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One in Four Children Never Heard a Classic Fairytale as Parents Scared by Sinister Messages

Thousands of under 5s’ are growing up across Britain without hearing fairytales like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and even Snow White – because parents think they’re either too scary
Education - 13 February 2012   Download IconContent available for download:  
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  News Hooks:

Traditional fairytales are being scrapped by parents who are scared of giving their children nightmares and want to dodge awkward questions, research out today reveals.

These classic stories are deemed as ‘too scary’ by a quarter of parents - causing 1 in 4 children to miss out on tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White until at least the age of five.

With 45% of mothers and fathers refusing to read Rumplestiltskin to their children because of dark themes like kidnapping and execution, and 52% saying Cinderella sent negative messages of young women doing housework all day – parents are rapidly replacing these characters with modern tales like the Gruffalo - which experts say have weaker ‘moral’ messages.

But whilst these books build up dust in an effort to protect our children, are we sacrificing their enjoyment for these tales that we once thought would live happily ever after…

. Introduction:

Research out today reveals that parents have huffed, puffed and said goodbye to all traditional fairytales of there childhood – choosing to read ‘less scary’ modern books to their own children. In attempts to avoid nightmares and awkward questions, one quarter of children won’t have heard stories like Cinderella, and Rumplestiltskin by the age of five because of underlying messages like theft and kidnapping…

But why have attitudes changed and are we worrying too much about the overactive imagination of our children? New drama series Grimm is coming out tonight at 9 on Watch, and is inspired by Grimm’s Fairytales, embracing the darker side of fairytale classics.

Joining us to discuss this further is children’s author Diane Purkiss who sits on the advisory board for the Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairytales and Fantasy.

. Suggested Questions:

What does research reveal about attitudes in our area towards reading classic fairytale bedtime stories to our children?

Why do you think so many parents are put off reading these stories?

What effect do you think this will have on children who are missing out?

Do you think attitudes need to change for the benefit of the younger generation?

What advice do you have for people who are fascinated by these traditional fairytale stories?

When does the show launch?