TOO SCARY?

Today I bring you a Folk Lore post with a bit of a difference.


Cinderella, Snow White, The Ginger Bread Man, Puss-In-Boots ....... as I child I had just about every Fairy Tale book there was and I loved them all though I seem to remember Thumberlina and, The Princess And The Pea being amongst my favourites.


Now I admit that I can't remember just how old I was when I was first read these books but I was certainly only a little girl, the question being was I scared by them?


Hmm. I can't remember them giving me nightmares though I confess that as an adult I'm still not too happy in a darkened room. Oh, and then there's my phobia of my house being blown down by a huffing and puffing wolf OR my grandmother being swallowed whole by one who then pretends to be her albeit it with big eyes, hands and teeth - only joking.


Why then does research show that one in five of today's parents prefer to read more modern stories as opposed to these traditional ones?


Well, it seems there are a variety of reasons but many parents seem to simply believe they are too scary with a third of them claiming their 'little darlings' have been left in tears after being read certain tales.


Then, of course, there are the stories .....

• Of kidnapping and execution
• Condoning stealing 
• Portraying young girls doing housework all day 
• Suggesting young woman cannot be happy until they marry their 'Prince Charming'
• Being eaten

What then are the top ten stories that are thought to be no longer commonly read to children?

1. Hansel and Gretel - Details two kids abandoned in the forest and likely to scare young children
2. Jack and the Beanstalk - Deemed too 'unrealistic'.
3. Gingerbread Man - Would be uncomfortable explaining gingerbread man gets eaten by a fox
4. Little Red Riding Hood - Deemed unsuitable by parents who have to explain a young girl's grandmother has been eaten by a wolf.
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - the term dwarves was found to be inappropriate
6. Cinderella - Story about a young girl doing all the housework was outdated.
7.Rapunzel - Parents were worried about the focus on a young girl being kidnapped.
8.Rumplestiltskin - Wouldn't be happy reading about executions and kidnapping
9.Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Sends the wrong messages about stealing
10.Queen Bee - Inappropriate as the story has a character called Simpleton.

Interesting that I was read all of these as a girl apart from Queen Bee which I'll now have to Google.

Any alternatives then?

Tim Dowling, writing in the Guardian's G2 supplement suggests the following re-tellings .......

• Goldilocks.  Three bears return home to find their house occupied by a squatter called Goldilocks. A full and frank discussion follows, in which the bears express their unhappiness in no uncertain terms, and Goldilocks makes it clear that she has problems of her own. Eventually Goldilocks leaves by mutual consent, which is good because pursuing repossession through the courts could take weeks.
• Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel6 become seperated from their father in a wood. As darkness falls they discover a house made of sweets. "Hey!" shouts Hansel. "I forgot I had my phone with me!" Using Google Maps they find their way home.
• Little Red Riding Hood. Little Red Riding Hood goes to visit her grandmother, an easily manipulated old woman who sometimes doesn't make the greatest choices friend-wise. When her friend the wolf drops by, grandma asks him to wait in for Red while she pops to the shops. Once alone the wolf sneaks upstairs and starts trying on clothes. Red finds him lying in bed pretending to be her grandmother. "I'm not comfortable with this," says Red. She returns home, where everyone agrees that grandma's living situation might have to change.

Just two of the recent adverts to use children's book characters, I wonder why the Little Pigs have become so popular?

Anyway, what about you ....... did the stories you were read as a child have a lasting effect on you as an adult? At what age did/would you read such books to your child/children?