and getting smacked in the face with a gratuitous racial/ethnic slur.
Kid's book, public domain, naturally.
This right here is the reason that I almost never recommend books older than myself to people for their kids, and seriously de-emphasized "classic children's literature" with the nieces when they were young. Contemporary kidlit might still be problematic, sometimes very much so, but the author and publisher have usually considered that some of their readers might be put off by being blatantly told that people in whatever group all have whatever bad trait, or seeing certain words bandied about.
Of course, very nearly everybody else who recommends books for kids - including too many teachers and librarians - has a bad tendency to reach into their own childhood memories, and they get really defensive if you say that their cherished favorites just aren't all that. Published booklists are slowly getting better on this front, but personal recommendations really aren't. You'd think children's librarians, at least, would be better about this, but too often I've seen that they really aren't.
Kid's book, public domain, naturally.
This right here is the reason that I almost never recommend books older than myself to people for their kids, and seriously de-emphasized "classic children's literature" with the nieces when they were young. Contemporary kidlit might still be problematic, sometimes very much so, but the author and publisher have usually considered that some of their readers might be put off by being blatantly told that people in whatever group all have whatever bad trait, or seeing certain words bandied about.
Of course, very nearly everybody else who recommends books for kids - including too many teachers and librarians - has a bad tendency to reach into their own childhood memories, and they get really defensive if you say that their cherished favorites just aren't all that. Published booklists are slowly getting better on this front, but personal recommendations really aren't. You'd think children's librarians, at least, would be better about this, but too often I've seen that they really aren't.
no subject
Date: 2019-02-07 07:04 pm (UTC)m talking about when they were young - and "understanding that they don't use words like that" isn't the issue
Exactly! That was my point, that it should be when they're old enough to realize those things were a product of their time.
Sorry, I was agreeing with you but in a roundabout way. :)