Illustrated Books that are NOT Appropriate for Children

These books may look like children's books, but don't be fooled, they are actually aimed at adults.

1.  "Go the F**k to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés

Maybe this was an impulse buy or you received this as a joke gift and you want to get extra mileage out of it by reading it to your children (but the pictures are just so pretty and the kids will never know what it really says).  Just don't. Wait for the upcoming sanitized version if you really want to share it with your kids.

2.  "Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young People" by Douglas Coupland and Graham Roumieu

The title may be tongue-in-cheek, but seriously, these really are highly inappropriate tales for young people.  The stories follow the disturbing activities of characters such as a zombie substitute teacher who devours children, a sociopathic juicebox, an action figure with serious issues. 

3.  "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" by Edward Gorey

"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears."  Need I go on?  While I love Edward Gorey, his stories are not for little children. 

4.  "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary" by David Sedaris

Don't let the cute picture on the cover fool you.  These anthropomorphic animal tales are aimed at adults (and even adults might find the stories and illustrations disturbing).

5.  "The Look Book" by Chris Sickels

I've never read this book, but the publishers warn this book uses dark humour combined with adult content.  It received many positive reviews on Amazon, so you may want to buy it for yourself - just don't give it to your children.


Did you ever mistake a picture book aimed at adults for a children's book?  Please share your story.

Bedtime Tips: Create Stories with Your Children

Children love using their imagination, so instead of just reading bedtime stories to your children, why not make some up with them? 

For younger children, you may need to invent most of the story, but that doesn’t mean they still can’t contribute.  For example, let them decide the name of the prince, or the colour of the princess’s pet dragon. 

If you aren’t confident in your storytelling abilities, start by retelling your favourite fairytales, and your child can provide some new twists.  Who says “Little Red Riding Hood” can’t become “Little Purple Riding Hood”, or that “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” can’t become “Goldilocks and the Three Aliens”?

For older children, you can take turns adding a new sentence to the story.  Some suggested opening lines to get your story started are: 

• On the first day of winter Prince Woebegone looked out his tower window and saw….
• When Mage the Magician asked for a volunteer from the audience….
• Princess Brave was not afraid of anything, until she…..
• As they left the pet store, Sam and Julie asked their mom if they could….
• One night, Martin heard a strange noise coming from under his bed, so he decided to….
• When the frog jumped into Ashley’s purse she....

Don’t forget to write down the best stories.  Your child can even draw pictures to accompany them. 

If you have an original story to share that you have written with your child, please post it in a comment below.