Any sexist childrens books?

Question

I have to do a project for my psych class thats shows how some childrens books shows sexist points. For example, 'Bobby is going to be a firefighter because he is a boy, Susie wont becaues she is a girl and wants to be a teacher.'


I need all the help that I can get! :) Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

http://www.kidsource.com/education/gender.issues.L.A.html
http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/bibs/childgen.html
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_5-6_50/ai_n6079156
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_2001_July/ai_81478076
http://www.birchlane.davis.ca.us/library/10quick.htm
http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/gender.htm
http://www.ecclectica.ca/issues/2006/1/index.asp?Article=24
http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dissertations/AAI9902582/

Answer 2

Have you ever watched the John Stossel special on sexism? In that someone accuses seasame street of being sexist because it features male characters in all the big role. Just think, Ernie and Bert, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and even the main real people are men. I think you need to look at examples like that, because you probably will have a hard time finding anything that blatantly sexist unless you go back to the 50's.

Answer 3

Not so much titles but a useful site, titled:

10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books
for Racism and Sexism
from The Council on Interracial Books for Children

Answer 4

One of my favourite tales is "Bluebeard", it's french (Le Barbebleue) and it's about women's curiocity.

It's about a man who sets on for a journey and leaves the castle's keys to his wife. He allowes her to visit any chamber, see all the treasures and everything, except for one little chamber in the cellar. He shows her the little key and tells her it's forbidden to enter this room.

Months go by and she is getting bored for she has seen the whole castle again and again. Curiocity is itching her... so she decides to visit the forbidden chamber. She walks in and she finds headless women's corpses! She gets so nervous that she drops the keys in a little blood lake on the floor and she leaves the room in agony. Then she notices that the little key has a blood stain that won't come out...

When Barbebleue returnes, he asks the keys back. He examines them and notices the stain, so he tells her that she has proved once more that women are curious. She is condemned to meet all the other women in the cellar.......

(my version has a happy end with her brothers rescuing her, whatever!)

This tale is more about knowledge and wisdom and the consequenses it bears to seek the absolute knowledge, something like the pandora box. I find it really exciting, altough a bit hard for children! Hope it suits your project!

Answer 5

Cannot remember any sexist books as my childhood was many many moons ago. Do remember a racist story called 'Little Black Sambo' that was finally removed from schools after being read by generations of kids for years.

Answer 6

The Topsy and Tim series tend to show Mum in the kitchen and the children in stereotypical gender roles.