DO you know the story of Chicken Licken? She was a dozy blonde bird who confused an acorn for the sky falling on her head and set off to tell the king about it.
On the way she collected a whole host of feathered friends, including Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey and Ducky Lucky, who all fell in behind . . . until they met with wily old Foxy Loxy, who told them he knew where the king was and led them straight to h
is lair where his vixen and litter of cubs had their best lunch ever.
It's a story I remember from my childhood, so I recently read it to my son without a second thought. It was only when my husband picked it up and was somewhat disturbed by the ending that there was any discussion about its suitability.
I then also had to confess to reading the Gingerbread Man (he too was eaten by a fox after running away from his baker parents), of telling the tale about the dangers of a magic porridge pot (imagine almost drowning in a runny breakfast cereal because of your greed), and of reciting the potentially awful fate of Hansel and Gretel (although for once it was the witch who ended up in the oven).
Having grown up on such tales and not been particularly affected, or so I believe, it comes as something of a surprise that parents are now rejecting them because they believe they are too scary at bedtime or politically incorrect.
Apparently, children's fairytales are being phased out in favour of modern alternatives such as The Gruffalo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar – both very good books – but the idea that you can't read your kid Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, because the word dwarf is not politically correct, is nothing short of ridiculous nonsense. Especially when such a revelation comes at a time when "small person" Verne Troyer is likely to win this year's Celebrity Big Brother just because the public thinks he's "sooo cute".
Of course, this idea that parents are rejecting fairytales comes from an internet poll of just 3000 people, so thankfully it could well be that the majority of parents are still introducing their youngsters to the fact that the world is not all sweetness and light through the age-old medium of fairytales.
But it is just the latest in a long line of revisionism when it comes to kids' books. Poor Noddy has been pilloried for racism and sexism, banned from schools and public libraries and undergone numerous makeovers, as have the Famous Five and even nursery rhymes like Baa Baa Black Sheep have been changed – quite why children aren't allowed to know that some breeds of sheep have black-coloured wool is anyone's guess.
Personally I think a dose of the slightly darker side of life, told through fairytales (the days of yore version of reality TV, almost), can only be good for children, warning them of the potential dangers they may face in life. But they also hammer home the message that good behaviour and hard work can actually lead to happiness, and sometimes wealth – just think of Cinderella or the shoemaker who was helped out by the elves.
That message surely cannot be considered old-fashioned, and isn't it the function of fairytales to cater to a child's simple sense of justice and to help them learn to act out and deal with aggression?
All I know for sure is that Chicken Licken didn't cause any sleepless nights, and the one book my son has been scared by is The Gruffalo's Child. I've yet to fathom why, but it might just be the tale is set at night and the illustrations are therefore dark and shadowy. And let's face it, children are much more likely to be scared of the dark than of a fox.
It's hardly a stealTHE hotspots for car thefts were revealed earlier this week, and it came as no surprise to me that the Corstorphine area was way down the list.
Perhaps it was a festive spirit of generosity, but four days after leaving the car parked in Station Road on Christmas Day, the police called to say that someone had reported the passenger window was open. Not smashed in, just not closed.
How community spirited. In fact, when we went to pick it up later that day we discovered that not only had the window been left completely open (the internal blower sometimes lacks a little puff), but the whole vehicle was an open invitation seeing as it hadn't been locked either.
While I'm sure that says a lot about the honesty of Corstorphine folk, I have a sneaking suspicion that the fact the stereo doesn't play CDs and the car has more than a little rust seeing as it's more than 11 years old made it a completely unattractive proposition to any thief. Maybe I should mention this to the insurance company?
Flattening the past
GREAT news that the high flats at Gracemount are to be flattened. These monolithic structures were terrifying for a variety of reasons – not least because of the alleged drug-taking, glue-sniffing and other unsavoury goings-on that happened in their stairwells.
There have been many improvements to Gracemount over recent years, from the leisure centre to the new schools, but these towering eyesores refused to let the area shake off a reputation as a blackspot of deprivation.
Hopefully now, with 125 new council homes being built, the place will have a complete sense of rebirth.
