Bigs Quote by Annie Fellows Johnston
“The little dog-eared books in the meeting-house proved poor reading ... So many of them were about unnaturally good children who never did wrong, and unnaturally bad children who never did right. At the end there was always the word MORAL, in big capital letters, as if the readers were supposed to be too blind to find it for themselves, and it had to be put directly across the path for them to stumble over.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Little House in the Big Woods, 1905
The author criticizes did moralistic children's stories that force lessons, preferring subtlety over overt preaching.
In simple terms: Children’s books often force moral lessons.
Key Takeaway
Encourage readers to discover morals themselves.
Themes
education
literature
childhood
morality
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
literary
educational
When to use this quote
- parenting guidance
- book clubs
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
didacticism
subtlety
reader autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can stories teach without preaching?
- What is the impact of hidden vs. obvious morals?
A Different Perspective
Overly explicit morals can reduce critical thinking.
![“The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before going in with [Larry] Holmes. That would have made all the difference.” quote by Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d63/gerry-cooney-20863_bigs_the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-m_1534.jpg)
