Why I’m Still Reading ‘Problematic’ Children’s Books to My Daughter

A Defense of Reading Great (and Imperfect) Classics Together—Without Turning Every Story into a Moral Purity Test

I love reading to my daughter, but I had to make a change. Naomi is seven now. When she was five, I began to tire of reading picture books every night before bed. Yes, some large-format books with their vivid, colorful illustrations are fantastic. I still cherish my childhood copy of Rain Makes Applesauce, passed along from my older cousin (also named J…