And let me assure you - there are lots of opinions about that. Some people seem to think that unless it was written at least fifty years ago there's no value in reading it to a child. Some people think that mass produced cartoon comics based on television characters are totally fine. And there's everyone in between.
This is my first real experience with an aspect of homeschooling I am certain I will come across a lot over the years - people with widely differing opinions on what makes a 'good education'. Right now we're approaching it cautiously. The majority of our book list for the next few months is taken right from the pages of the classics-minded. And then every once in a while, like this week, for instance, I'm throwing in a book I like just because I like it and I want to.
I don't know what it will look like by the end of the school year. Maybe I'll have ignored the advice of my betters and started reading Captain Underpants. I doubt this will happen, but we likely also won't stick to reading off a booklist either.
I think of twaddle as the book that when I see my kid pulling it off the shelf at the library it makes me groan because it's so flat and lifeless and poorly written that I can't stand the idea of being forced to read it even once, much less over and over again. It's the difference between the Winnie the Pooh stories written by A.A. Milne, which are witty and funny and have a very sophisticated vocabulary, versus the books published by Disney which feel thin and flat and have boring sentences and dumbed down vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my approach is to limit twaddle, not to banish it altogether. It's like popcorn or cotton candy, fine in moderation, but not good for a steady diet. I'll (sometimes) even let my kids check out stuff that I think is twaddle and when it gets too annoying I'll hide the book. Or even better, with the slightly older ones (not with toddlers) explain why dislike the book they've chosen: that I think the writing is poorer and the pictures duller. With Bella I've seen that books she used to like she's now much less enchanted with, she even echoes some of my critiques. So while I dislike Curious George and the Berenstein Bears, I'll let them come home sometimes, depending on whether I can redirect the child who chose them or I just don't feel like dealing with a battle. But I do tend to hate the Barbie, My Little Pony, Lego, type books which feel like very very thin commercials with absolutely no redeeming story or characterization. I try very hard to weed those out discreetly. And I think it's perfectly fine to tell the kids, "Mommy doesn't really like reading this book, let's leave it here." I might read it once at the library to satisfy their desire to hear it, but let it stay there because ugh.
I agree that it's foolish to limit your book choices to old books when there are so many excellent new books out there as well. I love reading Melissa Wiley's blog because she gushes as much about good books published this year as about old classics she's sharing with her kids. But other people's lists are other people's lists. There are some homeschooling moms who I've found just have very different tastes in books than I do and I have learned that I'm not always going to agree with their selections. Other people I've learned over time that almost everything they pick is a gem. And sometimes it's hit or miss.