China News Service Client, Beijing, July 2 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) Recently, some children's books have successively fallen into controversial vortexes, and they have been questioned as "beautifying suicide" and the content is not suitable for children to read. Among them are many works by well-known writers. This caused some parents to worry, and some people even asked: how to choose books for children?
In response to the above situation, some scholars called for "graded reading", and some experts said that they should not negate the entire work because of some details, and parents need not be overly anxious. The reporter learned during the interview that there are others who believe that behind the various anxieties about "difficult to choose a book", it reflects some parents' concerns about children's reading.
"Suicide Bridge" appeared in the children's book?
In recent years, with parents' emphasis on parent-child reading, reading a few good books in the winter and summer vacations is a must-have option for many children, and families who are busy choosing books are also everywhere in the bookstore. Picture books, fairy tales, children's literature, etc. are very popular.
Image source: video screenshot
However, some time ago, some readers reported that some of the best-selling children's book "Naughty Baoma Xiaotiao (Comic Upgraded Version)" (old version) by writer Yang Hongying contained suicide plots.
For example, Ma Xiaotiao, the protagonist, complained to his friends that he couldn’t stand practicing the piano, “I want to commit suicide”, and also discussed the way of suicide with my friends. The sentence “Then fly from the top of the building and spread your arms like a bird” .
Some netizens questioned that suicide was also mentioned in "Dad in Your Pocket", and some sentences also beautified this behavior. For example, "I decided to end my life" "I did not fall to the ground, but fell into a gorgeous tunnel" and so on.
Seeing related reports, many people questioned online: "Is this content really suitable for children to read?" "Can children's books describe suicide bridges?"
The content of children's books that caused controversy
According to reports, in response to the questioned content in the book, Yang Hongying responded that this sensitive content had been deleted as early as a year ago, and the current version is no longer available; Beijing Education Press said that it has currently installed " "Dad in Your Pocket" was completely removed.
However, it is worth noting that some "children's book blacklists" circulating on the Internet point out that some other children's books also have problems describing bad habits and more negative energy.
According to the "Beijing Daily" report, there is also a "demining book list" spread on Weibo, WeChat and other crazy. According to this list, the content of "Mi Xiaohuan" was questioned as "sneaking and sliding" and nicknamed the classmates. "Bronze Sunflower" and "Dream of the Wolf King" are due to the existence of a large number of "related yellow and violence" content.
Earlier, the media revealed that a children's picture book named "Birthday's Birthday" has also caused heated discussion: many friends attended the bear's birthday party. One of the friends disappeared while eating the cake, but there was only a roast chicken on the table. The story implies that a friend "goes" to the table.
In this regard, some readers expressed their concerns unabashedly: "Children's minds are often not yet mature. If there are similar content in children's books, will it cause imitation?"
Parents' anxiety and worries
Some readers are browsing the "Toy Creative Book". Photo by Shangguan Yun
In fact, behind the above-mentioned controversy, to some extent reflects the anxiety of parents "difficult to choose".
Earlier, a survey of 2026 respondents conducted by the China Youth Daily Social Survey Center and a questionnaire network showed that 56.0% of respondents were having difficulty in selecting books for children.
"We are busy at work, and we will refer to some recommendations or book lists for children's books, sometimes letting children choose according to their own interests." A young mother said that she often sees that some books on the Internet are not suitable for children. , Such as suicide bridges, etc., very worried about "stepping on thunder."
More importantly, for some parents, "what children's books are suitable for children of what age" is also a problem. This may require a more professional level of identification.
Children's literature critic An Wulin also noted the concerns of parents. He believes that children’s literature involves topics such as suicide. The author must be cautious and must grasp a reasonable standard; as a parent, he does not have to be too anxious about the content when choosing a book.
"We can't deny the whole work because of some details in the book. Parents should have a certain discriminating ability. When choosing a book, they should check the children's books in advance, pay more attention, and give positive guidance in time." He said.
Is graded reading necessary?
In response to the "difficult book selection" problems raised by parents in recent years, some scholars and book industry insiders have called for the implementation of graded reading and the formulation of relevant standards to provide readers with a certain reference, but others believe that this practice is practical It may not make much sense.
Information map: At the Expo, the children's book booth attracted many visitors. Photo by Shangguan Yun
"Today's children's books, most of the cities are printed with the words "Recommended for children aged XX to read." But as far as I know, there is no unified and influential rating standard for children's books in China. Some reading organizations or publishing organizations have put forward their own classification standards. No one can convince anyone." Yuan Xiaofeng, a reading promoter, said in an interview with a reporter from ChinaNews.com.
"Children's book graded reading is necessary and can provide a reference for parents." Yuan Xiaofeng said, but can not fall into dogma, in the end it is necessary to integrate various factors and choose a book suitable for children to read.
An Wulin said that, as far as the current situation is concerned, the practical significance of reading grading may not be significant: how to formulate it first? What is the grading standard? How to balance children's reading interest?
He believes that even if there are graded reading standards, each child's situation is different. If the child's talent is better, there is no need to restrict their reading and thinking. Writers can proceed from reality and create more good works suitable for children to read.
Liu Xuyuan, a critic of children's literature, once likened the truly high-quality children's literature to "fruit". It must be like the ten years of trees to fit the law of art development. The soul affects the life of the child. (Finish)