Well, this is just to remind myself: I went to pick Henry up from daycare today, and a co-oping parent was holding up a book as it was being read on a tape (you know, musical background, beeps when it's time to turn the page). I wish I knew the title of the book, but I found it very irritating on multiple levels.

It was a book about a group of boy dinosaurs who were playing pirates, and a little girl dinosaur who wanted to play with them. The alpha boy said something like "girls can't be pirates" and the other boys went along with him... they went off to climb the crow's nest, build a fort and dig for buried treasure but they weren't having much fun, and they noticed that the girl (who was playing by herself nearby) could do all the key pirate things better than they could -- climb, build, and dig. finally, the other boys made the alpha boy ask her if she'd play with them and all was well.

But... but... but... doesn't this ruin the point completely? Doesn't this seem to imply, that if someone CAN'T climb better than you, or dig, or whatnot, then it's ok not to let them play with you? or say they can't be pirates? And if your friends are having fun without the other kid, it's ok to exclude her (or him)?

And don't get me started about Rainbow Fish!