Essays and Articles on Blue Blankie

You may have noticed a new "Read Articles" link on the homepage. We have posted a few original articles by parents for your enjoyment, reflecting on their experiences with parenthood.

Here's an excerpt from My Various Complaints About the Quality of Children's Literature by Michael Sharek:

Parents of toddlers are used to the drill: bedtime means reading the same books, over and over...one wishes that the quality of these books was a little higher.
Every night I (or my spouse) read to our 3 year old daughter as part of the bedtime routine. Frequently we find ourselves reading the same repetitive, inane stories over and over until our brains feel like they are turning to mush. Below find my critique of several series that we have been forced to read.

Series Name: The Berenstain Bears
Number of Times Read In Our House: Approx. 5,000
The great thing about Berenstain Bears books is every page has 7 or 8 paragraphs of description, which flows really smoothly when you're reading it aloud to a toddler for the fifth time. Hey, Stan and Jan Berenstain, a little tip: try having your characters do something or say something. If you ever have to read one of your books out loud, you'll thank me for it.Another tip: the use of "had had" should be avoided. ("Mother Bear had had enough of the Brother's and Sister's behaviour.") If you find yourself using this phrase "had had" you should rewrite your sentence. If you find "had had" in your book on the bookshelf, you should hire a new editor.

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