Ok I was thinking, what if there were books dealing with heavy subjects, but aimed at kids aged say around three andproduced in age related language.

Would you buy itto read toyour children?

I'm not sure if I'd buy it, Athaba. 3 just seems tooyoung.

It's a good question though--a reminder that in thesetimes,there are many"talks" that can't be delayed for too long.

all & mwemaj

Ok I was kinda being deliberately vague over what I meant by 'heavy subjects' as I wanted to see what others thought that was.

The popular view may be, sex issues, relationships, death and bullying. But what about abookon the horrors of our history for a child?

Is it right to teach them early?

If it wasproduced in anage related way would you buy it? That meansfor children as young as three, it would probably be mainly in graphics anyway. But is itrightthat these books should be published at all?

I think at that age the teachings should focus more on where we come from and how beautiful we are as a people: past and present.

The horrors should come a little later...after all that isn't where our story begins.

stories are a good way to teach small children. african heroes can be introduced to children in this way. after all, how many of us have known bible stories like Samson and Delilah, David & Goliath, Noah and the Ark, Jonah and the Whale, greek, roman and norse myths, from a very early age? this is the way to teach our children about heroes such as those who resisted slavery, those who helped to free slaves, those who started uprisings/revolts, early african civilizations, kings and queens of africa, civil rights leaders, etc. i see no reason whythese stories cannot be made age appropriatebecause you can buy books ofbible stories for very young children.

all the things we want our children to know in terms of our history can be taught to them in the same way as we teach them anything. age three is when most children are just learning to read so i dont think its necessary to give them books with a heavy subject matter such as the horrors of slavery, or lynching i think that kind of thing would be more appropriate when they are a little older and more advanced with reading and comprehension skills. there is so much that children can be taught about their history from as early as they are able to learn it, especially the more positive periods of our history and these can be learnt through song, play, art & crafts etc and i think this is very important too and something all parents should take seriously.

I agree with that bubz. After all how many of us read hansel and gretel stories only to discover later that there might had been much more to them then when we first read them.

But as for the lynchings etc could we not show them with illustrations and simple language for the younger ones? Perhaps, waiting until their sophistication of reading is high - is leaving it too late?

Bubz I didn't think of it in that way, but I agree.

Athabawhy do you feel is it necessary to show them pictures like that, so soon? If I have children I will not be showing them pictures of lynchings at such a young age. There is plenty of time for that and everything in moderation.

each year kids are born smarter

they know more at their age than the last

i met a 7yr old who knew about effects of lightening

i know a 3yr old who knows about babies

history should be introduced young. the younger the better

LadyDay wrote: I actually think that's a bit off key and unnecessary. But each to their own, I guess confused3

athaba wrote: I would buy books, but I would still keep in mind that they are children and children do not need to be shown everything about everything. There are ways of conveying the seriousness of what happened without the images-I will be saving that for later years when I feel they are mentally and emotionally able to cope, understand and ask the right questions. I do not want to give my child nightmares-certain images stay in people's minds and not always for the better.

As for your friend, that is wrong. How will they know to ask about something if they don't know it existed? Doesn't that defeat the object of taking your child's education into your own hands? confused3That's actually lazy!

This is my web site http://www.hakikipublishing.co.uk and it is my fervent desire to produce books of educational value for Children, but the Characters that will teach the world are Black. The first two books of the children's range - 'The Wise Child' series are based on two rituals in Islam and what they mean. The rest of the series will be based on history, science, geography and any other subject matter I consider appropriate as the characters develop and more books are produced. Comments, criticism and ideas for stories are welcome.

I appreciate the discussion thread from all of you and it confirms for me that we are not going anywhere as a people without each other.

Research has proved that babies LEARN whilst they are in the womb and as the mother has two wombs - mind and abdominal area - it is worth taking into account that everything mother thinks about and sees during birth, goes into the mind of the child.

So whilst graphic images are prohibited at the ages mentioned, all the imagery and audio mother listens to, sees and watches during pregnancy, baby also sees and