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+--- Thread: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? (/showthread.php?tid=37175)
BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - NewtonMP2100 - 07-26-2007
in my day it was Judy Blume. . .I'm guessing they won't make these into a movie like the Harry Potter books?
Is Junie B. Jones Talking Trash?
. . .The paperback in question was about Junie B. Jones, the hero of a popular Random House early reading series that has divided parents since it was introduced 15 years ago. With more than 43 million copies in print and a stage show touring the country, the series has its share of die-hard fans and is required summer reading at many elementary schools.
But more than a few parents have taken issue with Junie B., as she is called. Their disagreement is a pint-size version of the lingering education battle between advocates of phonics, who believe children should be taught proper spelling and grammar from the outset, and those who favor whole language, a literacy method that accepts misspellings and other errors as long as children are engaged in reading and writing.
The spunky kindergartener (first grader in more recent volumes) is prone to troublemaking, often calls people names and isn’t averse to talking back to her teachers. And though she is the narrator of the stories, she struggles with grammar. Her adverbs lack the suffix “ly”; subject and object pronouns give her problems, as do possessives; she usually isn’t able to conjugate irregular past tense verbs; and words like funnest and beautifuller are the mainstays of her vocabulary. . .
. . .With every new kindergarten class comes attempts to ban the books. In 2004 Barbara Park was selected as one of the American Library Association’s 10 Most Frequently Challenged Authors, alongside Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and John Steinbeck. . .
(Since this deals with book banning. . .if the moderators need to move. . .be my guest.)
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - the_poochies - 07-26-2007
Have the grammar police moved to ban Toys 'R' Us? Kidz Bop?
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - The UnDoug - 07-26-2007
I bought one of those books for my neice years ago, but I hadn't really looked through it too carefully. After reading a bit of it, and seeing all of the intentional grammatical errors intended as humor, I took it back.
I fully understand *why* the books are written that way, but I do think it can do some harm, and I'd rather not encourage kids to read them.
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - MacMagus - 07-26-2007
I find it hard to believe that odd language in these books will be particularly influential, but I suspect that the enjoyment found by reading the books will endure in many children exposed to them.
I think it's refreshing that the debate is about the educational value of the books, however offensive the censorship is.
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - Seacrest - 07-26-2007
I loathe that "whole language" mess, but don't support "book banning" of any kind.
My niece listens to JBJ books on tape, and so far has turned out OK.
But she goes to a school where they espouse the "whole language" method, so we will have to see how she turns out after HS graduation, I guess.
If all the other kids in her generation end up TXTing all day anyway, and all have the atrocious grammar I see all over Digg or other sites ('loose' for 'lose,' not knowing the difference between 'there,' 'their' and 'they're' or 'then' and 'than'), then she won't be at that much of a disadvantage, I suppose.
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - what4 - 07-26-2007
Whole language, if you use the whole of it, is a wonderful thing, but many schools stopped after invented spellings. In the later phases of whole language, kids are supposed to learn the correct spellings, grammar, etc.
Teaching grammar, though, is much more challenging than teaching creativity. So many well meaning teachers skimped that step.
Kids relish play with language, and conventional language is constantly supported and enriched by the endless inventiveness of English speakers.
Such as "vereity" -- a combination of verity and variety, implying a variety of verities.
Well, maybe only we godless postmodern liberal relativists can properly appreciate such a neologism.
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - Seacrest - 07-26-2007
Hey, I got yer neologism right here, pal!
Re: BAN..daid!. . .Should Barbara Park children's books be banned. . .? - jesse - 07-26-2007
My daughter used to love those books, she had the entire series (I just sold them at a garage sale), I don't think they had any adverse effect on her vocabulary, English was one of her best subjects this past school year (7th grade).