The Dude loves Encyclopedia Brown. So much so that he's read all the Encyclopedia Brown books in his school library. Accordingly, for his half-birthday, we decided to get him the Complete Sherlock Holmes, and he's now happily engrossed. So far, so good.However, the second collection of short-stories in this compendium is all about the Mormons, from Sir Arthur's perspective, which treated Mormons more as an exotic and dangerous Mohammedans than as real people. 'Spoza and I decided to seal this portion of the book with paper for now, because we don't feel quite ready for our six year old to learn about the Mormons and their exotic ways from Sir Arthur. Of course this is already inducing the forbidden fruit effect, despite the fact that we've covered up 50 pages out of 1100.
So, oh wise Internets, what do you think we should do? Inoculate the Dude against Sir Arthur's perceptions of Mormonism by giving him lectures on polygamy and differentiating truth from fiction, and then unseal the book? Unseal it and say nothing? Keep it sealed and hope he doesn't read it anyway? Tell him we'll explain everything when he's older? ...
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ReplyDeleteBuy dollar Dover editions of his very own, leaving out Study in Scarlet.
Dude is a smart kid. I'd probably just explain it as simply as possible. that some people don't understand the church, and so they think wrong things about it.
ReplyDeleteBryan, I don't think it is wise for Hyrum to read this kind of stuff at his age. He is not old enough and does not have enough backgrownd in the gospel to digest this kind of material objectivly. He will get enough of the anti stuff from school whihc will require your attention to explain. Let him have his childhood. Discuss what goes on at school with him and help him with the crap he hears there.
ReplyDeleteLove, Grandpa Cat
These books were written along time ago.........the stories are wonderful - I would nt worry too much. He has to wade through the questionable stuff and probably wont be very critical at this stage.
ReplyDeleteDown play it and concentrate on the rip-roaring mysteries.
(Mother of 5 boys)