This is a bit of a personal rant for me. Hope that’s ok. I love reading. I love reading for myself, and I love reading
to the children and encouraging them to have the same love of books that I
do. This is Banned Book Week and
I’m still amazed at the number of books, classic and otherwise, that are on it,
as well as the reasons behind their being challenged. Why?
There’s no reason for it in this day and age. A person’s beliefs and feelings are theirs, absolutely,
and a person has every right to read what and what not they would like, and
parents definitely have the right to monitor what their children are reading (I
fully admit that I won’t allow my sons to read certain books simply due to the
more ‘adult’ content, but my sons are 10 and 7), but should I be able to tell
my son’s entire class that none of them should be able to read that book? No. If
you don’t like a book, or feel that a book is inappropriate for you and your
family, don’t read it. It’s ok. But don’t take it off the shelves
everywhere.
The following is from
www.notimeforflashcards.com (wonderful
blog, do go check it out!!!).
Now, this
list is from the States....but still.
I
have almost every one of these books (and a lot that are just like them as
well) and I do read them to the children.
I would like to take this opportunity to open a discussion with my
families: how do you feel about these books, or ones like them?
Questions?
Concerns?
Opinions?
“This week is Banned Books Week and I
wish I could say that no picture books are ever banned but sadly that is not
the case . Parents are by far the most frequent challengers and school
libraries are by far the most frequent place to make a challenge. I hope
no matter what your personal feelings about a book may be that you are as
outraged as I am that books are still being banned in this day and age. I know
that some of you aren’t comfortable reading some or maybe all of these books
with your kids and as a parent you get to make the rules at your house for your
family and I respect that. We are all capable of setting rules for our own
families that fit with our own boundaries but banning books from schools and
libraries is not the answer. That one book that you may disagree with may be
the one book that sparks a love of reading and learning for a child .
The
Sissy Duckling
by Harvey Fierstein is a lovely
book. As a mom to a son I worry about him getting teased when he is older if he
isn’t into sports, or likes to bake cookies more than play video games. This
book address that, in a cute but frank way. I especially love how the dad isn’t
super happy that his son is into more traditionally girly things. I think that
even though we hope that all parents would be immediately supportive the
reality is, that parents are human too and acceptance can take time even when
there is lots of love. ETA: Now that my son is almost 6 and very into sports
and very into pretty much everything that is stereotypically “boy” I use this
book to teach him the other side. To see that all people are unique and to
respect everyone for that uniqueness not for their ability to fit some societal
mold.
So why was it banned? The reasons given were gay positive themes. As you
will see that is unfortunately a recurrent theme on this short list.
The
Family Book
by Todd Parr is a book that
doesn’t give readers a narrow definition of family , it doesn’t say that your
family has to look a certain way, or be the same as your neighbors. As a
teacher I really appreciated the matter of fact way it embraced diversity. Kids
see that families are not all like theirs and it’s important to validate the
truth while recognizing that while they may not all look alike, all families
are made with love. Great book , cute illustrations and children love it.
This book wasn’t banned 10 years
ago it was just recently banned from use for an elementary school curriculum
about diversity, tolerance and bullying. It was banned from a curriculum about
tolerance. Am I the only one who sees the irony? The issue was with it’s pages that state that some families
have 2 moms and some have 2 dads. It makes me sad that some children who do
have 2 moms or 2 dads won’t get a chance to see their family reflected in this
bright, fun and diverse book.
And
Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson is a much
debated book. It’s the true story of two male penguins in central park zoo who
didn’t have any interest in the girl penguins but definitely liked each other.
When the zoo keepers noticed that they were in every way a matched pair they
also noticed that they prepared for a baby just like the other penguins. Time
after time they were sad until they were given an egg to care for. Just like
all families love and care is what matters when creating a family and baby
Tango and his two daddies have thrived . My son loved this book and asked me to
please go see the penguins when I was in NYC. I didn’t have time to but I wish
I had. Their story simplifies a very debated topic and I think it’s a great
book not only to explain how all families are different but also how love and
care are really what makes a family even for penguins.
This picture book was the most frequently challenged and banned book of 2010, 2008, 2007
and 2006. A true story about a family of penguins. Wow.
In
the Night Kitchen (Caldecott Collection)
by Maurice Sendak is one of the
many books I remember exactly where I was when I first read it ; Coquitlam
Public Library sitting in the shag carpeted row boat amazed that the main
character Mickey had no clothes . Which is exactly why it got banned.
First let me tell you about the
story if you have never read it. Mickey falls out of bed and into the night
kitchen where the bakers try to bake him and ultimately he saves the day and
falls back into bed and back to sleep. For me this story is about power and
freedom and how kids don’t get to feel that day to day but free from reality at
night in their sleep they can. Even as a little girl giggling at the pictures
in the book I read the words and felt the freedom from being little that Mikey
felt. When I read it to my son he giggled and giggled at Mickey’s body. I was
sorta hoping he’d be more mature than I was at 5, we always expect the best
from our kids right? Like me he still got the heart of the story and even
expressed that Mickey was naked because he was dreaming and got to do whatever
he wanted.
So why was is banned? That whole
lack of clothing issue really upset a lot of people. So much so that it’s been
in the top 25 banned books for decades.
Sylvester
and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig is a book many
of you may recognize from your own childhood . I remember the sweet story from
my own. Sylvester is a little donkey who finds a magic pebble and after
discovering that it grants wishes he makes a terrible mistakes and turns
himself into a rock. As a rock he is unable to wish himself back into a donkey
and is left to sit silently while his parents are frantic, search and finally
grieve. Sylvester almost gives up himself until by chance his parents come
across his rock and the magic pebble and he is turned back into his “true
self”. My son loved the story and I loved how when we talked about it he
expressed so much empathy for Sylvester and his parents. The obvious message
that you have to be careful what you wish for is a powerful one for kids
learning about consequences. The other messages which for us were the more
important ones were that family bonds can break through anything and that
no matter what even if he is a rock I would never give up on him.
Now it sounds like a great book
right? It is. So why was it banned? When Sylvester goes missing his parents go
to the police who are portrayed as pigs. All the characters are animals and my
son didn’t make the connection because he’s never in his life heard anyone
refer to police officers as pigs. I thought it was tongue in cheek but in 1977 it was
enough to get banned.
Would you
ban these books?”
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