Friday, November 15, 2013

the moral ambiguity of children’s books


Thanks to a few baby showers and an array of generous relatives, Clay already has a library to rival that of any university in volume. His books range from the classics (Goodnight Moon, Pat the Bunny) to the somewhat bizarre (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, We’re Going On a Bear Hunt), and most relay a lesson of some sort for their small readers (a vast majority pertain to going to sleep – hint, hint Clay).

But others throw conventional wisdom completely out the door. Such as If You Give a Moose a Muffin, the companion tale to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie story and an absolutely horrible book. The gist of the story, about a boy who fulfills a moose’s increasingly challenging and ridiculous demands (a muffin is just the beginning), is that if you a moose something you’re going to have to also give him something else after. The moose is a complete tyrant and the boy doesn’t seem to know how to say no. I’m pretty sure my wife picked out this book.

-Scott

Note From Eleanor: Maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on a book about a talking moose.

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