Debbie DeGroff is an ordinary parent who got into children’s books when her eldest child started reading, and began noticing differences between modern literature and her own childhood literature (and literature before that).
Her curiosity soon turned to worry, sparking decades of research.
Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.
Haim Ginott
Over the last 30 years, she’s read thousands of kids’ and young adult books.
Her conversation with me is based on her eye-opening book, Between the Covers: What’s Inside a Children’s Book?.
Parents need to read children’s books
The book is a wake-up call to parents about the stuff their kids are consuming.
She challenges the authority of ‘the experts’ in child-rearing and education, urging moms and dads to take a more active role in their children’s lives.
Books for children should be of a kind that is not only interesting but also morally sound. They are too impressionable to be exposed to immorality.
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Her work isn’t just a critique of modern children’s literature; it also takes a historical perspective, revisiting the early 1900s when books like Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys were both popular and controversial.
Debbie delves into the hidden agendas in contemporary children’s literature, arguing that these books are not just innocent stories, but vehicles for indoctrination and manipulation. (For example, transgenderism, LGBTQ, and climate change propaganda.)
Beyond books
Of course, it isn’t limited to just books; she extends her argument to include the influence of degenerate media (like Cartoon Network and Disney) and educational institutions, suggesting a deliberate systemic issue.
The book also tackles the subject of controlled vocabulary and reading levels, showing that academic standards have been diluted over the decades.
She asks whether the educational system is genuinely benefiting children or setting them up for failure.
My view is the latter.
The stories we tell our children have the power to shape their values. It’s our responsibility to choose them wisely.
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Debbie presents this as a reflection of broader societal issues, asking whether or not we are progressing or regressing in our educational standards.
My view, again, is the latter.
Parents need to be more vigilant and proactive in their children’s education.
Here’s my conversation with Debbie.
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
Frederick Douglass
