Little House series and preschoolers

[Love_Is_Patient]

I've seen this series mentioned here and I think I recommended the first book myself, and now I want to say that I regret listening to these books with my preschooler (age 4).

Little House in the Big Woods doesn't have too much that's objectionable, but there is a racial slur in at least one song--I wish we hadn't been listening to the audiobook, because if I'd been reading aloud I would have skipped it. Also, the chapter called 'Sundays' describes a rather legalistic style of Sabbath-keeping (not to mention including a corporal punishment scene) and I would have preferred to skip that chapter rather than deal with those questions with my 4-yr-old. (There's also the scene where Laura slaps Mary, which my 4-yr-old choose to reenact with his baby sister :doh )

My big objection, though, is to Little House on the Prairie--almost the whole book is tinged with the real fear the settlers at the time felt of Indians. The phrase 'the only Indian is a dead Indian' occurs three times. I think this book would be a good basis for discussing issues like why there was so much tension and fear between the settlers and the Indians, how lack of cultural understanding contributed to it, etc., with an older child. BUT it's not something that a 4-yr-old is prepared to reason about and therefore I REALLY wish that I hadn't exposed him to it (again, we were listening to the audiobook).

We won't be pulling this series out again until my kids are at least 8 or 9 and old enough to discuss these issues. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents out there, since this series is sometimes tossed out as a potentially safe one for younger kids.

[MaiMama]

Thanks for that info! Sorry your experience wasn't the best. I was wondering if it was really okay. I think we'll wait a while, too.

[Iveyrock]

we've been reading the first book to DS (4), and there are some things that I left out or glossed over. And I had just re-read the series myself; and I would agree about the second book. At the very least, I would skim it first and edit some of the parts, for a younger kid. I will say that as I'm rereading them as an adult, I have a completely different reaction. My memory of the books as a kids doesn't include an impression of the Native Americans being dangerous, or the racist stuff at all. As an adult, I am catching a lot more. Also, as and adult I read their situations totally differently. Growing up, it was a fun story of growing up; now I'm reading all the things the family went through, and I can't imagine being a parent in those situations.

[jenn3514]

For my preschooler we are using the younger versions of the books. They are smaller chapter books that take a few chapters out of the longer one. We hold off on the regular series also.

[Leslie]

I started reading Miranda the first book - but I decided to wait. The chapters are long, and I think she'll get more out of it later. Instead, we read the Little Pear series (Lattimore) about a sweet-but-mischievous little Chinese boy. And we're going to read some Thornton Burgess books, like Chatterer the Red Squirrel.

[mamaKristin]

We've read a couple of chapters here, but I've had to edit on the fly. We live in a town where over half the population has Native ancestry, so we need to be sensitive.

[Blueberrybabies]

Thanks for the warning, as I was pondering reading to my 4 yo too. I agree with Iveyrock that none of those things really made their way into my childhood impression--I *think* they were read to me starting around 8, but not sure. :hug2

[katiekind]

My youngest child was very upset by the book where Mary goes blind. In fact we had to stop reading it. Also he was very hungry throughout the Farmer Boy book. So many lavish descriptions of the big farm-style meals...it was funny how we'd start to read and then I'd have to get up and get him a snack!

[Bonnie]

We're reading the first one, but yes, I'm definitely editing on the fly. I flat out skipped the "Sundays" chapter. Good advice about not using the books on tape. :yes2 I hadn't thought about that, not being able to self-censor.

[Rbonmom]

My sister is reading farmer boy to her boys 5 and 7yr and one night when ds (4) spent the night he heard part of it. He was telling me about how one boy was going to get switches in his stocking because he was "making bad choices" :sick At first I was annoyed that he was exposed to that, but then I started questioning him about what switches were and he said "I don't know, I think they are what you use to turn the lights off and on" :P~ :phew But yeah, from that I don't think ds is old enough because trying to explain some of those concepts to him, when he's in such a black and white phase would be tough on him.

[Barefoot Bookworm]

Thanks for the warning. I haven't read the series since I was a child myself so I didn't remember all of the details in the stories.

[pastelsummer]

my mom found at a thrift shop some little readers that are paperback that are just little senes from the books and the ones I read to DD were fine and geared more towards an actual preshooler i can find out from mom if you really want to have some of the series for a preschooler. I personally think that the series is set for school aged kids and wpon't read the actual books to my dd but these little ones that mom has are just perfect for a child. Also these ones are not chapter books they are just little stories out of the big ones.

[Iveyrock]

just to clarify, I don't think we're going to keep reading the series. Although Ian dearly wants to read the other color books (he calls Little House in the Big Woods the green book). There's too much sensitive stuff, and Ian is a sensitive kiddo. I might look into the kids' versions :think. He's getting a new Tiptoes book for Easter, I'm hoping that'll be a suitable replacement.

[amanda1]

I think its a personal choice for your family, but in defense of the books my 5 yo dd is LOVING them. We started with the first and are now on "The Banks of Plum Creek". We read a chapter or two each night before bed. Maybe a 4 yo would not grasp this, but my 5 yo understands when we talk about how things were in those days. We talk about how "Ma" feared and didn't understand the Native Americans and that is why she spoke about them that way. We discuss how even though she is a Christian, that is not a good attitude to have and how fear made her feel that way. We talk about Sundays--how children were expected to behave in those days on the Sabbath. We talk about how children were spanked in those days because the adults believed that was the right way to disipline them.

I can see why some people may not want to read them to younger children (especially because there are not a lot of pictures in the books), but I wanted to defend the series and mention what a wealth of information about how they lived in those times is contained in these books. I think they are a very valuable resource for children of an appropriate age.

[CrunchySeaSalt]

I have to agree with Amanda1

However my girls and I stated reading them when we were about 8+ ( I have read and re-read the whole series numerous times)
They never got any racism, and they *got* the point that punisment is related to the time it was set in.

We have since bought all the books that have been about the grand/great grand /greatgreat grandmothers...the history is awesome :) and the books ARE more gentle on smaller ears for the most part. The children feared disappointing/worrying their parents, a natural response...not fear of a smacking ;)

[blossomnatalia]

I just finished little house in the big woods. I read it mostly to my "almost 6 yr old" and my "almost 4 yr old" got to listen to parts of it when she was interested. I was really torn about it. My 6 yr old LOVED it. It was very cool to read about the way they lived back then and was very educational.
I was torn on the other hand because of the spanking and the "sundays" chapter and what not ... I did censor some things when I saw them coming but It left me all :/ ...
I don't think it affected her any really, but I just don't know if I need to keep with the series. I never read them so am very curious as to the content of the other books. I was surprised that whole chapters of how to kill an animal and description on how to store the meat kept her interest up. :eyebrow I was blown away that she was actually interested in the books and characters when there was not that much character development but more informative narration...


Anyway, I will keep :popcorn this thread for insights on the other books...

[teamommy]

I have to say that I agree with Amanda. Personally I read the books when I was 6-9 or so and loved them, read them again and again, and I was quite surprised as an adult to read the Native American references. I used to be more sheltering with the literature and while there is plenty I am saving for when they are older and plenty of things I read them that as an adult make me cringe a little, I have decided these books are ones to read with the perspective of how things were in the past, and the different attitudes that existed.

[newday]

I have been reading these to my girls who are almost 8 and 6 1/2 years. I wouldn't have read them to them at 4 or 5 though, they wouldn't have been ready for them. We have taken the issues as they have come up and a couple of "scenes" we I have skipped. We only have done the audio books after reading the book together first. I don't think I have ever given them an audiobook without first reading the book myself or with them.

I loved telling them about the olden days "Sabbath" experience, and even the "switching" gave us good material for discussion. It has been a really great way to bring up difficult subjects naturally.

One of the most recent "skipped" bits was from Farmer Boy and it was a bit about robbers tying up a family and beating a dad within an inch of his life (that's a near quote...). Not an idea my girls need put into their heads!! Lots of things happen in real life that we don't need to spend time on. :shrug3

[Grover]

I read these to my girls when they were 8 and 11[we carry on reading aloud to our kids long after they can read alone] I saw these on a reading list somewhere and tried with my 5 year old son last year.We stopped when I found I was needing to edit large amounts.My son is very sensitive and I dont think he could handle the whole passeges[or was it chapters] on how they were killing and preparing the meat for winter.I think we will read them next year or so when he is old enough to have a better grasp of the realities of hunting for ones own food and the historical context that this was written

[amanda1]

I guess my dd is less sheltered in some ways. To tye in with the racism in the books, we were recently to a lecture on the Underground Railroad, so she can make the connection about how the indians were treated to how the slaves were treated and perceived. Also, dh is a hunter and dd has watched him butcher deer. Just as I as a child watched my father butcher meat for the family. Also, my grandmother had the same attitude about Sundays as they did in those books. We had to sit quietly when we visited her on the Sabbath. So, I can see why some may fear exposing their children to some of these things, but for our family we haven't found anything in those books that I felt would harm our children mentally in any way. I'm glad to hear those of you who do not want to expose their children to some of these things are stil reading them, but simply skipping parts. I think they are a very valuable resource in learning the history of our country.