Linkmeister

You know, it's funny. I hadn't read Lovecraft in years, until I found some free ebook downloads a couple months ago. When I visit my brother in Seattle, I've found it easier to just take my computer than a bunch of real books. Of course, I have been unable to contain myself where the Lovecraft's concerned and have been reading some every few nights or so, since I downloaded them. I actually had to devour the mass of Hardy boys mysteries and Baum books I downloaded too, but the Lovecraft has been a steady thing, just read some last night in fact.

It's only been a fairly recent addition, the reading of the original, non-disney, AA Milne Pooh books. Thankfully, the five year old seems to prefer these to the disney picture books. I actually have a few of those in the computer too, though we have the actual, hardcover copies as well. It's just been very handy to have a variety of good books on the computer for the boy as well. We also have several Burgess' animal stories and, of course, Toad stories. Indeed, this might just be a good way to ease him into Lovecraft, when he gets a tad older mind. Or it could be a good way to cause emotional scarring - eh, that's what therapy's for.

I should note, that he has a plush Cthulu in bed with him at this very moment. A rather twisted friend of ours got it for him years ago, it's still his very favorite plush cephlapod (yes, he has more than one).

He's five? No Lovecraft for him! Wait till he's ten!

Wind in the Willows, now. . .no, that's probably not till about ten either, if only because you want him to understand that cops aren't to be hidden/run from.

I was actually going to wait until he's at least seven, for the Lovecraft. . .No, I don't really want to traumatize him. It will actually be kind of hard though, because he knows that there are stories about Cthulu and he assumes that, because he has a Cthulu toy, he should be able to read them.

He does actually have a pretty good grasp of cops. We've had a lot of very good talks about them and with them - one of the wonderful things about community policing. He understands that, just as there are regular people who are good, bad or somewhere in between, there are also cops who fit those categories.

We've watched a few movies that have similar situations, to those in The Wind in the Willows and had pretty good talks about them. I really tend to take the attitude, that we shouldn't shelter him from difficult concepts, but rather we should let him see them and then make sure he understands what they mean. We have read very little of Wind in the Willows, but only because I try to save most of the stories for trips. It only works so well, because he really likes to read stuff on the computer and blog posts are a lot harder to explain. Although, PBS has several blogs by various cartoon characters that he really enjoys.