A blog designed to be used in school library media classes at Georgia Southern University and Auburn University.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Banned Books-Elementary Level Titles
Use "comments" to post brief summaries of books challenged/banned at the elementary level here. In your summary be sure to highlight the issues that resulted in the title being challenged.
The book that I chose was "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza. The main character is Heather, a pre-schooler with two moms. As the story unfolds, she sees that her classmates have many different types of families. Some have a mom, dad, and brother, while others have a mommy, daddy, and step daddy. We also see that her mother was artificially inseminated. The book is #11 on the 1990-2000 most frequently challenged books list according to ALA. I picked this book because I have a student with two moms this year for the first time in eight years of teaching. This book caused the NYC superintendent fired in the 1990's. It is challenged due to extremely descriptive language and the discussion of homosexuality.
I read the book "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This picture book about a penguin couple who long to start a family topped the ALA's 2006 list of most challenged books. The reason? It is a same sex penguin couple.
The book tells the true story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins who live in the Central Park Zoo. They became a "couple" in 1998 and built a nest together only to discover that the other couples "could do something they could not" which was lay an egg. The couple brought rocks that resembled penguin eggs to their nest and tried to hatch them but were, of course, unsuccessful. A zookeeper noticed their efforts and eventually put an extra egg that another couple had produced in their nest and Roy and Silo cared for it until it hatched, giving them a daughter named Tango.
The book has been challenged because of the homosexual implications and the depiction of the same sex family structure. Most people who challenged the book were outraged because it was "disguised" as a sweet penguin book and gave no indication from its title or pictures that it had content that is "inappropriate" for young children.
I really thought this book was very well written and could easily be one of those books that children like to hear read again and again. As for the inappropriate content, I read it to my eight year old and he really liked it, and thought nothing of the fact that these two "best friends"(as he called them) wanted to be with each other all the time and even wanted to raise a baby penguin together. While I think it would make a great springboard for a discussion on the topic of diverse family structures, it doesn't automatically lead there, as I don't think most children will readily make the connection between the penguin family and human families. Most children would just enjoy the story.
By the way, many of the book's opponents were thrilled by the fact that Roy and Silo recently parted ways, when one of them moved into the nest of a female penguin.
My banned book was "How to Eat Fried Worms" by Thomas Rockwell.
This is the story of two friends who enter into a bet. Billy is challenged to eat 15 worms in 15 days. If he is up to the challenge, he wins $50 from his friend Alan. As it becomes increasing clear, Billy is up to the challenge and so the twists and tricks begin. This story is a rowdy, realistic romp that shows a group of boys being themselves. This is the aspect of the story that has caused concern for censorship in the past. Parents were concerned about the idea of children betting. They also saw the eating of worms and all the cheating and bickering as unsavory behavior that should not be encouraged in a children’s book.
I think it is important to note that the main characters remain friends at the end of this betting episode. This may speak to the point that children are much more tolerant of character lapses than adults.
Is Shel Silverstein's "A Light in the Attic" really controversial?
According to some, "yes". I never would have guessed it. This was one of my favorite books growing up along with other collections of Shel Silverstein's poems, and I never thought they were inappropriate for me to be reading. It is now a part of my classroom library where it is a favorite of several of my students.
Controversial issues include poetry and illustrations that express nudity, death, and religion.
Nudity is seen in "Spelling Bee" . Which shows an illustration of a bare bottom that was stung by a bee. "Something's Missing" also shows a bare bottom when a man forgets to put on his pants. "Crowded Tub" describes a child in the tub who washes someone's behind that was not his.
Death is brought up in "Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony". When Abigail's parent say no to the idea of buying her a pony she says she'll die. They don't believe her but she actually does go to bed and die.
Finally, religion is brought up in "Prayer of the Selfish Child". It is a spin off of The Lord's Prayer in which the child prays "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my toys to break. So none of the other kids can use 'em."
It is my belief that this book should remain in the school library because the challenged content is displayed in a playful manner and the illustrations are done in cartoon fashion. The poems can also be used when teaching rhyming couplets and comma usage. Kids enjoy them because they are short, easy to read, and (of coarse) funny!
The book I chose to read was "The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron. This book is about a 10 year old girl named Lucky whose mother died. She was placed in the care of her father's ex-wife Brigette from France. She is afraid that Brigette will decide to get rid of her. She listens in on a 12 step meeting in her town and decides she needs to search for her "Higher Power".
The controversy over the book is due to the use of the word "scrotum" in the very beginning of the book. It is used in the proper context as one of the 12 step meeting members shares a story of how a snake bit his dog on the scrotum. According to a New York Times article, many school libraries chose to ban this book due to the use of this word, deeming it inappropriate for children.
My argument would be, first of all, what else would you call it? In my opinion, "scrotum" seems the least inappropriate of the words used to describe that part of the male anatomy. Also, it is only used once or twice in the whole book, and is not the main focus of the book. Why ban it for that?
I chose to read the book Deenie by Judy Blume. The book is about a 7th grade girl who wants to be a “normal” teenager but her mother has other plans for Deenie. She wants Deenie to become a model. After several interviews with different agencies Deenie is overlooked yet again. Deenie’s mother blames her for not trying to walk correctly. But then a teacher notices a possible problem with Deenie’s posture and recommends that Deenie’s parents that her to the doctor. Deenie is diagnosed with scoliosis which is a curvature of the spine. The doctors make a brace that Deenie must wear for the next four years. Deenie hates the brace and tries to hide it. She also doesn’t like the attention it calls to her. Everyone wants to know if she has been in an accident. During this time, Deenie deals with body image, family situations, and sexuality.
I also read "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. According to the American Library Association, the book was challenged for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group. As bellsl stated, this book is at the top of the 2006 list of most challenged books. Bellsl did a very good job of summarizing the story, so I won't give another summary. This would be a good book for aiding in a discussion of diverse families. However, if this book was read without having that discussion in mind, I do agree that most elementary aged children probably wouldn't make a connection between penguin and human families unless they were already exposed to this type of situation or it was pointed out to them. My six-year-old was more interested in the "sound coming from inside" the hatching egg. There is suggestive implications of homosexuality in the text that older students and parents would pick up on. My thirteen-year-old's face reflected this when I read "Tango was the very first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies." While the book is well written, I can see why some readers/parents might feel the way they do. However, the American Library Association "affirms the inclusion in library collections of materials that reflect the diversity of our society, including those related to sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation." Students have a right to be exposed to these books, and this book is tactful in presenting the concept of diverse families. I would read this book to my first grade students.
I read The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson. "Gilly" Hopkins is a foster child who has been bounce from one foster home to another. At 11 years old, Gilly is extremely bright and self-reliant, but she is also bitter and angry from years of repeated abandonment and rejection. Gilly is tough on the exterior with a smart, brash mouth on her. She dreams that one day her birth mother, Courtney Rutherford Hopkins will return to care for her someday. In her newest foster home, Gilly doesn’t care for s her new foster mother, Maime Trotter. Trotter is ahead of Gilly’s schemes and refuses to bow to Gilly's manipulative tactics. Yet, she does it in a very loving way. She is not unkind to Gilly. She forces Gilly to become a functioning member of the household. There are several issues in Gilly’s new environment. Gilly enjoys bullying the other foster child in the home. William Ernest Teague is a seven year old skittish little boy, and Maime hovers over him in an overprotective way. Also, Gilly has issues with fat people and Trotter is fat. She also has issues with racism. She dislikes being around African-American people, but her teacher, Miss Harris, and Trotter's closest friend, a blind man named Mr. Randolph, are black. As you can imagine, Gilly gets into trouble as usual while living in the Trotter home. She has scuffles with other students at school and leaves a rude homemade card for her teacher. Then there is the problem of an annoying girl from school, Agnes Stokes, who follows Gilly around in spite of her constant insults. Gilly learns that her mother is in San Francisco after Courtney sends her a postcard with a return address. Gilly writes her an untruthful letter about the foster home, pleading to be rescued. She discovers that Mr. Randolph has a cache of money hidden in his bookshelf. She manages to steal a significant amount of money from him as well as Maime Trotter and tries to use it to purchase a bus ticket to San Francisco. The bus clerk calls the police and she is taken to the station. . She only decides to return to Trotter's house when William Ernest pleads with her to come home. Gilly starts to discover she actually likes her new foster family and teacher. She begins being nice to William and teaching him to read and defend himself against bullies. Gilly also reads to Mr. Randolph from books in his large library. In school, Gilly comes to an understanding with Miss Harris and begins to excel in her studies. But just as Gilly settles into her new life, she is uprooted once again. Her mother, Courtney has received Gilly's letter, and has requested that the state relinquish custody of Gilly to her biological grandmother, Nonnie. Gilly requests to stay with Trotter, but the matter is now out of her hands. Her grandmother comes to take her to live with her in Virginia. Gilly misses the foster home but she bonds with Nonie, and tries to adapt to her new home. Nonnie did not know that Gilly even existed until her daughter told her of the letter. Nonnie is a nice grandmother and Gilly respects her, but still longs for her mother. When she learns that her mother is coming to Virginia for Christmas, she is excited because she believes that her longtime dream of a reunion is coming true. Courtney arrives, but Gilly is shattered because she immediately learns that her mother isn't going to stay in Virginia or take her back to San Francisco. She didn't even want to come for the holidays. She only consented to visit because Nonnie paid for her ticket. Gilly is heartbroken, but decides she will cope with the situation. After all, she just wants to make Trotter proud. She promised her. Discussion Because of its subject matter and the language and conduct of the title character, The Great Gilly Hopkins has been the subject of controversy. It is frequently banned from libraries across the U.S., particularly in schools and was ranked #21 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books for 1990-2000. I feel some parents confuse a book's subject matter with the belief that the author or publisher advocates a particular moral agenda. For example, they see that a book that contains profanity may be seen as one that encourages kids to use bad language. They may see a book that portrays a rebellious child as being seen as urging children toward anti-family behavior. This misconception is troubling to me. They are missing the bigger picture. There has been some speculation that parents who challenge books feel threatened in an uncontrollable world. They feel they get some control if they challenge a book that seems offensive. However, perhaps these parents’ attempts to protect their children are misguided. If anything, I would think a child would want to read the very book their parent objects to even more so. Parents also need to realize that just because a book has something offensive; it doesn’t mean the moral character of a child is going to change. Children are able to make their own choices. Adults don’t give children enough credit to knowing the complexities of the world. They certainly hear language far worse than Gilly. They know it is wrong. The most important thing to learn is that one has the freedom to choose what to read and learn life’s lessons through the literature. I believe without a doubt, that some of the best stories are that way because they are believable and compelling to the reader. They contain material that readers may find troubling. The Great Gilly Hopkins was banned in school libraries in Albemarle County, Virginia, because it contained curse words and "takes God's name in vain.” The parent who filed the complaint listed the profanities in the book without reading it. The school board twice recommended it be kept on the shelves after having a panel of educators study the issue. However, the school superintendent ordered it removed anyway. Katherine Paterson wrote to the school board in an open letter, "Though Gilly's mouth is a very mild one compared to that of many lost children, if she had said `fiddlesticks' when frustrated, readers could not have believed in her…” Children are more perceptive than some adults give them credit. If Gilly had not uttered the profanity, her character would not be true. Just because the child reads it, doesn’t mean they will act that way too. Instead, they learn about tolerance and why Gilly is the way she is. Hopefully, this will extend to real life circumstances. I do believe in freedom. I would not go against a parent’s wishes; however I would hope they are not being misguided in their challenging of a book. But we all have a right. We all have a right to read and a right to not read. We all can make choices. However, just because I wouldn’t want my child to read a book is not reason enough to have the book banned from a shelf. We all have choices. If I was against a book, I would make the choice of not having my child check that book out.
I chose the book "Blubber" by Judy Blume. The book is on a 3.8 reading level and is targeted for upper level elementary students. The book is about an overweight girl Linda who gives an oral report in her class on whales. She was describing the techniques of the removal of blubber on the whales when a note got passed to the main character Jill. The note read Blubber would be a good name for her. Before Jill knew it the note had made it around the classroom and everyone was laughing interrupting Linda’s report. The girl who first passed the note, Wendy made blubber Linda's new name. The name-calling escalated into more intense bullying and humiliation. Blubber was one of the most challenged books in the 1990’s. The reasoning behind banning the book is due to the characters cursing and the mean-spirited ringleader is never punished for her cruelty.
I choose to read And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. I choose this book because I teach kindergarten and wanted to pick a book for my grade level. And Tango Makes Three is picture book about penguins. After reading the book I did a little research of my own and learned that the book is based on a true story about two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The story is about two male penguins that seem to act a little different. The two penguins spend all their time together with each other. In the story they are given an egg to hatch. A baby penguin is born and they name her Tango. Tango is raised by two male penguins. And Tango Makes Three was one of the most challenged books in 2006. It was challenged for homosexuality. The book also raises the question of being raised by different types of families. In my opinion children reading or listening to the book would not understand the content. They would simply think that two penguins hatched an egg and had a baby.
The book that I chose to read was "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig. As I was reading this book that was awarded both the Caldecott Medal and Newberry Medal, I thought to myself how could such a wonderful children's book be banned from children's libraries. It is a story about a donkey named Sylvester, who collects pebbles that are unusual in shape and color. One day he comes across a pebble that grants wishes. Soon afterward, a lion scares Sylvester and in self defense, he wishes himself into a rock. As a result, he attempts to change himself back into a donkey and does not have any luck. This in turn causes his parents to search for their one and only son. After a picnic on a huge rock, Sylvester gets his wish - he becomes himself again.
Believe it or not, the controversy about Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was related to police being portrayed as pigs. The 70s were definitely a whole different time period!
The banned book I chose to read was "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson.
In the beginning, Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer, running in the fields around his farmhouse until he collapses in a sweat. A girl named Leslie moves in next door and changes his life. Leslie doesn't look or act like any of the other girls and also runs faster than him. At first he is mad, but begins to like her. The two of them create a secret kingdom in the woods named Terabithia, where the only way to get into the castle is by swinging out over a gully on an enchanted rope. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Jess and Leslie go to Terabithia to escape from worldly pressure until a tragedy strikes and the two are separated forever.
In Cromwell, Connecticut an attempt to ban Bridge To Terabithia, a Newbery Medal Winner, was motivated by a drive to purge the middle school curriculum of “materials containing information about witchcraft, magic, evil spells, or related material, now and forever…. They believed the material was satanic, a danger to our children, and had no place in their schools." In particular, Bridge to Terabithia was challenged for its “magical” content.
The book I read was "The Witches" by Roald Dahl. This book was #27 on the list of the most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000.
The book is about a boy who loses his parents in an accident and is subsequently taken care of by his grandmother, who he has a very close and loving relationship with. His grandmother teaches him about witches and warns him about them, giving him a list of tell-tale witch characteristics. When the boy and his grandmother go on vacation, he stumbles upon a convention of witches, with no other than the Grand High Witch herself in attendance. The witches find him and turn him into a mouse; however, not until after he has heard their devious plan to turn all the children of England into mice with their special potion. The mouse-boy finds his way back to his grandmother, and together they turn the tables on the witches by stealing a bottle of the potion and pouring it into their soup. The witches then turn into mice and are "taken care of" by the waiters, cooks, and others in the restaurant. The boy and his grandmother live happily together, despite him continuing to be a mouse. There is mention of a mouse's short life span. Eventually, the boy and his grandmother formulate another plan to infiltrate the witches castle, find the records of all the witches in the world, turn them into mice as well, and sic cats onto them to finally get rid of them once and for all. This book is controversial because of the witches and witchcraft aspects. It also could be taken as anti-female because all witches are women, although that aspect is balanced out by his wonderful grandmother. There are also the deaths of the witch-mice, the short lifespan of the boy-mouse, and a bit of violence when his tail gets chopped off in the kitchen when he is putting the potion in the witches' soup. The book is a bit scary at times.
The banned book I read was "The Witches" by Roald Dahl. The book begins with a little boy learning about how to identify real witches from his grandmother. As the story continues the boy ends up staying in a motel where actual witches are holding a convention. The boy ends up developing a plot to get rid of all the witches. The book is band because of the use of actual vocabulary and descriptive details of the area of witchcraft and their practices.
The book I chose was Mirandy adn Brother Wind. I chose this book because I love it and read it to my second graders every year. It's about Mirandy, a little girl who wants to win the junior cakewalk. Instead of dancing with her partner Ezelle, she'd like to catch Brother Wind to be her partner. The story goes on as Mirandy tries different ways of catching Brother Wind. If she catches him he has to grant her any wish she asks. The reason it was challenged is because one of the people Mirandy questions about how to catch Brother Wind is Mis Poinsettia, the "conjure" woman. It was challenged because "conjure" was considered related to the occult. This book is a Caldecott Honor book. It has beautiful illustrations, a cake walk is something all of my students can relate to and it also has quite a few "character ed" moments that teach young children how they should and shouldn't treat each other. I've always loved it and I will continue to read it to my classes!!
I read Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. The main character, Davey, is a girl who loses her father to a violent crime the summer before entering high school. Davey begins having panic attacks from the stress of dealing with the murder of her father and entering high school; this convinces her mother to visit her in-laws in New Mexico. There Davey meets Wolf, who helps her carry on with her life and not be afraid. Her mother is having a hard time adjusting and the short trip becomes more permanent and Davey has to adjust to a new school and new friends. Her new friend has a drinking problem and Wolf is dealing with a father with cancer. Seeing others deal with adverse circumstances helps to make Davey stronger, more sure of herself, and she begins to heal. Her mother begins dating and eventually snaps out of her depression and begins to heal as well.
I don’t see why this book would be banned; there is mention of sex and alcohol, and deals with death but nothing that would prevent me from letting a tween read it. It is rated for 9-12 year olds and I feel it is be appropriate for this age group.
The challenged book I read was the Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Katherine Paterson is an amzing author of many childrens books and has several books that have appeared on the challenged list. The Great gilly Hopkins is a about a foster girl who has moved from home to home because of her horrible attitude. She does her best to make trouble for those around her. She is very smart, yet likes to not do well in school, just to upset the whole school system. This book is challenged mostly because of its use of profanity. There really is not much profanity in the book, and the small use of it makes the character more credible. One would expect Giily's character to use such language. The book also has Gilly calling people names like fat, and hideous, and weird and crazy. She is also racist against African Americans. Many children do not know much about foster homes, and this book is great for educating them on the subject. Gilly Hopkins ends up falling in love with her foster home, only to be taken away to live with her grandmother. She wants to go back and live with her foster family, but knows she must stay with her grandmother. Gilly also is faced with the real truth about her beloved mother. The book is great at representing that life does not always turn out the way we want it to and it is not always happy.
Banned book=Shel Silverstein's Light in the Attic This collection of poems and illustrations by Shel Silverstein is geared toward children and young adults. The poems are simple, comedic and clever. Several reflect an attitude of playful disobedience toward parents and teachers. This gained the work some notoriety when it was first published. I chose this book from ALA’s list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 because I was familiar with the book. I read it to each of my children over the years and never found it controversial. It sparked my curiosity. I read it again and selected several poems that, by stretching the criteria, someone might have found a little offensive. For example, How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes advises children how to drop and break them so you won’t have to wash them again. Overdues describes an individual with a 42 year overdue book. Should he hide it? Quick Trip shows a little boy, eaten by a Gink. When you turn the page, he is pooped out of the Gink and rolls to the corner of the page. The very next poem, Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony, depicts a young nagging girl who died because her parents wouldn’t buy her a pony. The author advises children to read the story to their parents when their requests are not met! A two-page illustration shows children with picket signs, members of the Union for Children’s Rights, striking against parents and teachers…No Brussel Sprouts! Shorter School Hours! Longer Vacations! Higher Allowances! Even though this book made it to the “banned” list, the poems in this book are hardly controversial to the majority of readers.
Tango Makes Three and Heather Has Two Mommies both introduce homosexuality in picture book format, a subject that is still highly controversial, but as an article I recently read pointed out, only Tango Makes Three is age-appropriate. As several people pointed out, for children who are not directly experiencing life in two father family, Tango is about two penguins raising a chick whose own parents were unable to raise it. Heather has Two Mommies, while dealing with the same theme on a human level, which is important, especially for children in families with two mothers, and for their classmates, is age-inappropriate according to the author, because it goes into details about how the little girl was conceived by one of the mommies. While sex education is necessary, there are age-appropriate ways of doing this, and according the author this book did not introduce that subject well. The main point of the article , however, was, that there are almost no picture books helping children understand their families if the family happens to be a homosexual couple, and the few books that are available are either weakly written. I would say that is true about Heather. There is no character development, there is too much text for the age of the audience. Never-the-less, the book should be available, precisely for the reason Justin decided to read it, because there are children who may need the book to understand their own circumstances or those of a friend. I am sorry that I don't have the reference to the article. If I find it, I'll post it.
I read the book "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Patterson. This challenged book is about a girl who is tossed about from foster home to foster home and the adventures she encounters along the way. Gilly, who is the main character, has a very bad attitude and tries to hurt others the way she has been hurt herself. She uses rough language (swears & cusses), steals, lies, and fights with everyone. Gilly longs to be with her mother (Courtney) in California when she is sent to Mrs. Trotter's house. She does everything to make the family hate her and want to send her back. However, she ends up becoming a part of the family by Mrs. Trotter's tactful and enticing ways. This story has great characterization and Gilly takes on the attitude some pre-teens have when dealing with any type of families. Gilly's triumphs in this story outshine the negativity, ugliness, and rude behavior she exudes throughout the plot. Some parents might believe this book should be banned from the media center because of the attitude, rough language, racial slurs, stealing, lieing, and fighting Gilly undertakes. However, its the triumphs and realization that she overcomes that make this story worth reading.
I decided to read "the Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is the author of many books a few of them have found themselves to be on the banned or challenged book list. This book is about the life of Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins. Gilly has been in and out of foster homes all of her life. Gilly seems to be what one might consider a typical foster child. She is mad at the world and does not seem to stay long at any home. She is placed in a home with Ms. Trotter. The home is dirty; however Gilly has a plan to get out of the home like she always does. Mrs. Trotter has been keeping foster kids for over 20 years. At the present time she has a boy who Gilly determines is "retarded" and Gilly. The next door neighbor who comes over every night for dinner is a "colored" man. Gilly is very racial but warms up to him. Gilly has a foul mouth and loves to find herself in trouble. At the end of the story Gilly who has been hoping for a fairly tale reunion with her mother, comes to love her foster family. She warms up to being friends with a colored man. However the ending she hoped for was never reached. I feel like this book was banned or challenged due to the colorful language that was used. Paterson used the words hell and damn a great deal. For me it did not offend me but it gave me a truer picture of just how Gilly felt and what life was like for her. There were many times while reading this book that I began to cry due to the fact that I could just picture Gilly and what she was going through. If I was a MS I would love to have this book in my library. If a parent did not want their child to read it I would understand but I would fist ask the parent to read it themselves and see if they might change their minds.
I read Blubber by Judy Blume. This book has been challenged because it contains some profanity. The characters are fifth graders, and the plot concerns bullying at the grade school level. Judy Blume wrote this book to address a very relevant topic that still exists in our schools today.
The protagonist of the story is Jill, a Pennsylvania fifth-grader, who joins her classmates in ostracizing and bullying a slightly overweight girl named Linda. Linda gives an oral report about whales and is hence nicknamed “Blubber” by her peers. Wendy, a smart and popular girl, leads her classmates in bullying Linda and making her life a misery. This narrative follows the mercurial attitudes of preteen group dynamics and observes the ease with which bullying shifts targets. This is clearly illustrated late in the story when Jill inadvertently stands up for Linda and then becomes the main focus of harassment. Jill also directly antagonized Wendy by defending her best friend, Tracy Wu, when Wendy made a racial slur against her. But unlike Linda, Jill retaliates against her classmates when they harass her. After the story’s climatic event occurs in the girl’s restroom, Jill is no longer bullied by her classmates and becomes friendly with a new girl in her class while still remaining best friends with Tracy.
I can understand a parent's concern about his or her fifth grader reading this book; however,I feel the book's message outweighs the concern. Besides, I've heard some fifth graders use language that make the profanity in this book seem like "baby talk."
The book that I read is entitled Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite. It’s about a young boy whose parents are divorced. His father resides with his male partner. When the child comes to visit, he witnesses normal family scenarios and everyday behavior from a homosexual couple.
The book is considered controversial because it focuses on a homosexual couple raising a child, particularly a same sex child. It portrays two males involved in ordinary couple/parental activities such as housekeeping, reading to the son, playing games and arguing. It is written for a younger audience and is listed on the ALA most 100 challenged books listing.
It's interesting to see that so many of you have chosen titles by Judy Blume. I'd encourage all of you (but especially those who read her books) to read what she has to say about censorship. The link is in the link list.
"The Lorax" was first published in 1971 as a children's book and is often catergorized as a fable using elements of literature such as personification and rhetoric. In traditional Dr. Seuss style, alliteration and rhyme are used to address issues that result when part of a system is interrupted.
The "Once-ler" in the story cuts down the Truffula trees so that he can use their wonderful silk tufts to knit "thneeds." Once thneed sales rise, the "Once-ler" builds a factory so that he can keep making a profit. The Truffula trees are eventually all cut down which in turn causes the Lorax, the voice of the trees, to leave.
The "Once-ler" was so interested in making a profit, he did not realize that without the beautiful trees, he could not run his factory and make his "thneeds." Thus, all he left behind were remains from the factory, harming all of the animals that depended on the Truffala trees.
The book was banned because, on the surface, it can be perceived as an attack on the lumber industry. According to some critics, it portrays people in the logging industry as criminals seeking to make a profit with no regard to nature or the economy.
I read Bony-Legs, by Joanna Cole. I was always fascinated with books like this when I was a kid. It was banned due to magic and witchcraft.
"Joanna Cole's story, adapted from a traditional Russian Baba Yaga folk tale, tells about how Sasha comes upon a curious house in the woods, a hut that is perched on chicken legs. This is the home of Bony-Legs, a nasty witch who catches little girls and eats them. Sasha escapes with the help and cooperation of a rusty gate, a hungry dog and an ill-treated cat."
I wanted to post a brief example of one of the elements I came across that caused "Bridge To Terabithia" to be placed on the banned book list.
On page 12, in the chapter Leslie Burke, Jesse's father says "What are they teaching in that d--- school?" and a subtle reference is made in the next statement, but the whole word is not written, Jesse's father says,"Bunch of old ladies turning my son into some kind of a--" "A--" is used but not the actually word.
So far after this I have not came across any more offensive language that is considered unappropriated for your children and even young middle school students.
From Debbie Lundstrom: The book I chose: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I guess I never understood why this was a banned book.......I have read this book to my own children including nieces and nephews...apparently the story and pictures could be scary to little ones...my boys related to the book and my daughter just enjoyed the story imagining it was really her brother I guess......In my family the favorite is Where the Wild Things are......... the kids are adult and teenagers now and they still refer to the book..........
One of the things that always surprises students when they first read the list of commonly banned/challenged books is how many titles are virtual classics. I know I'd have to go back through many of these titles with a fine-toothed comb to try to find anything that seems remotely objectionable. It's a little easier with titles like Daddy's Roommate, Heather Has Two Mommies, or It's Perfectly Normal.
I read, The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson, and thoroughly enjoyed the book! Paterson is one of my favorite authors, especially with, Bridge to Terabethia.
But I wasn't surprised that this particular book is and has been on the challenged book list. While reading, I noticed a lot of crticism and inappropriate language from Gilly. But what do you expect from a child, who has been in a foster home after foster and abandoned by her mother? Paterson portrays Gilly in the true reality of a child of hurt and anger.
I believe an author puts language in the book for a reason, and Gilly's language describes her anger and the growing up she had to endure during her many foster homes.
Gilly also has a problem with her new foster home caretaker, Mrs.Trotter, and the fact that she is extremely overweight. Gilly also struggles with disliking others because of their skin colored, just because they are different. This brings out the insecurities Gilly faces in her own struggle in discovering herself. Usually someone who is very insecure, will bring out others faults and use them to hurt them. Paterson demonstrates this through Gilly. Gilly is a very lonely insecure little girl who wonders constantly why her mother want come get her right away. Gilly feels herself with these lies about her mother, hoping one day she will come.
Throughout the book Gilly, learns to come to respect the characters of different color and her foster home care taker, but then she is taken out of this comfort zone once gain. Gilly is constantly being placed into situations that hurt and anger her because they make her feel inferior and insecure about herself. Students need to learn as they read different books, not every character is happy and will always end with a happy ending. The real world doesn't always work that way. People suffer but people learn to make the best of every situation.
This is a wonderful book! Paterson truly portrays the reality of a child who has been hurt by so many people and carries her burdens heavily on her shoulders.
I read the book "The Enormous Crocodile" by Roald Dahl. The Enormous Crocodile decides that he wants a nice juicy child for lunch, horrifying the other animals in the jungle--his friend, the Notsobig One; Humpy-Rumpy, the hippopotamus; Trunky, the elephant; Muggle-Wump, the monkey; and the Roly-Poly Bird. Despite his secret plans and clever tricks, what the boastful crocodile doesn't know is that the brave jungle animals have plans of their own for him! They all come into play throughout the story trying to stop the crocodile from eating village children. In the end, the Enormous Crocodile gets exactly what he deserves. This was a short read, but very humorous. I have enjoyed several of Roald Dahl's other books (James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc). I don't see very good reason why this book is challenged besides the fact that it talks about an animal that loves the taste of children. This may be scary for children of a young age, but children that are a little older will be able to appreciate its humor.
I chose the book "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak. The book was published in 1970 and won several awards, including the Caldecott Honor.
It is the story of a little boy who dreams his way out of his bed, out of his pajamas, and into a baker's kitchen. The little boy, Mickey, is baked into a cake, busts out, makes an airplane out of bread dough, flies into a carton of milk, and gets milk for the bakers to finish their baking. He then falls out of the kitchen, back into his pajamas, and into bed. The book ends with, "And that's why, thanks to Mickey, we have cake every morning." I did not really connect with or understand many parts of the story.
The book has been challenged based on nudity and offensive language.
The nudity is a bit odd. I see no need for the Mickey to have no clothes. I can see where parents would be surprised if their child brought this book home. Some media specialists have reported drawing shorts on him with a marker or drawing a diaper on him with correction fluid. Like many of you, I agree that marking out or changing anything about an author's work is wrong. I don't think I would ban this book, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it either.
I was confused that is was challenged for offensive language. None of the language offended me at all. I think the plot is weak and the bakers' chanting is strange, but not offensive.
I chose to read this book because I love Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." I did not enjoy this book, however.
"The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron is a banned book for elementary schools because of it's usage of the word "scrotum" and adult conversations overheard by the books main charter 10 year old Lucky.
Lucky lives in a trailer park in the middle of the desert with her father's ex wife. Lucky is searching for a way she can deal with her mother's death, father's lack of concern, and living in a remote town. This town has meetings for those that are looking for a higher power. Lucky sneaks under the window to hear the decisions in the meetings and decides she too needs to seek a higher power.
The use of the word scrotum is used correctly in the text as it would be in a medical text. The conversations Lucky overhears are stories of adults making poor decisions. But, these are topics children are faced with in their daily lives - it is life for some.
40 comments:
The book that I chose was "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza. The main character is Heather, a pre-schooler with two moms. As the story unfolds, she sees that her classmates have many different types of families. Some have a mom, dad, and brother, while others have a mommy, daddy, and step daddy. We also see that her mother was artificially inseminated. The book is #11 on the 1990-2000 most frequently challenged books list according to ALA. I picked this book because I have a student with two moms this year for the first time in eight years of teaching. This book caused the NYC superintendent fired in the 1990's. It is challenged due to extremely descriptive language and the discussion of homosexuality.
I read the book "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This picture book about a penguin couple who long to start a family topped the ALA's 2006 list of most challenged books. The reason? It is a same sex penguin couple.
The book tells the true story of Roy and Silo, two chinstrap penguins who live in the Central Park Zoo. They became a "couple" in 1998 and built a nest together only to discover that the other couples "could do something they could not" which was lay an egg. The couple brought rocks that resembled penguin eggs to their nest and tried to hatch them but were, of course, unsuccessful. A zookeeper noticed their efforts and eventually put an extra egg that another couple had produced in their nest and Roy and Silo cared for it until it hatched, giving them a daughter named Tango.
The book has been challenged because of the homosexual implications and the depiction of the same sex family structure. Most people who challenged the book were outraged because it was "disguised" as a sweet penguin book and gave no indication from its title or pictures that it had content that is "inappropriate" for young children.
I really thought this book was very well written and could easily be one of those books that children like to hear read again and again. As for the inappropriate content, I read it to my eight year old and he really liked it, and thought nothing of the fact that these two "best friends"(as he called them) wanted to be with each other all the time and even wanted to raise a baby penguin together. While I think it would make a great springboard for a discussion on the topic of diverse family structures, it doesn't automatically lead there, as I don't think most children will readily make the connection between the penguin family and human families. Most children would just enjoy the story.
By the way, many of the book's opponents were thrilled by the fact that Roy and Silo recently parted ways, when one of them moved into the nest of a female penguin.
My banned book was "How to Eat Fried Worms" by Thomas Rockwell.
This is the story of two friends who enter into a bet. Billy is challenged to eat 15 worms in 15 days. If he is up to the challenge, he wins $50 from his friend Alan. As it becomes increasing clear, Billy is up to the challenge and so the twists and tricks begin. This story is a rowdy, realistic romp that shows a group of boys being themselves. This is the aspect of the story that has caused concern for censorship in the past. Parents were concerned about the idea of children betting. They also saw the eating of worms and all the cheating and bickering as unsavory behavior that should not be encouraged in a children’s book.
I think it is important to note that the main characters remain friends at the end of this betting episode. This may speak to the point that children are much more tolerant of character lapses than adults.
Is Shel Silverstein's "A Light in the Attic" really controversial?
According to some, "yes". I never would have guessed it. This was one of my favorite books growing up along with other collections of Shel Silverstein's poems, and I never thought they were inappropriate for me to be reading. It is now a part of my classroom library where it is a favorite of several of my students.
Controversial issues include poetry and illustrations that express nudity, death, and religion.
Nudity is seen in "Spelling Bee" . Which shows an illustration of a bare bottom that was stung by a bee. "Something's Missing" also shows a bare bottom when a man forgets to put on his pants. "Crowded Tub" describes a child in the tub who washes someone's behind that was not his.
Death is brought up in "Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony". When Abigail's parent say no to the idea of buying her a pony she says she'll die. They don't believe her but she actually does go to bed and die.
Finally, religion is brought up in "Prayer of the Selfish Child". It is a spin off of The Lord's Prayer in which the child prays "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my toys to break. So none of the other kids can use 'em."
It is my belief that this book should remain in the school library because the challenged content is displayed in a playful manner and the illustrations are done in cartoon fashion. The poems can also be used when teaching rhyming couplets and comma usage. Kids enjoy them because they are short, easy to read, and (of coarse) funny!
The book I chose to read was "The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron. This book is about a 10 year old girl named Lucky whose mother died. She was placed in the care of her father's ex-wife Brigette from France. She is afraid that Brigette will decide to get rid of her. She listens in on a 12 step meeting in her town and decides she needs to search for her "Higher Power".
The controversy over the book is due to the use of the word "scrotum" in the very beginning of the book. It is used in the proper context as one of the 12 step meeting members shares a story of how a snake bit his dog on the scrotum. According to a New York Times article, many school libraries chose to ban this book due to the use of this word, deeming it inappropriate for children.
My argument would be, first of all, what else would you call it? In my opinion, "scrotum" seems the least inappropriate of the words used to describe that part of the male anatomy. Also, it is only used once or twice in the whole book, and is not the main focus of the book. Why ban it for that?
I chose to read the book Deenie by Judy Blume. The book is about a 7th grade girl who wants to be a “normal” teenager but her mother has other plans for Deenie. She wants Deenie to become a model. After several interviews with different agencies Deenie is overlooked yet again. Deenie’s mother blames her for not trying to walk correctly. But then a teacher notices a possible problem with Deenie’s posture and recommends that Deenie’s parents that her to the doctor. Deenie is diagnosed with scoliosis which is a curvature of the spine. The doctors make a brace that Deenie must wear for the next four years. Deenie hates the brace and tries to hide it. She also doesn’t like the attention it calls to her. Everyone wants to know if she has been in an accident. During this time, Deenie deals with body image, family situations, and sexuality.
I also read "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. According to the American Library Association, the book was challenged for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group. As bellsl stated, this book is at the top of the 2006 list of most challenged books.
Bellsl did a very good job of summarizing the story, so I won't give another summary.
This would be a good book for aiding in a discussion of diverse families. However, if this book was read without having that discussion in mind, I do agree that most elementary aged children probably wouldn't make a connection between penguin and human families unless they were already exposed to this type of situation or it was pointed out to them. My six-year-old was more interested in the "sound coming from inside" the hatching egg.
There is suggestive implications of homosexuality in the text that older students and parents would pick up on. My thirteen-year-old's face reflected this when I read "Tango was the very first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies."
While the book is well written, I can see why some readers/parents might feel the way they do. However, the American Library Association "affirms the inclusion in library collections of materials that reflect the diversity of our society, including those related to sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation."
Students have a right to be exposed to these books, and this book is tactful in presenting the concept of diverse families. I would read this book to my first grade students.
I read The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson. "Gilly" Hopkins is a foster child who has been bounce from one foster home to another. At 11 years old, Gilly is extremely bright and self-reliant, but she is also bitter and angry from years of repeated abandonment and rejection. Gilly is tough on the exterior with a smart, brash mouth on her. She dreams that one day her birth mother, Courtney Rutherford Hopkins will return to care for her someday.
In her newest foster home, Gilly doesn’t care for s her new foster mother, Maime Trotter. Trotter is ahead of Gilly’s schemes and refuses to bow to Gilly's manipulative tactics. Yet, she does it in a very loving way. She is not unkind to Gilly. She forces Gilly to become a functioning member of the household. There are several issues in Gilly’s new environment. Gilly enjoys bullying the other foster child in the home. William Ernest Teague is a seven year old skittish little boy, and Maime hovers over him in an overprotective way. Also, Gilly has issues with fat people and Trotter is fat. She also has issues with racism. She dislikes being around African-American people, but her teacher, Miss Harris, and Trotter's closest friend, a blind man named Mr. Randolph, are black.
As you can imagine, Gilly gets into trouble as usual while living in the Trotter home. She has scuffles with other students at school and leaves a rude homemade card for her teacher. Then there is the problem of an annoying girl from school, Agnes Stokes, who follows Gilly around in spite of her constant insults.
Gilly learns that her mother is in San Francisco after Courtney sends her a postcard with a return address. Gilly writes her an untruthful letter about the foster home, pleading to be rescued. She discovers that Mr. Randolph has a cache of money hidden in his bookshelf. She manages to steal a significant amount of money from him as well as Maime Trotter and tries to use it to purchase a bus ticket to San Francisco. The bus clerk calls the police and she is taken to the station. . She only decides to return to Trotter's house when William Ernest pleads with her to come home.
Gilly starts to discover she actually likes her new foster family and teacher. She begins being nice to William and teaching him to read and defend himself against bullies. Gilly also reads to Mr. Randolph from books in his large library. In school, Gilly comes to an understanding with Miss Harris and begins to excel in her studies.
But just as Gilly settles into her new life, she is uprooted once again. Her mother, Courtney has received Gilly's letter, and has requested that the state relinquish custody of Gilly to her biological grandmother, Nonnie. Gilly requests to stay with Trotter, but the matter is now out of her hands. Her grandmother comes to take her to live with her in Virginia.
Gilly misses the foster home but she bonds with Nonie, and tries to adapt to her new home. Nonnie did not know that Gilly even existed until her daughter told her of the letter. Nonnie is a nice grandmother and Gilly respects her, but still longs for her mother. When she learns that her mother is coming to Virginia for Christmas, she is excited because she believes that her longtime dream of a reunion is coming true. Courtney arrives, but Gilly is shattered because she immediately learns that her mother isn't going to stay in Virginia or take her back to San Francisco. She didn't even want to come for the holidays. She only consented to visit because Nonnie paid for her ticket. Gilly is heartbroken, but decides she will cope with the situation. After all, she just wants to make Trotter proud. She promised her.
Discussion
Because of its subject matter and the language and conduct of the title character, The Great Gilly Hopkins has been the subject of controversy. It is frequently banned from libraries across the U.S., particularly in schools and was ranked #21 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books for 1990-2000.
I feel some parents confuse a book's subject matter with the belief that the author or publisher advocates a particular moral agenda. For example, they see that a book that contains profanity may be seen as one that encourages kids to use bad language. They may see a book that portrays a rebellious child as being seen as urging children toward anti-family behavior. This misconception is troubling to me. They are missing the bigger picture. There has been some speculation that parents who challenge books feel threatened in an uncontrollable world. They feel they get some control if they challenge a book that seems offensive. However, perhaps these parents’ attempts to protect their children are misguided. If anything, I would think a child would want to read the very book their parent objects to even more so. Parents also need to realize that just because a book has something offensive; it doesn’t mean the moral character of a child is going to change. Children are able to make their own choices. Adults don’t give children enough credit to knowing the complexities of the world. They certainly hear language far worse than Gilly. They know it is wrong. The most important thing to learn is that one has the freedom to choose what to read and learn life’s lessons through the literature.
I believe without a doubt, that some of the best stories are that way because they are believable and compelling to the reader. They contain material that readers may find troubling. The Great Gilly Hopkins was banned in school libraries in Albemarle County, Virginia, because it contained curse words and "takes God's name in vain.” The parent who filed the complaint listed the profanities in the book without reading it. The school board twice recommended it be kept on the shelves after having a panel of educators study the issue. However, the school superintendent ordered it removed anyway.
Katherine Paterson wrote to the school board in an open letter, "Though Gilly's mouth is a very mild one compared to that of many lost children, if she had said `fiddlesticks' when frustrated, readers could not have believed in her…” Children are more perceptive than some adults give them credit. If Gilly had not uttered the profanity, her character would not be true. Just because the child reads it, doesn’t mean they will act that way too. Instead, they learn about tolerance and why Gilly is the way she is. Hopefully, this will extend to real life circumstances.
I do believe in freedom. I would not go against a parent’s wishes; however I would hope they are not being misguided in their challenging of a book. But we all have a right. We all have a right to read and a right to not read. We all can make choices. However, just because I wouldn’t want my child to read a book is not reason enough to have the book banned from a shelf. We all have choices. If I was against a book, I would make the choice of not having my child check that book out.
I chose the book "Blubber" by Judy Blume. The book is on a 3.8 reading level and is targeted for upper level elementary students. The book is about an overweight girl Linda who gives an oral report in her class on whales. She was describing the techniques of the removal of blubber on the whales when a note got passed to the main character Jill. The note read Blubber would be a good name for her. Before Jill knew it the note had made it around the classroom and everyone was laughing interrupting Linda’s report. The girl who first passed the note, Wendy made blubber Linda's new name. The name-calling escalated into more intense bullying and humiliation. Blubber was one of the most challenged books in the 1990’s. The reasoning behind banning the book is due to the characters cursing and the mean-spirited ringleader is never punished for her cruelty.
I choose to read And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. I choose this book because I teach kindergarten and wanted to pick a book for my grade level. And Tango Makes Three is picture book about penguins. After reading the book I did a little research of my own and learned that the book is based on a true story about two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo. The story is about two male penguins that seem to act a little different. The two penguins spend all their time together with each other. In the story they are given an egg to hatch. A baby penguin is born and they name her Tango. Tango is raised by two male penguins.
And Tango Makes Three was one of the most challenged books in 2006. It was challenged for homosexuality. The book also raises the question of being raised by different types of families. In my opinion children reading or listening to the book would not understand the content. They would simply think that two penguins hatched an egg and had a baby.
The book that I chose to read was "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig. As I was reading this book that was awarded both the Caldecott Medal and Newberry Medal, I thought to myself how could such a wonderful children's book be banned from children's libraries. It is a story about a donkey named Sylvester, who collects pebbles that are unusual in shape and color. One day he comes across a pebble that grants wishes. Soon afterward, a lion scares Sylvester and in self defense, he wishes himself into a rock. As a result, he attempts to change himself back into a donkey and does not have any luck. This in turn causes his parents to search for their one and only son. After a picnic on a huge rock, Sylvester gets his wish - he becomes himself again.
Believe it or not, the controversy about Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was related to police being portrayed as pigs. The 70s were definitely a whole different time period!
The banned book I chose to read was "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson.
In the beginning, Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade. He's been practicing all summer, running in the fields around his farmhouse until he collapses in a sweat. A girl named Leslie moves in next door and changes his life. Leslie doesn't look or act like any of the other girls and also runs faster than him. At first he is mad, but begins to like her. The two of them create a secret kingdom in the woods named Terabithia, where the only way to get into the castle is by swinging out over a gully on an enchanted rope. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Jess and Leslie go to Terabithia to escape from worldly pressure until a tragedy strikes and the two are separated forever.
In Cromwell, Connecticut an attempt to ban Bridge To Terabithia, a Newbery Medal Winner, was motivated by a drive to purge the middle school curriculum of “materials containing information about witchcraft, magic, evil spells, or related material, now and forever…. They believed the material was satanic, a danger to our children, and had no place in their schools." In particular, Bridge to Terabithia was challenged for its “magical” content.
The book I read was "The Witches" by Roald Dahl. This book was #27 on the list of the most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000.
The book is about a boy who loses his parents in an accident and is subsequently taken care of by his grandmother, who he has a very close and loving relationship with. His grandmother teaches him about witches and warns him about them, giving him a list of tell-tale witch characteristics. When the boy and his grandmother go on vacation, he stumbles upon a convention of witches, with no other than the Grand High Witch herself in attendance. The witches find him and turn him into a mouse; however, not until after he has heard their devious plan to turn all the children of England into mice with their special potion. The mouse-boy finds his way back to his grandmother, and together they turn the tables on the witches by stealing a bottle of the potion and pouring it into their soup. The witches then turn into mice and are "taken care of" by the waiters, cooks, and others in the restaurant. The boy and his grandmother live happily together, despite him continuing to be a mouse. There is mention of a mouse's short life span. Eventually, the boy and his grandmother formulate another plan to infiltrate the witches castle, find the records of all the witches in the world, turn them into mice as well, and sic cats onto them to finally get rid of them once and for all.
This book is controversial because of the witches and witchcraft aspects. It also could be taken as anti-female because all witches are women, although that aspect is balanced out by his wonderful grandmother. There are also the deaths of the witch-mice, the short lifespan of the boy-mouse, and a bit of violence when his tail gets chopped off in the kitchen when he is putting the potion in the witches' soup. The book is a bit scary at times.
The banned book I read was "The Witches" by Roald Dahl. The book begins with a little boy learning about how to identify real witches from his grandmother. As the story continues the boy ends up staying in a motel where actual witches are holding a convention. The boy ends up developing a plot to get rid of all the witches. The book is band because of the use of actual vocabulary and descriptive details of the area of witchcraft and their practices.
The book I chose was Mirandy adn Brother Wind. I chose this book because I love it and read it to my second graders every year. It's about Mirandy, a little girl who wants to win the junior cakewalk. Instead of dancing with her partner Ezelle, she'd like to catch Brother Wind to be her partner. The story goes on as Mirandy tries different ways of catching Brother Wind. If she catches him he has to grant her any wish she asks. The reason it was challenged is because one of the people Mirandy questions about how to catch Brother Wind is Mis Poinsettia, the "conjure" woman. It was challenged because "conjure" was considered related to the occult. This book is a Caldecott Honor book. It has beautiful illustrations, a cake walk is something all of my students can relate to and it also has quite a few "character ed" moments that teach young children how they should and shouldn't treat each other. I've always loved it and I will continue to read it to my classes!!
I read Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. The main character, Davey, is a girl who loses her father to a violent crime the summer before entering high school. Davey begins having panic attacks from the stress of dealing with the murder of her father and entering high school; this convinces her mother to visit her in-laws in New Mexico. There Davey meets Wolf, who helps her carry on with her life and not be afraid. Her mother is having a hard time adjusting and the short trip becomes more permanent and Davey has to adjust to a new school and new friends. Her new friend has a drinking problem and Wolf is dealing with a father with cancer. Seeing others deal with adverse circumstances helps to make Davey stronger, more sure of herself, and she begins to heal. Her mother begins dating and eventually snaps out of her depression and begins to heal as well.
I don’t see why this book would be banned; there is mention of sex and alcohol, and deals with death but nothing that would prevent me from letting a tween read it. It is rated for 9-12 year olds and I feel it is be appropriate for this age group.
The challenged book I read was the Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Katherine Paterson is an amzing author of many childrens books and has several books that have appeared on the challenged list. The Great gilly Hopkins is a about a foster girl who has moved from home to home because of her horrible attitude. She does her best to make trouble for those around her. She is very smart, yet likes to not do well in school, just to upset the whole school system. This book is challenged mostly because of its use of profanity. There really is not much profanity in the book, and the small use of it makes the character more credible. One would expect Giily's character to use such language. The book also has Gilly calling people names like fat, and hideous, and weird and crazy. She is also racist against African Americans. Many children do not know much about foster homes, and this book is great for educating them on the subject. Gilly Hopkins ends up falling in love with her foster home, only to be taken away to live with her grandmother. She wants to go back and live with her foster family, but knows she must stay with her grandmother. Gilly also is faced with the real truth about her beloved mother. The book is great at representing that life does not always turn out the way we want it to and it is not always happy.
Banned book=Shel Silverstein's Light in the Attic
This collection of poems and illustrations by Shel Silverstein is geared toward children and young adults. The poems are simple, comedic and clever. Several reflect an attitude of playful disobedience toward parents and teachers. This gained the work some notoriety when it was first published. I chose this book from ALA’s list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 because I was familiar with the book. I read it to each of my children over the years and never found it controversial. It sparked my curiosity. I read it again and selected several poems that, by stretching the criteria, someone might have found a little offensive.
For example, How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes advises children how to drop and break them so you won’t have to wash them again. Overdues describes an individual with a 42 year overdue book. Should he hide it? Quick Trip shows a little boy, eaten by a Gink. When you turn the page, he is pooped out of the Gink and rolls to the corner of the page. The very next poem, Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony, depicts a young nagging girl who died because her parents wouldn’t buy her a pony. The author advises children to read the story to their parents when their requests are not met! A two-page illustration shows children with picket signs, members of the Union for Children’s Rights, striking against parents and teachers…No Brussel Sprouts! Shorter School Hours! Longer Vacations! Higher Allowances! Even though this book made it to the “banned” list, the poems in this book are hardly controversial to the majority of readers.
Tango Makes Three and Heather Has Two Mommies both introduce homosexuality in picture book format, a subject that is still highly controversial, but as an article I recently read pointed out, only Tango Makes Three is age-appropriate. As several people pointed out, for children who are not directly experiencing life in two father family, Tango is about two penguins raising a chick whose own parents were unable to raise it. Heather has Two Mommies, while dealing with the same theme on a human level, which is important, especially for children in families with two mothers, and for their classmates, is age-inappropriate according to the author, because it goes into details about how the little girl was conceived by one of the mommies. While sex education is necessary, there are age-appropriate ways of doing this, and according the author this book did not introduce that subject well. The main point of the article , however, was, that there are almost no picture books helping children understand their families if the family happens to be a homosexual couple, and the few books that are available are either weakly written. I would say that is true about Heather. There is no character development, there is too much text for the age of the audience. Never-the-less, the book should be available, precisely for the reason Justin decided to read it, because there are children who may need the book to understand their own circumstances or those of a friend. I am sorry that I don't have the reference to the article. If I find it, I'll post it.
I found the reference to the article that discusses picture book treatment of same sex households. It is
Fostering an Appreciation for all Kinds of Families: Picturebooks with Gay and Lesbian Themes by Kay Chick Bookbird, 46(1): 15-22, 2008.
I read the book "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Patterson. This challenged book is about a girl who is tossed about from foster home to foster home and the adventures she encounters along the way. Gilly, who is the main character, has a very bad attitude and tries to hurt others the way she has been hurt herself. She uses rough language (swears & cusses), steals, lies, and fights with everyone. Gilly longs to be with her mother (Courtney) in California when she is sent to Mrs. Trotter's house. She does everything to make the family hate her and want to send her back. However, she ends up becoming a part of the family by Mrs. Trotter's tactful and enticing ways. This story has great characterization and Gilly takes on the attitude some pre-teens have when dealing with any type of families. Gilly's triumphs in this story outshine the negativity, ugliness, and rude behavior she exudes throughout the plot. Some parents might believe this book should be banned from the media center because of the attitude, rough language, racial slurs, stealing, lieing, and fighting Gilly undertakes. However, its the triumphs and realization that she overcomes that make this story worth reading.
I decided to read "the Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is the author of many books a few of them have found themselves to be on the banned or challenged book list.
This book is about the life of Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins. Gilly has been in and out of foster homes all of her life. Gilly seems to be what one might consider a typical foster child. She is mad at the world and does not seem to stay long at any home. She is placed in a home with Ms. Trotter. The home is dirty; however Gilly has a plan to get out of the home like she always does.
Mrs. Trotter has been keeping foster kids for over 20 years. At the present time she has a boy who Gilly determines is "retarded" and Gilly. The next door neighbor who comes over every night for dinner is a "colored" man. Gilly is very racial but warms up to him. Gilly has a foul mouth and loves to find herself in trouble.
At the end of the story Gilly who has been hoping for a fairly tale reunion with her mother, comes to love her foster family. She warms up to being friends with a colored man. However the ending she hoped for was never reached.
I feel like this book was banned or challenged due to the colorful language that was used. Paterson used the words hell and damn a great deal. For me it did not offend me but it gave me a truer picture of just how Gilly felt and what life was like for her. There were many times while reading this book that I began to cry due to the fact that I could just picture Gilly and what she was going through.
If I was a MS I would love to have this book in my library. If a parent did not want their child to read it I would understand but I would fist ask the parent to read it themselves and see if they might change their minds.
I read Blubber by Judy Blume. This book has been challenged because it contains some profanity. The characters are fifth graders, and the plot concerns bullying at the grade school level. Judy Blume wrote this book to address a very relevant topic that still exists in our schools today.
The protagonist of the story is Jill, a Pennsylvania fifth-grader, who joins her classmates in ostracizing and bullying a slightly overweight girl named Linda. Linda gives an oral report about whales and is hence nicknamed “Blubber” by her peers. Wendy, a smart and popular girl, leads her classmates in bullying Linda and making her life a misery. This narrative follows the mercurial attitudes of preteen group dynamics and observes the ease with which bullying shifts targets. This is clearly illustrated late in the story when Jill inadvertently stands up for Linda and then becomes the main focus of harassment. Jill also directly antagonized Wendy by defending her best friend, Tracy Wu, when Wendy made a racial slur against her. But unlike Linda, Jill retaliates against her classmates when they harass her. After the story’s climatic event occurs in the girl’s restroom, Jill is no longer bullied by her classmates and becomes friendly with a new girl in her class while still remaining best friends with Tracy.
I can understand a parent's concern about his or her fifth grader reading this book; however,I feel the book's message outweighs the concern. Besides, I've heard some fifth graders use language that make the profanity in this book seem like "baby talk."
The book that I read is entitled Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite. It’s about a young boy whose parents are divorced. His father resides with his male partner. When the child comes to visit, he witnesses normal family scenarios and everyday behavior from a homosexual couple.
The book is considered controversial because it focuses on a homosexual couple raising a child, particularly a same sex child. It portrays two males involved in ordinary couple/parental activities such as housekeeping, reading to the son, playing games and arguing. It is written for a younger audience and is listed on the ALA most 100 challenged books listing.
It's interesting to see that so many of you have chosen titles by Judy Blume. I'd encourage all of you (but especially those who read her books) to read what she has to say about censorship. The link is in the link list.
I read "The Lorax" by Dr. Suess.
"The Lorax" was first published in 1971 as a children's book and is often catergorized as a fable using elements of literature such as personification and rhetoric. In traditional Dr. Seuss style, alliteration and rhyme are used to address issues that result when part of a system is interrupted.
The "Once-ler" in the story cuts down the Truffula trees so that he can use their wonderful silk tufts to knit "thneeds." Once thneed sales rise, the "Once-ler" builds a factory so that he can keep making a profit. The Truffula trees are eventually all cut down which in turn causes the Lorax, the voice of the trees, to leave.
The "Once-ler" was so interested in making a profit, he did not realize that without the beautiful trees, he could not run his factory and make his "thneeds." Thus, all he left behind were remains from the factory, harming all of the animals that depended on the Truffala trees.
The book was banned because, on the surface, it can be perceived as an attack on the lumber industry. According to some critics, it portrays people in the logging industry as criminals seeking to make a profit with no regard to nature or the economy.
I read Bony-Legs, by Joanna Cole. I was always fascinated with books like this when I was a kid.
It was banned due to magic and witchcraft.
"Joanna Cole's story, adapted from a traditional Russian Baba Yaga folk tale, tells about how Sasha comes upon a curious house in the woods, a hut that is perched on chicken legs. This is the home of Bony-Legs, a nasty witch who catches little girls and eats them. Sasha escapes with the help and cooperation of a rusty gate, a hungry dog and an ill-treated cat."
I wanted to post a brief example of one of the elements I came across that caused "Bridge To Terabithia" to be placed on the banned book list.
On page 12, in the chapter Leslie Burke, Jesse's father says "What are they teaching in that d--- school?" and a subtle reference is made in the next statement, but the whole word is not written, Jesse's father says,"Bunch of old ladies turning my son into some kind of a--" "A--" is used but not the actually word.
So far after this I have not came across any more offensive language that is considered unappropriated for your children and even young middle school students.
From Debbie Lundstrom:
The book I chose: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
I guess I never understood why this was a banned book.......I have read this book to my own children including nieces and nephews...apparently the story and pictures could be scary to little ones...my boys related to the book and my daughter just enjoyed the story imagining it was really her brother I guess......In my family the favorite is Where the Wild Things are......... the kids are adult and teenagers now and they still refer to the book..........
One of the things that always surprises students when they first read the list of commonly banned/challenged books is how many titles are virtual classics. I know I'd have to go back through many of these titles with a fine-toothed comb to try to find anything that seems remotely objectionable. It's a little easier with titles like Daddy's Roommate, Heather Has Two Mommies, or It's Perfectly Normal.
I read, The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson, and thoroughly enjoyed the book! Paterson is one of my favorite authors, especially with, Bridge to Terabethia.
But I wasn't surprised that this particular book is and has been on the challenged book list. While reading, I noticed a lot of crticism and inappropriate language from Gilly. But what do you expect from a child, who has been in a foster home after foster and abandoned by her mother? Paterson portrays Gilly in the true reality of a child of hurt and anger.
I believe an author puts language in the book for a reason, and Gilly's language describes her anger and the growing up she had to endure during her many foster homes.
Gilly also has a problem with her new foster home caretaker, Mrs.Trotter, and the fact that she is extremely overweight. Gilly also struggles with disliking others because of their skin colored, just because they are different. This brings out the insecurities Gilly faces in her own struggle in discovering herself. Usually someone who is very insecure, will bring out others faults and use them to hurt them. Paterson demonstrates this through Gilly. Gilly is a very lonely insecure little girl who wonders constantly why her mother want come get her right away. Gilly feels herself with these lies about her mother, hoping one day she will come.
Throughout the book Gilly, learns to come to respect the characters of different color and her foster home care taker, but then she is taken out of this comfort zone once gain. Gilly is constantly being placed into situations that hurt and anger her because they make her feel inferior and insecure about herself. Students need to learn as they read different books, not every character is happy and will always end with a happy ending. The real world doesn't always work that way. People suffer but people learn to make the best of every situation.
This is a wonderful book! Paterson truly portrays the reality of a child who has been hurt by so many people and carries her burdens heavily on her shoulders.
I read the book "The Enormous Crocodile" by Roald Dahl. The Enormous Crocodile decides that he wants a nice juicy child for lunch, horrifying the other animals in the jungle--his friend, the Notsobig One; Humpy-Rumpy, the hippopotamus; Trunky, the elephant; Muggle-Wump, the monkey; and the Roly-Poly Bird. Despite his secret plans and clever tricks, what the boastful crocodile doesn't know is that the brave jungle animals have plans of their own for him! They all come into play throughout the story trying to stop the crocodile from eating village children. In the end, the Enormous Crocodile gets exactly what he deserves. This was a short read, but very humorous. I have enjoyed several of Roald Dahl's other books (James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc). I don't see very good reason why this book is challenged besides the fact that it talks about an animal that loves the taste of children. This may be scary for children of a young age, but children that are a little older will be able to appreciate its humor.
I chose the book "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak. The book was published in 1970 and won several awards, including the Caldecott Honor.
It is the story of a little boy who dreams his way out of his bed, out of his pajamas, and into a baker's kitchen. The little boy, Mickey, is baked into a cake, busts out, makes an airplane out of bread dough, flies into a carton of milk, and gets milk for the bakers to finish their baking. He then falls out of the kitchen, back into his pajamas, and into bed. The book ends with, "And that's why, thanks to Mickey, we have cake every morning." I did not really connect with or understand many parts of the story.
The book has been challenged based on nudity and offensive language.
The nudity is a bit odd. I see no need for the Mickey to have no clothes. I can see where parents would be surprised if their child brought this book home. Some media specialists have reported drawing shorts on him with a marker or drawing a diaper on him with correction fluid. Like many of you, I agree that marking out or changing anything about an author's work is wrong. I don't think I would ban this book, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it either.
I was confused that is was challenged for offensive language. None of the language offended me at all. I think the plot is weak and the bakers' chanting is strange, but not offensive.
I chose to read this book because I love Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." I did not enjoy this book, however.
And Tango Makes Three in the news in Virginia:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2008/march2008/tangoreturn.cfm
"The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron is a banned book for elementary schools because of it's usage of the word "scrotum" and adult conversations overheard by the books main charter 10 year old Lucky.
Lucky lives in a trailer park in the middle of the desert with her father's ex wife. Lucky is searching for a way she can deal with her mother's death, father's lack of concern, and living in a remote town. This town has meetings for those that are looking for a higher power. Lucky sneaks under the window to hear the decisions in the meetings and decides she too needs to seek a higher power.
The use of the word scrotum is used correctly in the text as it would be in a medical text. The conversations Lucky overhears are stories of adults making poor decisions. But, these are topics children are faced with in their daily lives - it is life for some.
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