This book I'm reading the kids at bedtime ("Two Old Women" featured at right) is requiring a lot of editing on the fly. For the most part the story is fine- just a lot of rabbit snaring, structure building, berry gathering, moose shooting, struggling with the wilderness kind of stuff- all good- but two nights ago I had to edit my way through a two page discussion about cannibalising old people. There have been a couple of other "interesting" parts, but this was the longest and most disturbing which I found necessary to sidestep. I don't think my editing lent any improvement to the flow and meter of the story, but the innocence of their little minds was preserved. That's the most important thing, of course. I'm committed to finishing the book as a bedtime feature, and although I think it is a very interesting read, I really can't endorse it as a children's book. In all fairness though, I don't think that is how Velma Wallis envisioned it. So, my bad.
I do recommend it to all of you adult readers though. Mom, would you like me to send it along to you once we're done with it? I would need it back though eventually as it was a gift to Sarah.
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3 comments:
Don't send it. . .I will read it sometime when I am at your house! But thanks for the offer.
Do you remember Dad reading us an autobiography about some European where a few short chapters in he had to abandon the project? I remember that there was some awkward discussion of a tennis player who was "queer."
I've had more than a few book selections that betrayed the risk I took on them with inappopriate content, but nothing so morbid as cannibalism!
And on the theme of Alaska and inappropriate for young children, how about "The Owl Called My Name?"
...or "Going Rogue."
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