What's Inside Children's Books?
For those who have previously read books to toddlers, you know that it’s almost impossible to read a book to them ONE time. You end up reading that same book so many times, that soon you hear them pretend reading the same book to their stuffed animals, dolls, or family pets.
Today I am posting a list of books for the very young that are read aloud, by various people, on YouTube videos. The titles of the books will be hyperlinked to take you to the YouTube readings. Take the time to listen to as many of these as you can. You may be surprised at some of the content. As you look at the intended age for these books, remember that young children, as a rule, take things at face value. They are not yet capable of analyzing the statements being made. These are young children who reason like young children.
A book for four to eight-year-olds, Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909, includes this sentence:
The police arrest her seventeen times. They break six of her ribs.
Will children be afraid of policemen after hearing this story, perhaps multiple times? If they have been catching glimpses of current news flashes, will this statement reinforce what they are hearing?
Are children being conditioned, molded, or indoctrinated at earlier ages than we once supposed? Are these books factual? Have the authors omitted necessary information?
There are 45 books included on the following table. I have included the title, author, intended age group, number of pages, subject matter, publisher, and date published. Look at the pictures carefully as you listen to each story.
Note: You can find separate articles on this website for:
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel
Jerome by Heart, by Thomas Scotto
Links have been updated as of December 7, 2022
|
Title |
Author |
Age range |
# of pages |
Subject |
Publisher |
Year |
Time |
|
Jeanette Winter |
3-8 |
40 |
Climate Change |
Beach Lane Books |
2019 |
5:36 |
|
|
Innosanto Nagara |
3-7 |
32 |
Activism |
Triangle Square |
2013 |
8:08 |
|
|
Rob Sanders |
4-8 |
48 |
Activism |
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
2018 |
5:06 |
|
|
Michelle Markel |
4-8 |
32 |
Activism |
Balzer + Bray (Harper/Collins) |
2013 |
11:29 |
|
|
Rob Sanders |
5-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ/ |
Random House Books for Young Readers |
2019 |
9:00 |
|
|
Rob Sanders |
5-8 |
48 |
LGBTQ/ |
Random House Books for Young Readers |
2018 |
5:33 |
|
|
Lil Miss Hot Mess |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ/ |
Running Press Kids |
2020 |
13:12 |
|
|
Gayle E. Pitman |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ/ |
Magination Press |
2014 |
3:01 |
|
|
J.J. Austrian |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Balzer & Bray (Harper/Collins) |
2016 |
7:34 |
|
|
Christine Baldacchino |
4-7 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Groundwood Books |
2014 |
5:42 |
|
|
Michael Hall |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Greenwillow Books (Harper/Collins) |
2015 |
4:02 |
|
|
Marcus Ewert |
5-9 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Triangle Square |
2008 |
5:11 |
|
|
Cheryl Kilodavis |
4-8 |
36 |
LGBTQ |
Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) |
2010 |
2:18 |
|
|
Sarah & Ian Hoffman |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Albert Whitman & Company |
2014 |
6:01 |
|
|
Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Dial Books (Penguin Random House) |
2014 |
4:33 |
|
|
Justin Richardson |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
2005 |
4:12 |
|
|
Christian Trimmer |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster) |
2018 |
6:55 |
|
|
Introducing Teddy: A gentle story about gender and friendship |
Jessica Walton |
3-6 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Bloomsbury USA Childrens |
2016 |
3:24 |
|
Jessica Love |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Candlewick |
2018 |
5:16 |
|
|
Patricia Polacco |
6-8 |
48 |
LGBTQ |
Philomel Books |
2009 |
14:40 |
|
|
Intro by Bob Bland |
5-9 |
48 |
activism |
Viking Books for Young Readers |
2017 |
14:07 |
|
|
Martha Freeman |
5+ |
32 |
activism |
Sterling Children's Books |
2018 |
5:47 |
|
|
Alain Serres |
4-7 |
48 |
activism |
Groundwood Books |
2012 |
4:58 |
|
|
Theresa Thorn |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan) |
2019 |
5:58 |
|
|
Cory Silverberg |
3-7 |
36 |
LGBTQ |
Triangle Square |
2013 |
7:09 |
|
|
Gayle E. Pitman |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Magination Press (American Psychological Association |
2018 |
8:30 |
|
|
Airlie Anderson |
4-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hatchette Book Group) |
2018 |
2:31 |
|
|
Loryn Brantz |
Baby-2-yrs. |
22 |
feminism |
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hatchette Book Group) |
2017 |
1:11 |
|
|
Loryn Brantz |
Baby-2-yrs. |
22 |
feminism |
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hatchette Book Group) |
2019 |
1:52 |
|
|
Loryn Brantz |
Baby-2 yrs. |
22 |
feminism |
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hatchette Book Group) |
2018 |
1:15 |
|
|
Gabrielle Charbonnet |
5+ |
32 |
Polyamory |
Henry Holt & Co. (Macmillan) |
1991 |
21:14 |
|
|
Miriam B. Schiffer |
5-8 |
36 |
LGBTQ |
Chronicle Books |
2015 |
3:53 |
|
|
Desmond Napoles and Dylan Glynn |
3-6 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan) |
2020 |
12:54 |
|
|
Brook Pessin-Whedbee |
5-8 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Jessica Kingsley Publishers |
2016 |
6:24 |
|
|
The Gender Wheel - School Edition: a story about bodies and gender for every body |
Maya Christina Gonzalez |
7-10 |
44 |
LGBTQ |
Reflection Press |
2018 |
NA |
|
Greta and the Giants: inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world |
Zoe Tucker |
4-7 |
32 |
Climate Change |
Frances Lincoln Children's Books |
2019 |
5:47 |
|
Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew SG |
6-9 |
40 |
LGBTQ |
Reflection Press |
2017 |
6:35 |
|
|
Kyle Lukoff |
4-7 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Lee & Low Books |
2019 |
5:39 |
|
|
Kyle Lukoff |
7-9 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Reycraft Books |
2019 |
7:09 |
|
|
Kyle Lukoff |
5-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Reycraft Books |
2019 |
16:10 |
|
|
Michael Genhart, PhD |
3-5 |
24 |
LGBTQ |
Magination Press (American Psychological Association |
2019 |
3:51 |
|
|
Sophie Beer |
9 mo-3 yrs. |
24 |
LGBTQ |
Dial Books (Penguin Random House) |
2018 |
2:08 |
|
|
Khoa Le |
5-8 |
38 |
Climate Change |
Happy Fox Books (Fox Chapel Publishing) |
2018 |
4:33 |
|
|
Alison Inches |
4-6 |
24 |
Sustain-ability |
Little Simon (Simon & Schuster) |
2008 |
5:51 |
|
|
Thomas Scotto |
4-8 |
32 |
LGBTQ |
Enchanted Lion Books |
2018 |
4:52 |
"The Shaping of a Child's Worldview," by Deborah DeGroff
June 6, 2020
“It has been an honor and a privilege to call Deborah DeGroff a friend and colleague. It is my hope that millions will soon read her detailed and rigorous research documenting the harm contained in what most of us naively believed was simply 'children’s literature'.”
-Dr. Judith Reisman, Ph.D, research professor at Liberty University School of Law. Author of: Kinsey Sex and Fraud, 1990; Soft Porn Plays Hardball, 1991; Kinsey: Crimes and Consequences, 1998, 2000, republished as Stolen Honor, Stolen Innocence in 2013 and Sexual Sabotage, 2010.
“I obtained certification as a K-12 Reading Specialist in West Virginia and had some excellent professors. None were as knowledgeable about children's literature as Debbie DeGroff. The thorough and far-reaching research she has done in preparing "Between the Covers" is superb. This book will be an outstanding resource for parents and teachers who want to protect their children from indoctrination.”
-Karl Priest, retired Principal and Teacher of 34 years.
