The Well-Trained Mind podcast

When Classics Curdle: Reading Children's Literature that Did Not Age Well

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Summary: In this episode, Susan and Susanna discuss their thoughts on teaching children’s literature, particularly older books that have problematic or insensitive content. 


Show Notes: 


Articles We Reference: 


  • Are some children’s classics unsuitable for kids? The Guardian
  • American Indians in Children’s Literature Web Page by Debbie Reese 
  • Ted Talk: The Danger of a Single Story
  • Booklists and Resources for Finding Windows and Mirrors: 
    • https://www.storiesofcolor.com/
    • https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/
    • Heritage Mom Recommendations for Black History
  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (00:14) - The inspiration for this episode
  • (01:03) - Revisiting classic books with objectionable content
  • (04:21) - Defining and discussing "objectionable content"
  • (18:19) - How do we read these books?
  • (25:04) - Break
  • (25:13) - Reading classic literature in the grammar stage
  • (40:38) - Susanna's experience with classic literature
  • (44:32) - Windows and Mirrors
  • (47:14) - Classic literature in the logic and rhetoric stage
  • (48:58) - There are definitely books that should be skipped
  • (52:35) - An important question to ask yourself
  • (55:53) - At the end of the day
  • (57:25) - Outro
    • ...more
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    The Well-Trained Mind podcastBy Susan Wise Bauer & Susanna Jarrett
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