Reading Classic Fairytales

One of the first decisions many parents have to make is not when they will start reading to their little ones but what they will start reading to them. There are a plethora of children's books available to parents in the modern era. Books based on cartoon characters, modern fables, ABC type books... even Madonna has written a children's book series.

Sooner or later parents need to ask themselves if they will expose their children to the original versions of the classic Fairy Tales such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid or Cinderella. Many of these stories are considered frightening for children and would be considered politically incorrect by today's standards.

Nevertheless, what many of these classic fairy tales have that modern ones lack is a prominent lesson to be learned: a moral. Whether it includes complex themes such as greed, fear or love, many of these classic tales impart proper values or mores that we remember when we become adults.

Certainly many of these older stories can contain imagery and situations that are much more frightening than their modern day counterparts, however, there is something to be said for a story that has stood the test of time.

The decision is ultimately one that every parent has to make for their own child. If you have a child who frightens easily, then you might think twice before telling them the tale of Hansel and Gretel. Nevertheless, if the child is of the right maturity and temperament, a parent might find these classic tales more evocative and lyrical than a standard book designed as a cartoon or corporate tie-in.

Regardless of where one stands on this, it is necessary for every parent to do their best to see the breadth of books available for reading to children.

By Chris Giardino