World Famous Comics: The Best Nest (Beginner Books(R))
The Best Nest (Beginner Books(R))
By: P.D. Eastman Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 72 Publication Date: July 12, 1968 Reading Level: Ages 4-8 Release Date: July 12, 1968 Studio: Random House Books for Young Readers
Adorable book, great illustrations! ^ I loved this book as a child and I love it now as an adult, having read it to other young children. Wonderful choice about home!
enjoyed by all ^ thought this book might be a little advanced for my [...] year old granddaughter but she really seemed to enjoy the story . also was enjoyed by the adults in our family, cute book .
My daughter loved this book when she was 2. ^ This is a darling story that my daughter and I read practically every night for a year!
an Absolute Classic! ^ This is the book you remember from your childhood! A Classic! Great to read aloud, or great for a beginning reader to read to you.
On the question of stereotypes ^ ...I have to agree, Philip Dey Eastman's "The Best Nest" definitely raises some questions in the modern adult's mind about gender stereotypes. Aside from putting the thrust of the story into motion- unnecessarily- Mrs. Bird is bossy, demanding, critical of her husband's judgement (while not possessing any better judgement of her own), irresponsible (she forces her husband to search for her), prone to change her mind on a whim, and completely unapologetic about all of the above. One can almost imagine the "Ain't that just like a woman?" snicker. As an adult, one can recognize that the book is a product of its era (it was first published in 1968), but the question definitely needs to be asked: "Can my child make that kind of distinction? Or am I teaching something about the interplay between men and women, and married couples, that I would prefer not to?"
For myself, I'll say the bouncy wording and bright illustrations would probably appeal to very young children, and children over ten (if they're still interested in things at this level) probably *are* capable of recognizing that the characters are just characters and not role models. But I might hesitate to read this to a child in between those ranges... I'd much rather go with _One Fish, Two Fish_, or _The Sneetches_, or even Eastman's own _Go, Dog, Go!_.
If your child's game of "house" gets a lot bossier after this book becomes their favorite... You've been warned.
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