A few posts ago, I wrote about paraphrasing and skimming some of the books I read to my kids at the end of the day when I'm too tired. I feel a little guilty taking license with someone else's work, but sometimes I have no energy left. Last night I reached a new low - my daughter is hooked on this book that I find somewhat hard to stomach: The Pretty Pink Purse Counting Book (I'm not linking to this book, because I don't recommend that you buy it). Yes, it's a counting book and yes, anyone who knows me knows I do love the color pink, but I do have issues with the "pretty, fairy princess" culture geared towards toddler and preschool-aged girls. Peggy Orenstein wrote about this topic very well in her book: Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture. She discusses how this seemingly innocent "phase" many girls go through can actually lead to unhealthy obsessions, body issues, and early sexualization. Yes, this all needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but it's hard to ignore the fact that this industry has grown enormously in the last twenty or so years. So back to the Pink Purse book - my daughter picked this out with her grandparents and will not let go of it (it's actually shaped like a purse, so she carries it around with her). What bothers me is the unnecessary adjectives: "How many pretty dresses are on this page?" and "Which pretty pink......" So when I'm reading, I'll omit a few words here and there, possibly edit a superfluous page. I figure she'll outgrow the book by the time she can read, right?
I imagine there are detractors out there. Some people are not as offended by this content and I respect that. A teacher-friend recently admitted she keeps the flimsy Disney books, more like magazines than picure books, in the bathroom. She shared with me that her husband calls these books "US Weekly for kids." I loved that. It's true. There do seem to be certain books and toys that I wouldn't want to have on display, but know my children enjoy playing with. These days plastic toys are all but frowned upon, but I can't ignore the fact that my baby is drawn to those bright primary colored-toys.
Last night I tried to hide The Pretty Pink Purse Counting Book to see what she'd go for, and it worked. Instead, she chose this collection off of the shelf that I'd forgotten we even owned. Someone gave it to her for her first birthday (sorry, I forget who at this point)...and I'd stowed it away in fear that she'd tear the pages - the pages are actually gold-lined. Anyway, it's called: Sleepytime Tales . You'll recognize most of these stories - it's a collection of the Little Golden Books a lot of us had as children. There are familiar ones like "Three Little Bears" (which I will discuss further in a later post) and then some you may not remember: "Baby Dear:" (with some really nice retro-illustrations, bordering on Mad Men-esque costumes and imagery), "I Can Fly", and "Good Night Little Bear." There are about ten or so more, but these are the ones my daughter is drawn to. I had forgotten that it's nice to sit down with a collection of shorter works. Your children can "choose" which ones they'd like to read on any given night, and I also like looking at the Table of Contents together and talking about what that means...it's probably too early for any of that, but sometimes we do things to keep ourselves amused, right? We'll tackle the Index next month. It has to be better than the pink counting book...
What we're reading: To the baby, I am trying Rockabye Farm.
Why: I can't take any more Peekaboo or Touch and Feel Farm...it's time to grow up, baby. Just kidding (but not really):)
What I'm looking for: More recommendations for story collections
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