Reading with Children

What genre of fiction do your children enjoy reading, and do you consider the moral messages within?

Do you consider the values and morals that a work of fiction contains and they way children will perceive that in their own reality?

Public Comments

1. My eldest had to read "Lord Of The Flies" for school and I read it to all of my boys and we also all read it together as they got a lot out of it. The "classics" are always good for children (age appropriate of course) and Aesop's fables in a children's edition teach morality and make them think. My boys also had books as prizes from school which were suitable and attendance prizes from Sunday School too - biblical stories in a children's edition and they loved those - we read Joseph and the coat of many colours time and time again. I am dubious about these "Harry Potter" books and the genre of that type being published for children these days. For escapism Enid Blyton is still fine.
2. That's a good question! My children are both still very young, so they don't really have a favourite genre, lol. But I am careful, as young as they are, not to read stories that would contradict the morals and values of our family. You're right though, children often do perceive the messages sent through fiction into their own lives, it's kind of their way of processing it, I think. To be honest, I'm pretty open about what children read. Firstly I'm glad if they're reading, and secondly I believe that fiction is a good medium for children to be exposed to a variety of experiences and attitudes, and to examine and think about them. Obviously it goes without saying that anything too adult or unsuitable would be off limits, but otherwise I like children to use some critical thinking skills. ETA: Joan, I just saw your answer and you reminded me of Aesops Fables and Enid Blyton, they were my favourites as a child! Enid Blyton is timeless, and there's a certain amount of content that could at one time have been considered unsuitable, but delivers a good moral message.
3. Very wide ranging and unrestricted - but then all our children are now pretty much grown up: youngest is 16, eldest is 27 and married - roll on grandkids! Oddly I have been reflecting quite a bit on the works of J.K.Rowling (I love her stuff to bits - and then some!) and am utterly convinced, especially after watching a recent documentary about her, that Joanne has single-handedly done more to raise awareness of (and probably respect for!) the basic concepts of 'right and wrong', of 'true friendship' and of the never-ending battle between the 'forces' of good and evil than any children's author I have ever read.
4. My daughter has never really enjoyed reading but she did like Lord of the Rings and other than that manga. She has good morals but I think that the morality was formed by parental example more than reading.
5. yes i consider the moral of fiction my children reads, my 10yr old loves goosebumps and i am not fond of these books but i recently got him into the left behind series for kids and he is really interested in that... My 6 yr old loves fairy tales and he recieved a bible of bible stories so each night he learns about someone from the bible and then he does a book in bag at school and he reads fairy tales ...