Winnie The Pooh Books -- gripe!

MommyToAshley wrote: Does anyone read Winnie The Pooh books to their children? We have the Disney Classic collection of Winnie The Pooh and Ashley loves the books. Each book has about 4-6 short stories, and they are the perfect length for bedtime and keep her attention. Like most of her other books, she can almost recite the stories herself. But, I have a gripe. The stories always start out with:

"Winnie the Pooh is a bear of little brain, but he has a big loving heart...."
Or
"Winnnie the Pooh is not very smart, but one thing he knows...."

That just bugs me and I don't read that part of the story. I will skip the "not very smart" part and just say, "Pooh had a big loving heart". Why would they put such a thing in a children's book? Does it bother you or am I just being silly?

Josie83 replied: I don't think you're being silly but to be honest I think its just a "sign of the times" as my mother in law would say! Its like Enid Blyton books have terms and comments in them that are down right racist! Its just how they were when they were written. I wouldn't read too much into it! xx

MomToMany replied: I KWYM, and I just skip those parts. There were other books like that, but I don't remember which ones. It bothers me, too. You're not silly .

Kirstenmumof3 replied: We have a few Winnie the Pooh books from Grolier, but they don't start like that. They are actually pretty good. I know if you watch the movie that's how the movie describes Winnie the Pooh. I agree though that it shouldn't be in a children's book.

KatieLeigh79 replied: I have a ton of Pooh stuff, and never realized it... I read to JR 3-4 times a day and feel really stupid to know I guess I wasn't paying that much attention to the story to notice it...

maestra replied:
I think you're right. In the newer versions, they would cut out those terms, but if they were publishing the original text, those terms would be there. Just cut them out when you read it.

Anyone watch Tom & Jerry lately (like on Boomerang)? They have changed the black woman's voice to make it not sound stereotypical (like it was) and they don't have her using the same types of phrases she used to use. My mom never liked for us to watch that cartoon because of the stereotypical way they portrayed african american people.

ediep replied: I don't think you are being silly at all. I wouldn't read those phrases either (if I had those books)

coasterqueen replied: I must have the new version books because I don't recall noticing words like that but if I did I wouldn't read them either.

DansMom replied: Yeah, the classics can be a little troubling, and not like we remember them.

I bought a couple of classic story books that I remember really liking myself as a child, for our trip to Maine, so we would have something new to do/read on long car rides and such. One of those books was "A fly went by". Well. Midway into the story (a bunch of animals are chasing each other), a cow (with her calf) tells the little boy protagonist that the animal chasing her wants to kill her baby... !!! I stopped reading before I said those words, fortunately, and my jaw dropped. Two pages later (I'm no longer reading, just looking to see what happens next), there's a guy running with a rifle to shoot one of the animals. I still can't believe I enjoyed this book as a child---I regret not reading it through in the store when I bought it!

My2Beauties replied: Wow, I never really paid any attention to that, but I always remember in the movies as a little kid they always said how he was "well a little on the dumb side!" I guess I didn't read that much into it but I wouldn't read those parts neither.

kimberley replied: ugh there are quite a few books like that. especially fairy tales. i eventually just got rid of the ones i didn't approve of because they learn to read sooner than you think and knew i was skipping parts. i just bought new books and phased the others out the door.

MomToMany replied: If you really think about it, do you realize how many fairy tales and "children's" stories have so much violence in them, especially murder and mother/father dying?


It's so awful that these "lessons" are being taught at such young ages.