Babar And Other Childhood Mistakes – Kveller
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Babar And Other Childhood Mistakes

I recently picked up a whole new library for my 2-year-old at a stoop sale (that would be a Brooklyn version of a garage sale). I didn’t pay much attention to the titles, but gathered as much 25-cent loot as I could carry.

Among the new bag of goodies, was a copy of the Story of Babar. If memory serves me right (and it usually doesn’t) I loved this book as a child. So I had one of those WTF moments when Babar’s mom gets shot in the head somewhere around page 3. Babar then runs away to be educated and cultured in the big city where he’s taken in by a rich, old white lady who lavishes him with fine clothes. In the end, he marries his cousin and is crowned king, thanks to his time in the civilized world.

Um, really?

Perhaps, I’m late to the game, maybe you all got a memo about your favorite childhood books that are actually crap. So, help me out here. Any other classics I should be avoiding? Let’s try for a Top 10 list.

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