstore over the garbage that is being so enthusiastically pushed. Why aren't they recommending good old EB White?

 

 

 

Our librarian is very good at finding classics for our family. (Although I don't need that much help.) There are so many books, and librarians have to connect with their patrons.

 

We've gotten some dumb stuff (Zack Files, and that school bus thing), but also some really excellent recommendations. The more our child librarian got to know us, the more her recommendations worked for our family.

 

Of course, all of my kids have read a lot of 'junk'. I honestly do not mind!

 

One can never know what silly book will get a child interested in a certain subject, and lead her to better lit.

[kdownie]

She is so very sweet and helpful, and I know she was trying, because she commented that lots of kids enjoy the books. She dd has recently started reading more chapter books, so I was asking a lot of questions.

 

Thank you to those who commented that their children read silly books as kids and have turned out great! :-)

[Arcadia]

My boys have atypical taste in books and have told the librarians nicely that they are not interested in what was suggested. They do read Lego chapter books though but finds Geromino Stilton boring.

[LucyStoner]

that is annoying. Still, I read a lot of twaddle as a child.

 

I still read the classics and quality new fiction.

 

I still graduated from college. It will be OK.

[musicianmom]

My dd went through that stage for a couple of months. She got bored with them very quickly. If you're exposing your child to good literature, she'll probably lose interest soon also.

[LibraryLover]

Thank you to those who commented that their children read silly books as kids and have turned out great! :-)

 

 

I've looked, and I don't find any research suggesting that young readers who dip into lesser tomes are at all at an educational disadvantage.

 

My belief is that the detriment of 'twaddle reading' is merely a 'hunch', and not at all a given.

[sparrow]

If my dd had to give up her fluff books, then I would have to give up mine. That isn't happening ;).

[LaxMom]

I don't think my 12 year old is doomed because she read Rainbow Fairy books when she was 5. I just think they're awful on the own merits: insipid, 4.3 seconds of reading, and there are a BAZILLION of them.

 

I baited her out of those with Spiderwick and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

 

She's an avid reader and doesn't read complete drivel, but we were up to our necks in those $@&! fairy books for about a year. :ack2:

[chicagoshannon]

My daughter loves those. They are truly awful! She suckered me into reading a couple of them TO her. I told her that she could read them but I would not read anymore of them to her.

[stripe]

My mom got my daughter one. She still reads Lang's Fairy Books on her own. I never even bothered to read it, but she still is reading other books so I don't think any crisis has occured.

 

I read the Babysitters' Club and other silly stuff myself.

[PachiSusan]

I'm so happy my daughter wants to read something!!! It can't hurt for her to be practicing the skill - regardless of if it's a classic or brain candy.

[elizabeth]

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books are excellent. She will fall in love with them. Buy through Dover Press. Here

http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-fairy-tales-classic-fairy-tales-and-andrew-lang.html .

[dangermom]

Oh, those are terrible, aren't they? So fluffy and silly! :) My daughter loved them. She is not quite 10 and is now reading all kinds of stuff, so don't despair, she'll be fine.

 

Now I'm going to give you my Theory About Twaddle--specifically about easy chapter books. Easy chapter books, even very fluffy ones, are a boon to children and to you! You may have heard SWB talk about how tiny children love repetition--they want to hear the same story over and over, because they are learning pattern. Well, IMO easy chapter books are the next step up. They are great for allowing children to practice reading skills (which takes a lot of work!) without also having to worry too much about the story. It's repetition with variation--it has adventure, but the kid knows that it's safe. Jack and Annie are always going to make it back to the tree house, and Kirsty and Rachel will always manage to help the fairy and defeat the goblins.

 

I vote for letting your daughter read the twaddle. Her reading and comprehension skills will benefit, and soon enough she'll be reading Treasure Island with glee. Easy chapter books will help her to do so.

[sparrow]

Oh, those are terrible, aren't they? So fluffy and silly! :) My daughter loved them. She is not quite 10 and is now reading all kinds of stuff, so don't despair, she'll be fine.

 

Now I'm going to give you my Theory About Twaddle--specifically about easy chapter books. Easy chapter books, even very fluffy ones, are a boon to children and to you! You may have heard SWB talk about how tiny children love repetition--they want to hear the same story over and over, because they are learning pattern. Well, IMO easy chapter books are the next step up. They are great for allowing children to practice reading skills (which takes a lot of work!) without also having to worry too much about the story. It's repetition with variation--it has adventure, but the kid knows that it's safe. Jack and Annie are always going to make it back to the tree house, and Kirsty and Rachel will always manage to help the fairy and defeat the goblins.

 

I vote for letting your daughter read the twaddle. Her reading and comprehension skills will benefit, and soon enough she'll be reading Treasure Island with glee. Easy chapter books will help her to do so.

 

I big, puffy heart LOVE this post!

[PachiSusan]

Oh, those are terrible, aren't they? So fluffy and silly! :) My daughter loved them. She is not quite 10 and is now reading all kinds of stuff, so don't despair, she'll be fine.

 

Now I'm going to give you my Theory About Twaddle--specifically about easy chapter books. Easy chapter books, even very fluffy ones, are a boon to children and to you! You may have heard SWB talk about how tiny children love repetition--they want to hear the same story over and over, because they are learning pattern. Well, IMO easy chapter books are the next step up. They are great for allowing children to practice reading skills (which takes a lot of work!) without also having to worry too much about the story. It's repetition with variation--it has adventure, but the kid knows that it's safe. Jack and Annie are always going to make it back to the tree house, and Kirsty and Rachel will always manage to help the fairy and defeat the goblins.

 

I vote for letting your daughter read the twaddle. Her reading and comprehension skills will benefit, and soon enough she'll be reading Treasure Island with glee. Easy chapter books will help her to do so.

 

I wish I could 40 million like this!!!

[Julie Smith]

My mom got my daughter one. She still reads Lang's Fairy Books on her own. I never even bothered to read it, but she still is reading other books so I don't think any crisis has occured.

 

I read the Babysitters' Club and other silly stuff myself.

 

Babysitters Club was not silly! (So says the woman who even made a special shelf to hold her 50+ Babysitter club books) :laugh:

 

Oh, those are terrible, aren't they? So fluffy and silly! :) My daughter loved them. She is not quite 10 and is now reading all kinds of stuff, so don't despair, she'll be fine.

 

Now I'm going to give you my Theory About Twaddle--specifically about easy chapter books. Easy chapter books, even very fluffy ones, are a boon to children and to you! You may have heard SWB talk about how tiny children love repetition--they want to hear the same story over and over, because they are learning pattern. Well, IMO easy chapter books are the next step up. They are great for allowing children to practice reading skills (which takes a lot of work!) without also having to worry too much about the story. It's repetition with variation--it has adventure, but the kid knows that it's safe. Jack and Annie are always going to make it back to the tree house, and Kirsty and Rachel will always manage to help the fairy and defeat the goblins.

 

I vote for letting your daughter read the twaddle. Her reading and comprehension skills will benefit, and soon enough she'll be reading Treasure Island with glee. Easy chapter books will help her to do so.

 

I agree series can be great. We are all reading the Droon books in our family. Eldest first reads one. I then read that one out loud. Then Dh reads it out loud. Youngest tired to read the series, but his reading skill is not up to it yet. (We are on ETC 2)

[Joules]

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books are excellent. She will fall in love with them. Buy through Dover Press. Here

http://store.doverpu...ew-lang.html��.

I loved these books when I was a kid. I didn't know they were back in print! Even better, I just checked amazon to see if they were cheaper there and the Kindle versions are FREE! Now, I'm off to see if they are as good as I remember :-)

[bettyandbob]

First of all I read junk. I suppose if I never picked up stuff that at best qualifies as light beach reading then maybe I'd micromanage my dc choices more.

 

I love for my dc to find series they enjoy. Even junk. One of my main goals was to help my dc develop a love of reading and have reading as one of their hobbies. Two of my three are avid readers. I believe my 18 year old reads more and a greater variety than I do. As a preschooler he read Magic Treehouse, Time Warp Trio and Captain Underpants. He also read all kinds of classics. My dd got into reading later, but reads all the time and aspires to be a writer. My youngest has disabilities and is not a reader (yet? Maybe). He certainly likes to listen. We are currently reading Roald Dahl to him, but dd plans to introduce him to Batman and that's ok.

 

My dad micromanaged my reading somewhat. I stopped reading or pleasure altogether. I didn't start reading for pleasure again until I was in my mid twenties. Because I didn't read for pleasure, my reading was slower than my peers. I most likely missed out on vocabulary development, which would explain the large point difference between my verbal and math SAT scores. I did read required "classics", because I was in all advanced academic classes.

 

From my experience, I believe micromanaging "twaddle" has some very impact full negative consequences.

 

I believe the idea of reading for pleasure means it is your choice. My dc found great joy in picking out their books at the library. They had their own card at age 5. I picked out books for assignments, but they found books for fun on their own or with the librarian.

 

 

[stripe]

I think mine liked the two of the rainbow fairy books she read mostly because they have a cute cover.

[Dmmetler]

At least it's at the library, so they're free ;).

 

My DD went through a year, and I mean a solid year, of Magic Tree House. I was so sick of hearing about Jack and Annie....

[Lizzie in Ma]

I don't think my 12 year old is doomed because she read Rainbow Fairy books when she was 5. I just think they're awful on the own merits: insipid, 4.3 seconds of reading, and there are a BAZILLION of them.

 

I baited her out of those with Spiderwick and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

 

She's an avid reader and doesn't read complete drivel, but we were up to our necks in those $@&! fairy books for about a year. :ack2:

 

We adored Spiderwick!

[K&Rs Mom]

I tell my kids flat out that there's "junk food" in books just like in food, and they can add in that stuff the same way they can add in chips & cookies in their diet - sparingly. They're learning the difference between good books, twaddle, and worse, hopefully in a way that they can relate to and continue to use when I'm not there to approve their choices. And if our new children's librarian is around, I tend to say it a little louder, in the hopes she might learn something too and stop getting rid of all the good stuff. ;)

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I do hate it when a librarian doesn't even ask what the child likes before giving recommendations. usually it is a recommendation based on the popular trend.

 

With that said...I am on the assign good reading material and let them pick the simpler books for pleasure reading side though. This way you get both in. Dd will go on binges of certain books. For a while it was all the Ivy and Bean books, then Diary of the Wimpy Kid, lately it was Geronimo Stilton. Just this week dd checked out 4 Geronimo Stilton books, but yesterday she said they could all go back, she has outgrown them. She then hugged one of the books and said "It's a little sad though, me not liking them anymore".

[ElaineJ]

I do think, though, that if kids read too many badly written books it will negatively impact their writing skills. That is where I agree with the junk food analogy.

Elaine

[UnsinkableKristen]

I've just put a load of books on reserve from this thread :). My DD loves the rainbow fairies books, but she can read 2 or 3 of them in a day. It really is pure junk. But, it keeps her reading, and so when she has run out of the ones from the library she moves on to what is in the house. And I try to keep good stuff at home :).

[Butter]

I read every Baby-sitters Club book released until I was 12 or 13, so about the first 100 or so. I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird (and enjoying it even more than I did when I read it at 15) so I don't think it hurt me too much. Don't get me wrong. I still enjoy a twaddly book. Too much seriousness and I go insane.

 

Anyway, about the Rainbow Fairies... I have very positive feelings about them. Melody could read at 4, but was resistant to actually reading when she was 5-6. A librarian recommended the Rainbow Fairies to her and that was all she needed. She'sbeen a voracious reader of all sorts of stuff ever since. Even today she'll mention those books on occasion and comment how they are so predictable but she loved them so much. They really got her started no the road to loving to read.

[dangermom]

I big, puffy heart LOVE this post!

Oh, thanks! :) Between being a librarian and being a homeschooling mom, I've developed some of my own theories about kids and reading, and I've become convinced that twaddle in the form of easy chapter books serves a real purpose. The Rainbow Fairies are pretty awful to an adult--they're the literary equivalent of Pokemon only not as interesting--but IMO good for a little girl who is still practicing reading skills.

 

If you (the general parent) feel that the child isn't getting enough literary fiber from self-chosen reading material, then I think upping the read-alouds and/or pushing audiobooks is the answer for a while. The more rich literary language you can stock a child's mind with by reading aloud, the more prepared she will be to read those books herself when her visual reading skills catch up.

 

I guess it's like how SWB teaches writing skills by separating them out into copywork and narration. Within a short time, the child will be able to integrate those different elements of reading and enjoy reading complex works on her own. (Though at the same time, I think we ought to be reading aloud a lot, until an older age than we usually think necessary. We should be reading aloud to 10 and 11yos as a routine thing IMO, and most people quit long before that.)

[bluemongoose]

My DD loved those books too, and I allowed her the liberty of reading them while I supplied more wholesome stuff. I have to brag on one of our librarians though, she is so awesome! She has an avid reading DD herself, so she understands my DD. She also understands that many of the books are really poorly written and that I do not have time to preread everything for DD. She has a copy of my DD's card number and when she thinks of a good book for her she places it on hold for us. She has asked DD what type/subjects of books she likes, what she doesnt like to read, and what level we are looking for. She doesn't allow the other librarians a chance to tell DD the book is too hard for her (they have tried before) or that she cannot check out as many as she wants (they tried that too). She is so very encouraging and helpful!

 

Maybe your librarian is really a good one who just doesnt know your (and your DD's) preferences. Maybe if you give it time and a little help, she will learn more about your DD and be a positive part of your library experience.

[beezus]

If you (the general parent) feel that the child isn't getting enough literary fiber from self-chosen reading material, then I think upping the read-alouds and/or pushing audiobooks is the answer for a while. The more rich literary language you can stock a child's mind with by reading aloud, the more prepared she will be to read those books herself when her visual reading skills catch up.

 

We should be reading aloud to 10 and 11yos as a routine thing IMO, and most people quit long before that.)

 

 

 

This is pretty much what we did. I continued to read aloud to my daughter until she lost interest after about age 12. She frequently listens to audiobooks or something on Libravox. Fortunately our librarians know us pretty well and usually recommended meatier books. When my daughter was much younger one of her friends was into Goosebumps. I read one aloud to her and told if she wanted to read more she was welcome to read them on her own, but I wasn't wanting to read any more aloud. I don't think I ever saw her picking up another from that series to read on her own. She was into Junie B. Jones for a while, which I didn't care for much because of the main character's bad grammar. I don't think dd has sustained any permanent harm though! She's 15 now and reads a wide array of books. Personally, I'd be fine with seeing her read fewer young adult vampire books, but she reads plenty of what I consider good stuff too, so hopefully she will outgrow that like she did Junie B.

[Julie Smith]

I think twaddle is in the eye of the beholder. Right now we are knee deep in Droon books. He is learning a lot from them. They are challenging to him. The first few were easy reader, but they do become more difficult. He is stretching himself as a reader. For him they are not twaddle. I like how he studies the titles of the chapters. Tries to guess what will happen next. Looks for foreshadowing, wonders what drives the characters, ... To him they are not twaddle.

 

ETA: When I read them out loud it is so nice to see Youngest have his face light up. He will then say, "I just figured something out. I get it, I get it!". Some of these are about easy things for us adults to see coming, so are truly good insights. He even spend time talking about the meaning of the colors.

 

It reminds me of the story of some adults who were ESL students. They had college or university degrees in another language. But they struggled with English books even after schooling in English. So they all go into reading twaddle, "Sweet Valley High" books. Even as sophisticated adults they weren't twaddle to them. At first they would struggle through the books, and they became easier and easier. They needed the predictable things. They needed to not have to work hard on learning characters, settings, ... since they were so busy just working on basic comprehension. They all then moved onto move advanced books. Meanwhile the other group in the study that only worked on non-twaddle books still struggled. They didn't get enough reading practice since it was so hard for them. Because of that they didn't read as much.

 

I think the readers handbook says it nicely the more you read, the better you get at it, the better you get at it the more you read, the more you read....

 

I am having no problem spending so much time on what many consider twaddle. Mind you we still do many other non-twaddle books as read alouds. In a few months I might have him read one book I consider a stretch for him, or just different. But till then we will finish Droon, and then perhaps another series by Tony Abbott, unless we do Droon again.

 

(Mind you I'm the girl who I think had 80 Babysitter Clubs books. After that I leaped into pretty much any fiction book. As for right now, 27 Droon books down, 17 to go.)

[MissKNG]

I have no problem with kids reading twaddle, although I hate that word. If it helps develop a love of reading, what's the big deal? I think I read every GooseBumps book to my son when he was 4 or 5, then every Bunnicula book and all the Animorphs . Once he learned to read he read them again himself. I have a million happy memories of laughing with him about the potato/sponge monster under a sink, and how Harold tried to hit Bunnicula with a steak(instead of a stake!). I think it's natural, and most kids are able to eventually move on to deeper reading without being scarred for life.

 

:iagree: :iagree:

 

I think the whole "twaddle" paranoia is an eye roller. My big girl doesn't like to read so if she read twaddle, I'd be thrilled. In fact, I have tried to entice her with (~gasp~) those rainbow fairy books!

 

I read plenty of twaddles as a child and definitely was not harmed in any way. I am a "twaddle survivor!"" :thumbup:

[freeindeed]

Well...I did read the Twilight series as an adult, and I loved the Sweet Valley High series when I was in middle school...but my favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. So, twaddle doesn't hurt me. I am still able to read & enjoy classics, too. As long as your dc get a steady diet of "good" stuff, I wouldn't worry about a little fluff every now & then. :)

[MissKNG]

 

Maybe I'll add Pro-twaddle to my signature, since I never joined the Pro Cupcake bandwagon...

 

 

Yeah!!

 

I never joined the pro cupcake, pro kilt or pro Gosling movement!!

[VeganCupcake]

It reminds me of the story of some adults who were ESL students. They had college or university degrees in another language. But they struggled with English books even after schooling in English. So they all go into reading twaddle, "Sweet Valley High" books. Even as sophisticated adults they weren't twaddle to them. At first they would struggle through the books, and they became easier and easier. They needed the predictable things. They needed to not have to work hard on learning characters, settings, ... since they were so busy just working on basic comprehension. They all then moved onto move advanced books. Meanwhile the other group in the study that only worked on non-twaddle books still struggled. They didn't get enough reading practice since it was so hard for them. Because of that they didn't read as much.

 

 

Yes, I taught college-level ESL and we really pushed extensive reading of children's and YA literature to help the students develop reading fluency in English, increase their vocabulary, etc. While most of what we used were reasonably high quality (Newberry Honor books, for instance), I would really have been happy if they'd been reading anything in English, the more the better. We required 20 to 25 pages of English reading from a novel per day, 4 days a week, which is a lot if you're reading in a foreign language. And that's very different from reading a two or three pages intensively (which also has value, but it is a different set of skills).

[Element]

I am STILL in the process of undoing the damage done by letting my kids read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. "When I ask you to write two paragraphs, that means two paragraphs, not a cartoon and 2 sentences written in blogostyle with extra exclamation points and phrases like, 'Guess what?'"

 

:glare:

[misty.warden]

I am STILL in the process of undoing the damage done by letting my kids read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. "When I ask you to write two paragraphs, that means two paragraphs, not a cartoon and 2 sentences written in blogostyle with extra exclamation points and phrases like, 'Guess what?'"

 

:glare:

 

This. I found my 3rd grade portfolio, something touted to show your best work at each grade level, and my paper about Minnesota included sentences like "That's all, folks!!"

 

The problem I have with twaddle is that kids tend to gravitate toward what is easy (ask me how I know) and see the better books as "too hard" and don't want to stick with it. It's a pain to have to recover the lost ground later at greater cost, including the suffering of their writing. IF you can get your child to read the good literature as well I wouldn't be opposed, but I'd rather not take the chance.

[PachiSusan]

 

See...I didn't see these as "twaddle" (btw I HATE that word) at all. Dd was reading them as a first grader, and she learned a lot from them. She kept a notebook, and when she would read the stories, she would write facts down. People would be surprised with things she would bring up in conversation from reading those books. :)

 

I completely agree. the Magic Treehouse series was a great way to teach many historical figures and situations. When you add the Research Guide to them they are a GREAT teaching tool. I would not consider them twaddle in the least bit.

 

And I literally CRINGE every time people say "twaddle". I detest the word, and yes, I know Charlotte Mason uses it. I still detest it.

[LibraryLover]

 

My DD went through a year, and I mean a solid year, of Magic Tree House. I was so sick of hearing about Jack and Annie....

 

 

I think MTH books are great for early readers.

 

I simply refused to read them aloud. Strictly for sanity's sake.

[myfatherslily]

Oh gosh, there are, like, 8,000 Rainbow Magic Fairy books. I think DD has read about 5,000. I don't know for sure, but she keeps bringing new ones home. I keep hoping she'll get through all of them soon, but I suspect that the author is churning them out faster than she can read them (and the girl flies through a book in one sitting now, so...).