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Erin
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Confession time 
My, whoops, our books, are devouring us. I feel that they are multiplying overnight. I'm not sure how, perhaps it has something to do with those book sales  Last library sale netted some 200+ books  Even I thought I was a little rash turning up to a sale with a 3day old However it was a terrific haul.
Seriously it is time to DO SOMETHING about the amount
I'm inspired to cull out the unnecessary, the twaddle and the unused. This is the trouble, how do I decide?
Take twaddle, some I can tell at a glance, but what about the children's collection of Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden's. I admit it, they admit it, they are twaddle, however some twaddle is permisable, isn't it? So how strict should I get about twaddle? We have lots of mystery books here that are light, however the children enjoy this genre (so do I) but I have to choose something to cull.
How about picture books? Since I've been on this forum I've started collecting picture books, now I tend to be drawn to ones with beautiful illustrations, and a text that won't send me screaming if I have to read it repeatedly. However perhaps I need stricter guidelines in which to 'keep or not to keep.'
How about unused books? How do I know that I might not use them one day, we just may not have studied that topic yet, or the children may not be old enough yet. but on the other hand I think that perhaps the black and white , visually unappealing ones could go. After all my children are products of the mass media age. The set of Arthur Mees that have sat unused for years are probably never going to be used.
Now unnecessary books. I know that I don't REALLY need multiple copies of books. However as I heard my ds11, tell his siblings 'when they leave home and have children they will want to have their own copies to take with them.' But what about books that perhaps I don't really need, on what basis I'm not sure but there must be some reason I could cull that book.
How do you tell when books are not really useful in that their information is past their useby date. Take geography books, this is an area that changes so. And some of the information contained is no longer true.
How do you decide what to cull and what to keep? A set of guidelines would be useful 
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JennGM
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Erin wrote:
| How do you decide what to cull and what to keep? A set of guidelines would be useful |
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I think it's your comfort zone. You know your children. Are they getting bogged down and only choosing the twaddle?
There have been discussions here about the mystery books. If you have the older versions of Hardy, Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden I'd keep them. Light reading, yes, but still a large part of growing up, IMHO. I just read Lissa's post yesterday about buying a guitar for Scott, and she was comparing herself to Nancy Drew. I had incidents in my life that I felt "like Nancy Drew." I won't mind having my children share those memories...as long as they are balancing their appetite with meatier reading.
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Kristin
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Glad to see you post this question. I'm wondering the same things myself. My grandmother's house is packed full of books and she has passed many of them on to me, as well as a love for holding on to books, books, books! We already have many, many children's that need to be "culled" and we only have two little ones right now! As I look down the homeschooling road I can see clearly that this will be an area that needs much tending to keep things from growing out of control!
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amyable
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I don't have a great set of guidelines, as I'm working on this myself. I think we have to be more ruthless than most due to lack of space.
I find I can get rid of a lot with two questions: Do I want my children imitating the people in this book? And is stuff like this available in the library?
I keep reminding myself that "children are educated by their intimacies" (Charlotte Mason?) and "enough is as good as a feast" (Mary Poppins ) If I'm having doubts about a book, usually it means it's better off gone (unless it is a child's favorite or something...I'm not a witch, lol). Do I want book X "educating" my children? There is only so much time in a day and space in a young childs brain - do I want to clutter it with "Disney Princess Stories"? (ok, I admit, we are keeping this one only because my parents bought it and they actually NOTICE when things like that disappear  ). I think you get the picture though. I'm shooting for "elegant simplicity" here - a few GOOD books are better than way too many lesser books.
I let my children pick up almost anything they want from the library. Things that I don't like seem to get lost quickly (i.e. hidden from them) So I don't feel as bad about getting rid of things here. They can pick up the same junk from the library! LOL
That being said there are definitely reasons to keep twaddly books - I personally think most of the Boxcar children books (past the first few) fall into that category - maybe just because there are so maaaany of them. But my 8yo is a struggling reader. She LOVES these books. And so I keep a bunch around, and she occasionally picks them up and they stimulate her to read, really read. So they stay. 
Oh and as far as non-fiction books...the type that make you say, "maybe we'll study that someday!" I've learned to just let them go. We have a good library system. If we are going to study sharks, for example, I can get a few from the library. I don't need to keep them HERE taking up valuable space for the 'what ifs'.
I'm LOLing at your going to a booksale with a 3 day old. My last baby was due right around our library's big book sale. I planned for weeks how I'd pull off going to the sale in labor, lol! Luckily she came a little early.
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lapazfarm
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I have the same problem, but another factor keeping me from letting some more go is that we DONT have a good library system, so I know that if we ever need a book I had better have it here on hand. I am actually working on my bookshelves today and my criteria to START with are these:
Nonfiction:
If it is outdated (science or geography more than a couple years) or if I have the same general information in a newer or more appealing book, then it is outta here.
Fiction:
Disney books: outta here. Bad enough I have the movies.
Also going:
Pop-up books with pop-ups torn
Definite twaddle (ie "Mrs Jeeper's Batty Vacation")
Repeats
Here is where I am running into trouble: Old National Geographic Books ("Yellowstone to Yukon" or "Enduring America")I've got about 10 or so of these and they have such lovely pictures. I keep thinking we will use them, but we never do. It is so much quicker and easier to just google image something! But it just pains me to think of getting rid of them! I will most likely keep them. Maybe if I do like Dawn and put them in a basket then someone will look at them!
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kristina
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This may be a dumb question, but are Roald Dahl Books considered twaddle?
I enjoyed my 6th grade teacher reading "James and the Giant Peach" as a classroom read aloud. When I began reading that one to our family, I found myself "editing" as I read. Then our almost 9 year old finished reading it on his own that evening, so I have not picked it back up.
We have a small stack of his books and I am wondering if they are worth reading. Any we should absolutely avoid?
Thanks so much!
Blessings,
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lapazfarm
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Ds really liked Charley and the Chocolate factory. He read it in anticipation of the movie and said it was one of his favorites.
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Angel
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I am a huge Roald Dahl fan. I read them to my kids when we all need cheered up. And I love his way with unlikely similes and metaphors. Also my children love them, so if they're twaddle, I'm not admitting it.
Like Theresa, I get rid of as many Disney books as I possibly can. I don't buy any of these anymore, but the kids are often give them as gifts. I also try to get rid of as many movie/TV tie-in books as I can, but Bob the Builder is allotted a special dispensation to stay in the stacks, as my 3 year old would be broken hearted to see Bob in the giveaway pile.
Also like Theresa, our library system is not very good, so I do tend to keep quite a few books (and buy quite a few books) I might not otherwise. Sometimes, though, we end up with 10 nonfiction books that say pretty much the same thing. So I keep the best one or two of the lot and get rid of the rest.
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marihalojen
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Angel wrote:
| I am a huge Roald Dahl fan. And I love his way with unlikely similes and metaphors. |
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I think if the book contains a great example of something like unlikely similes and metaphors then it could not be considered twaddle!
Angel wrote:
| but Bob the Builder is allotted a special dispensation to stay in the stacks, as my 3 year old would be broken hearted to see Bob in the giveaway pile. |
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Here again, if at this time Bob the Builder motivates a child to pick up a book and realize that the adventures of Bob the Builder is not only on TV but in a wonderful thing called a book, to me it would not be considered twaddle.
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marihalojen
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Oh, and I wanted to say - talk to your kids! I was fighting the Dolphin Diaries and asked Marianna why in the world she'd want to continue reading this twaddly stuff. She told me all about it - they live on a boat (can't say anything against that!), they study dolphins (insert enough dolphin facts here to glaze your eyes) and so she could relate to them much more than to children in a Boxcar, or a girl solving mysteries...
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humanaevitae
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I had to laugh when I opened this thread as I came to the computer to post the same question! We just came back from a library book sale and my shelves were already groaning.
Dare I toss the ol'disney Jack and the Beanstalk favorite? The Bernstein Bears? Curious George? My kids love to page through these books at night and I find them begging their older brother to read them aloud as they know I am not fond of them.
Do I go hardline and get rid of cartoony books despite their tears and pleas? Will they be missing an important genre of childhood? Do I let the twaddle stay and add on to our house-again?
BTW, my kids are book-spoiled as we have 7 tall shelves of picture books alone; 80% are great books and 20% twaddle. (Our town library is nonexistant.) They are exposed to plenty of good literature.
Opinions Opinions??
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SuzanneT
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I was waiting for someone else to mention the Berenstain Bears books We owned every single one, plus some videos, plus duplicates. Are they considered twaddle? My kids loved them and I believe I know every one by heart The only thing that I really didn't care for was that Papa Bear was often made to look silly. After my youngest was beyond them, they were among the first to go. Everyone picked a favorite to keep. I'm finding that as I'm able to clear out those are, for me, the easiest to let go of. All the classics stay. Also, anything that I've seen on multiple booklists, even if we haven't read it-yet. We do have a good library system, but also alot of homeschoolers in the area. Nothing like getting your plans for the quarter together and having the one book you REALLY want snatched up before you can get it... 
Suzanne
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Erin
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Kristin wrote:
| As I look down the homeschooling road I can see clearly that this will be an area that needs much tending to keep things from growing out of control! |
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I have come to the realisation that this is soo true. Maybe we could liken it to weeds in the garden, constantly needing attention.
Amyable wrote:
| I find I can get rid of a lot with two questions: Do I want my children imitating the people in this book? |
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Ooh, this is really hard hitting I'm challenged now, its great I have another 'guideline'. I like it
amyable wrote:
| I'm LOLing at your going to a booksale with a 3 day old. My last baby was due right around our library's big book sale. I planned for weeks how I'd pull off going to the sale in labor, lol! Luckily she came a little early. |
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Well, he was actually due prior to the sale and I was getting very nervous about not attending  I was doing all sorts of mental computations in my head, you know, well if the baby arrives on such and such date, he/she will be such and such an age. Glad you got to make your sale
lapazfarm wrote:
I have the same problem, but another factor keeping me from letting some more go is that we DONT have a good library system, so I know that if we ever need a book I had better have it here on hand. I am actually working on my bookshelves today and my criteria to START with are these:
Nonfiction:
If it is outdated (science or geography more than a couple years) or if I have the same general information in a newer or more appealing book, then it is outta here. |
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This is a big problem for us also is that our library is not very good. In fact many of my BEST living books are from the library's own sales!! They are deleting the best living books and buying TWADDLE. My shelves are better stocked than their's.
I like your ideas for non-fiction. So do you perceive it to be out of date for science and geography if it is more than two yrs? Why? This is an area I really need help in. Outdated geography/culture type books.
I understand what you mean about visually appealing, I do find that we are more drawn to our DK books that the black and whites. I'm really thinking I could cull many books on the grounds of being outdated.
I'm feeling a ruthlessness creeping over me. 
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Tina P.
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We moved house over a booksale date. My husband saw no problem with this. I agree that color in nonfiction is making huge strides. Even *I* get bored when I just stare at words. As we were shelving some of our books, I showed my 12 yob some books that I thought he'd have chosen for himself to read by now (he seems to be on this infinite loop of Bobbsey Twins, Boxcar Children, Hank the Cowdog, and anything by Beverly Cleary) and he said: "I never knew we had these."
That just goes to show that we have too many books.
Science and geography truly do not change that much. I have a 10 yo picture atlas that we use constantly because it's my favorite. Sure, middle eastern countries and possibly even eastern Europe have changed. But for my purposes, this atlas works. Science books are similar. I have a space book that is from the mid-to-late 90s (sorry, I can't look it up as I haven't unpacked it yet). We had a blast studying the planets using that book. Now we just have to do the project that goes with the study we did 3 years ago. Maybe I'll do the project with the next two kids who will study the planets together. So to answer your questions, Erin, I'd stick with what you like and chuck the rest, never mind the date of publication ~ unless, for instance, the atlases tell you the world is still flat or that Pluto is a moon or something.
I have struggled for many years with low quality libraries. I don't even know how well stocked ours is. But now that I've collected so many fine books, I have a hard time borrowing from a library because I have to get it back at a certain time.  And you might as well forget borrowing *anything* with a Catholic bent.
I have the same issues as you ladies and have filled a box with potential cast-offs, some of which are duplicates. Do any of you save books for more than one child in case they want to share it with their kids? And does anyone need Mike Mulligan? I have at least three copies.
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kristina
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Tina,
Amy's Blog recently included a post which referred me to PaperBackSwap.com. I have listed and already sent a few books and have a few good ones on their way to us. (Dr. Peter Kreeft for me, Jean Fritz for the history shelf and Adventures in Odyssey per request of our eldest). There is a decent selection of children's books. So far it has been really easy.
Blessings,
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Erin
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Kristina,
I've been selling some of my books, so I can buy BETTER books. It is a great motivator. I can now buy some Catholic Mosaic picture books.
I have been making great inroads in culling I've already completed work on three bookcases and have stored, tossed and sold boxes of books. The best thing is I can now see the quality books without the junk. And the children are picking up and reading books they didn't realise we had.
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Erin
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lapazfarm
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Tina P. wrote:
Science and geography truly do not change that much. I have a 10 yo picture atlas that we use constantly because it's my favorite. Sure, middle eastern countries and possibly even eastern Europe have changed. But for my purposes, this atlas works. Science books are similar. I have a space book that is from the mid-to-late 90s (sorry, I can't look it up as I haven't unpacked it yet). We had a blast studying the planets using that book. Now we just have to do the project that goes with the study we did 3 years ago. Maybe I'll do the project with the next two kids who will study the planets together. So to answer your questions, Erin, I'd stick with what you like and chuck the rest, never mind the date of publication ~ unless, for instance, the atlases tell you the world is still flat or that Pluto is a moon or something.
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Sorry, but I really have to humbly disagree on that one. Perhaps you can get by with outdated books for very basic topics, but science and geography are two areas that change rapidly.
For geography it is not only the countries that change, but things like population data, political info, land use, borders, names, etc. Since I am not up-to-date with all the news myself, I rely on books that are. We have a beautiful world Atlas that we use nearly daily, but it is published in 2000. I am constantly having to supplement from other sources to keep it accurate until I can afford another newer one ($$$$).
For science I feel it is even more important to have up-to-date info. Forget calling Pluto a moon, what about "planet Xena"? And the areas of molecular biology, technology, and genetics are changing at light speed. One can hardly keep up! In fact, you could make a case in science that books are outdated before they come off the presses, a lament I heard often from my former colleagues at the university when faced with ordering science texts each year.
That being said, if we use the books as a spine and seek out fresher sources such as internet and science magazines then I could see holding on to older books. Still, I wouldn't stretch it over more than 5 or so years for anything other than very basic info.
But that's just me. I'm sure others will feel differently.
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Tina P.
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humanaevitae wrote:
| Do I go hardline and get rid of cartoony books despite their tears and pleas? Opinions Opinions?? |
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Hi Nicole:
Some *good* books are cartoony. Some examples that we own and will not be parted from for some time are: a book about Pope John Paul II, the Horrible History series (there are also Horrible Science, Horrible Geography Terrible Math, etc. ~ for ages 8 and up depending upon reading ability and whether they can handle gross facts), and Tintin and Calvin and Hobbes comics. When I was a kid, I liked cartoons. However, I liked cotton candy cartoons (ie: there was no substance). Could you possibly (I don't remember your children's ages) replace the junk with good cartoony books to segue into more meaty books? This is sort of like taking a forbidden toy away from a baby and replacing it with a toy the baby *can* have.
Theresa: Are you a scientist? Wow. You're making me feel like I'm not giving my children a good basis in science or geography! I know it's unintentional. How old are your kids? I guess I felt I could get away with outdated books and that population and political information didn't matter so much in the early years (up to 4th or 5th grade). We're coming upon sixth/seventh grade (generally speaking) this year for my oldest. Please let me know whether I'm right or wrong in my figurings. And beyond that, I have to query whether it is worth it to have a book, as you so eloquently put it, if the information is changing so rapidly? I guess periodicals and internet are the methods of scientific and geographic discovery then with a spine, of course. What do you use as a spine? I must say the general program I use is too light on science for my liking. Next spring/summer/early fall we're going to go as textless as possible. We'll be planting vegetable and flower gardens for the first time. I'm so excited.
So now I want to know what I am supposed to do with the boxload of ancient National Geographics we own that I carried all over the world!?!?
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ladybugs
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Here's an article regarding a new type of volcano
I think the internet can be a valuable tool for just such reasons.
Tina, I can think of lots to do with those National Geographics...
you could:
Make your own maps from the pictures....when I was in college, I worked in day-care. One year, we made a HUGE map of the USA that covered an entire wall - top to bottom.
Now, maybe you do have a wall to donate for such a project. You could draw a map and cut the pictures to show who lives where, how they live, what they eat, economics of the region...etc.
Or more realistically, make your own board game out of it...or better yet, have your children make their own board game out of it. You could even use a ready-made map on your dining or coffee table, have the children use 4X6 size index cards and glue pictures from National Geographic to them. Determine the purpose for your game - political boundaries? wars? explorers? economics? Global monopoly? These are just ideas off the top of my head - I'm sure others have better ones. Anyway, that's one idea.
Better run. We're cleaning out the garage from the excess material twaddle we've collected over the years. I can see the floor, ladies!
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MacBeth
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Just want to jump in on the science and geography book issue...I love old science and geography books, I have a ton of them, and I rarely toss them out. BUT, I am talking about books, not textbooks.
There is a great deal of value in old science books--they show us how people thought about the universe around them. They often have different language use and odd turns of phrase. And many of these, especially the writings of nautralists like Fabre, never become outdated as they are first hand experiences.
Sure, sometimes the information is simply wrong. Arabella Buckley's Fairy-Land of Science comes to mind. In this lecture series, Lecture Two refers to the "ether" that fills outer space (the concept of a vacuum was new). I think this is charming! Here we can get a peek into the science of the Victorian era. OK, we have to make sure that the kids know what's true and what is not , but what a great topic for conversation.
Similarly, a map of Rhodesia is an opening to a great discussion of colonialism, Africa, and more.
I guess my answer to the original question is:
Last year's textbook? Toss it!
Last century's treatise? Keep it!
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Culling Twaddle
