How the world changes.
I remembered the other day of my childhood favorite book.
I went to read my 4yo step daughter a bed time story tonight and knew, as all of mine and my boys books were in her room this particular book would be in there so found it.
On reflection I should have read it myself first!!!!
It was from the 'well loved tales' by Ladybird books.
This is from one of the pages, I am sure some of you will remember it :-
The old women and her pig ....
As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk....
the cat began to kill the Rat
The Rat began to knaw the rope
The Rope began to beat the butcher
the butcher began to kill the cow
the cow began to drink the water
the water began to quench the fire
the fire began to burn the stick
the stick began to beat the dog
the dog began to bite the pig
the pig jumped over the stile
and the old women DID get home that night!

As you can see, political correctness went Out the window sooooooo soon into the book, and I found myself having to say to her that they were only pretending :o :o :o :o
and that was a book that I read in the early 80's!!!!
Oooooopppppsssss
Lea :) :)

The Old Woman and her Pig ?, i had that book too and i can't remember it ever worrying me, funny what you'll just accept when your wee.

Grimms fairytales were notoriously grisly and had to be toned down quite a bit ( don't know if your one was a Grimm ), I read one the other day where a talking horse got it's head chopped off and the head kept on talking !.

I loved The Magic Porridge Pot and the Billy Goats Gruff, what was the other one with a family of goats and a wolf ?, the wolf ate all the kids and the mum cut him open and replaced the kids with rocks and the wolf fell down a well, I think that was my favourite, no wonder I love horror films now lol.

Yes, the old women and her pig. I dont think it was a Grimm, it doesnt say!!
God yes I remember the wolf and rocks, but I dont have that one now, What WAS that called?????
I have the billy goats gruff in her book shelf. And the magic porridge pot was my brothers, it kept making porridge and filled everywhere!!!
I HATE horror films LMAO
(and even 10 years ago I wouldnt have thought twice about reading it to my kids, I suppose its because it is someone elses child that doesnt live with me all the time that I cant!!)
Lea :) :)

head kept talking was the goose girl!!!!!!
Lea :)

Thats it !

I just had a look on the Ladybird book site and it was the Wolf and the Seven Kids, I was so taken with that book I used to make my Mum put her hand through the letter box before i'd answer the door lol. Now a days she'd have the social work round for leaving me on my own !.

looking at the list I seem to have had all of them apart from the girly ones, only one I had like that was The Princess and the Pea, which didn't involve too much handsome prince guff, but then I didn't even like dolls when i was wee, I only had a tressy doll and I cut all her hair off lol.

Thats the one, the wolf and the seven kids. :) :) :) I swear it was read to me at school, oh and look at our generation, there wasnt all of the stuff there is now!!!!! Although, by the stories we read I think we were to terrified yo put a foot wrong otherwise we would be eaten by a wolf or head chopped off!!!!!!
Off to look at the sight.
Lea :)

Whats the sight ?
Lea :)

I suppose its because it is someone elses child that doesnt live with me all the time that I cant!!)

Know what you mean, I got a row from my friend when I told her daughter the " Mary I'm On The First Step " story and she had nightmares....oopps.

It's http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/index.php

Just talking to a friend tonight about how nursery rhymes and fairy tales can be pretty violent. Can't remember being scared by them but do remember being petrified of policemen because of Mr Plod in the Noddy books by Enid Blyton

I remember being a bit scared of Billy Goat Gruff and stick with Janet and John.

I work in a Primary School and the children like the Famous Five Stories, however when we read them out to them and because we have quite an old copy of the book we have to change the names of two of the characters....Aunty Fanny and Dick, they become Aunty Fiona and Richard.

In some of the more recent reprints, she is now called Aunt Franny lol

Sometimes in a nursery setting reading nursery stories/poems like that to young children are avoided as children arent able to 'suspend belief' until quite a bit older than you think.  Children of even 5+ sometimes say that things like dragons are in dragon world or whatever. What they dont get is that other worlds don't actually exist. They can't distinguish between the fantasy that is based on human form and reality. So wizards, witches, fantasy princesses etc are very real, So if you read that poem to children that were very young they would actually believe you totally. Its quite interesting questioning little children about whether a story is true or not, some of the ideas that come out are quite amazing.

Sorry for the psychology speak lol but Fairy Tales and the reaction of modern children is really interesting. The Grimms Brothers originally wrote their tales for adults and not children and can have a lot of hidden meaning probably due to what was going on at the time.