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JennGM
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From this threadNew Christmas Picture Books 2013:
JennGM wrote:
Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing by Amy Welborn
I was really looking forward to this book. I love Ann Engelbert's illustrations from her previous books. As LeeAnn mentioned, it's a little lengthy in the text. The story is very good, and this book can really be a jumping point for children to try and make their own infant Jesus or whole creches. I love this idea, and I think my boys would be inspired. That would have been a neat addition to have some "craft ideas" at the end of the book.
I have two little quibbles with this book. One is how the word "presepe" is presented. It isn't italicized, there isn't a pronunciation, and I'm not sure if it's really correct. It can be presepe or presepio for singular, and presepi in plural. I think clarifying this would help a child be at ease with the Italian word and custom.
My second issue is the biggest one. This is spoiler alert, but the main character is a boy who makes clay infant Jesus to be blessed by the Holy Father. As he leaves to go to St. Peter's, the infant drops and the arm is broken. Without telling anyone, he takes an infant Jesus that is for sale in his grandfather's shop. But then, on the bus, a small girl plays with the baby Jesus, and he decides to give it to her, since it makes her so happy.
The gesture of giving is nice, but it wasn't his to give, and he was being dishonest and sneaky. There is no restitution mentioned to his grandfather, either. I haven't read it to my boys, but this kind of thing makes me uncomfortable. I try to encourage my boys to be open and honest and upfront. So while I will read this to them, this will be an area we will have to discuss.
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I wanted to expand on this a little further, not necessarily just in this book, but this theme in general.
It's a bit tricky to me. I don't mind having a character who is flawed, who makes mistakes, who is dishonest. We're not looking for plaster saints in our storybooks. Our children at times needs examples they can identify. But what I do need in a story is to see the remedy -- the good example my children need to see. There needs to be true contrition and retribution if needed. It's the simple conflict and resolution.
Being uncomfortable with this doesn't only come from me as the mother. I've seen how my boys react to books we have read aloud that have a similar scenario. They see the dishonesty or sneakiness and if it's not resolved, it bothers them. They ask about it. They also don't like books that have children who make messes or break things if there isn't a clean-up at the end. Wish they would apply that in their lives, though. 
So that was concern in pre-reading this book. I had that nagging feeling of this big issue not being addressed nor resolved. It was just hanging there.
So some of you have also said this is an area of concern. I'd love to discuss more on this.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Betsy
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| Posted: Nov 07 2013 at 6:25pm | IP Logged
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I agree with your assessment Jenn.
Because of this same type of thing I can rarely watch movies or TV shows any more. Too much bad behavior that goes unpunished or with out consequences---or worse, REWARDED!!!!
I also think that "flawed characters" is what make Saints so attractive. We can see our own short comings in them and how they heroically over came them.
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cvbmom
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I agree! This theme seems to be in many places.
While I think Curious George is cute, I've always had this nagging annoyance with the stories which is the bad behavior being overlooked and usually rewarded.
Thanks for starting this topic,
Christine
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LeeAnn
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| Posted: Nov 08 2013 at 1:58pm | IP Logged
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I noticed that when I read the book alone as well. The only thing I could figure is that the author doesn't mind leaving that issue open-ended for discussion by the child--you could say the grandfather might be kindly and there was an understanding that everything he had belonged to his family--or you could start a conversation about how a young child's "stealing" might be overlooked in light of the spiritual nature of the gift--or how maybe the grandson felt remorse for taking the bambino without asking after the grandfather was so kind to repair the broken figure he'd made.
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Erin
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Betsy wrote:
| Because of this same type of thing I can rarely watch movies or TV shows any more. Too much bad behavior that goes unpunished or with out consequences---or worse, REWARDED!!!! |
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Defining consequences to include natural justice. eg. A Mennonite friend of mine has removed nearly all fiction literature from her home, I think I've shared this here before, one to be axed was Peter Rabbit because his mother didn't punish him for going into Mr MacGregor's garden. However I contend she didn't need to as he suffered natural justice, he could easily conclude his lesson from what happened, his mother was wise enough to leave it alone.
I do know what you mean though Betsy. I remember being horrified in my prac teaching, some children had left the school grounds, the Principal asked the entire assembly who was guilty, two boys stood up, he thanked them for their honesty and they sat down, end of story 
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Erin
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| Posted: Nov 08 2013 at 4:31pm | IP Logged
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Oh and a thought I had yesterday Jenn, taking this further than just honesty but an unsuitable behaviour in books (or movies). Dh had just read one of the children's books and wasn't happy about behaviour, reminded me of another area we don't tolerate, nastiness to others, and we really jump down on nastiness to siblings. Remember the Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton, they got the axe long ago because we didn't like how their 'group' excluded one of the boy's sister's. Yes she was a pain but possibly totally caused by the exclusion. Cliqueness and nastiness, not allowed.
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Betsy
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| Posted: Nov 08 2013 at 4:45pm | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
Betsy wrote:
| Because of this same type of thing I can rarely watch movies or TV shows any more. Too much bad behavior that goes unpunished or with out consequences---or worse, REWARDED!!!! |
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Defining consequences to include natural justice. eg. A Mennonite friend of mine has removed nearly all fiction literature from her home, I think I've shared this here before, one to be axed was Peter Rabbit because his mother didn't punish him for going into Mr MacGregor's garden. However I contend she didn't need to as he suffered natural justice, he could easily conclude his lesson from what happened, his mother was wise enough to leave it alone.
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Erin, I totally agree with you here. Just like IRL patenting you have to know which battles to pick and when not to belabor a point which might cause other issues. Your example shows exactly that. In this case you always come away from that book thinking that Peter learned his lesson and wouldn't do that again.
I also don't think that every book/movie needs to spell this all out, but the reader/viewer needs to be led to believe that there was a consequence.
As an additional pet peeve I really hate also when parents are made to be idiots and children are eternally wise. As, as a child of the 80's I have learned to cringe every time I watch a movie that has some teenager standing up to the establishment and bucking the system to become a hero--regardless of what wrong he has done. 
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guitarnan
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Quote:
| As an additional pet peeve I really hate also when parents are made to be idiots and children are eternally wise. |
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Exactly this. I have banned so many TV shows from our home because of the way they portray parents. ("Fairly Oddparents" is still banned, and my DD is almost 16!)
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Erin
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Yes! I'm a child of the 80s and I remember we weren't allowed to watch so many shows, what was that one with boy called Arnold? I think it might have been the first of the attitude movies. Actually we weren't allowed to watch any teen culture movies either. And yes I'm just as particular with my children too.
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JennGM
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| Posted: Nov 09 2013 at 10:08am | IP Logged
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Erin wrote:
Betsy wrote:
| Because of this same type of thing I can rarely watch movies or TV shows any more. Too much bad behavior that goes unpunished or with out consequences---or worse, REWARDED!!!! |
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Defining consequences to include natural justice. eg. A Mennonite friend of mine has removed nearly all fiction literature from her home, I think I've shared this here before, one to be axed was Peter Rabbit because his mother didn't punish him for going into Mr MacGregor's garden. However I contend she didn't need to as he suffered natural justice, he could easily conclude his lesson from what happened, his mother was wise enough to leave it alone. |
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About Peter Rabbit, I do think the natural consequences were part of the punishment. But being sent to bed and not getting to eat any of the "goods" he took from the garden is also a punishment. And because the next book when Peter is with Benjamin and is miserable because he is wearing those ill fitting coverings for clothes and we hear of the admonishment from his mother, I think the child DOES know that he was in trouble.
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Being Honest and Forthright
