books we’re skipping
This is a list of books we’re skipping—books we originally had in our lists to check out but that we’re choosing to forego.
The Nocturnals: The Best Burp
Many folks would find this totally benign, but here's why I am skipping this one: (1) although it's not that big of a deal, it does include some arguing and then competition over who can make the best/biggest burp, and then (2) (and this is the deal breaker) it talks about blame and then the fox character gets all preachy with heavy-handed moralizing ("Are those ways to be your best self?") which ends with apologies and the fox saying "Now that is much better!" -- all of which I think may tend to inadvertently shame children for these kinds of impulses. I just happen to think that this misses the mark at its attempt to encourage children not to be competitive (there are other ways that would be more successful and also not possibly introduce shame).