Dangers between the book covers
The early years of childhood are formative ones and the Greek philosopher Aristotle is attributed to having said “give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man” (the saying has also been attributed to St Ignatius Loyola – the founder of the Jesuits.)
Either way, the importance of parents providing an environment in which their children can grow and flourish is crucial. For Christian parents this involves teaching their children the truths of the Bible, being a guide and an example together with keeping them from harmful influences.
The latter point is challenging in a society that is imbibing God dishonouring ideologies such as LGBTQ+ and the transgender agenda. Also, we are in a society in which there is an apparent rise in the focus on self and increasing attempts to bring down the norms of right and wrong.
This was highlighted when talking to a friend who related how a mother had borrowed a library book that appeared just be a children’s story. The book is called “A Fox called Herbert” (on the title cover the word ‘rabbit’ is superimposed by the word ‘fox’. The book, published in 2020, is being promoted by major mainstream booksellers and the following is from an LGBTQ+ website:
“A wonderful book for your children about Your family accepting who you truly are and has parallels with the trans community coming-out stories.
Meet Herbert: the rabbit who knows he was born to be a fox. When his mummy isn’t looking, he puts on pointy fox ears, makes himself a bushy tail, and asks his sister to paint him orange, just like a fox. But Mummy doesn’t understand: why can’t he just be a good rabbit?
A Fox Called Herbert is a true celebration of being ourselves and supporting our loved ones. Let this joyful tale inspire you to be who you are and follow your dreams.”
If parents or others would like to see the book for themselves then the author who also illustrated the book (M Sturton) has made a video of their reading the book which is available by clicking here.
Whilst finding information about ‘A Fox called Herbert”, we came across a number of books that also caused us concern about the way young minds are being influenced. One, in particular, was called “A is for Activist” (2013). The following is a description from the UK Amazon website:
“A is for Activist is an ABC board book written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives: families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. The alliteration, rhyming and vibrant illustrations make the book exciting for children, while the issues depicted resonate with their parents’ values of community, equality and justice. This engaging little book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future.”
There is a video of the author (Innosanto Nagara) reading the book which is available on the Internet and can be found by clicking here.
Two other books that caught our attention, aimed at young readers, were “F is for Feminism: An Alphabet Book of Empowerment” (2019) and “V is for Vegan: The Abcs of Being Kind” (2013). The latter book is aimed at three- to five-year-olds – click here.
One final thought, a child’s formative years should be for protecting their innocence and developing imagination – they should not be used as a seedbed for indoctrination.
