Mouse's Corner (Banned Book Week Edition): Banned Picture Books

Going through lists of banned and challenged books in preparation for this week, I kept coming across children's picture book titles. Many of them, admittedly, Mouse and I haven't come across or read. Three titles in particular kept popping out at me because they are, in fact, sitting on Mouse's bookshelf.  We may have more, but it is hard to find one comprehensive list of children's picture books banned or challenged--at least in my search (if you have one, please let me know!), and add to that how mixed up Mouse's bookshelves are right now; I am not always sure what we have and don't have.

I almost wish I had a book like I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas on my shelf so I can talk about the importance of having books out there representing marginalized people. A transgender child benefits from reading a book about him or herself--seeing that they aren't alone. It and books like Heather has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza helps me open the discussion with my daughter about the different types of families out there, especially now as she's much more curious about why the twins have two moms but no dad, and why her friend has a mom but no dad. Just because our families or how we identify ourselves may be different, makes them no less normal.

When I look at the three books I am featuring here today, I see books that are not even all that controversial. Well, okay, I discovered that one of them is--even in my own circle, but still. It's hard to imagine how any of these can be harmful to young minds.

*

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated Eric Carle (1967; 20 pgs) ~ This is a relatively easy book for my daughter to read nowadays, especially given how repetitive the text is. It starts with a brown bear being asked what he sees, each page with a different animal being asked what he or she sees. Each animal is a different color as well, giving children a chance to identify their colors. The illustrations match the text perfectly and are in bold colors that draw the eye. Mouse likes that she can read this book on her own. She is often shy of doing so because she doesn't yet trust herself to know the words, and so any book that brings her reading confidence up is a winner in my mind.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was banned by the State Board of Education in Texas in 2010 for the simple fact that one of the board members confused the author with another author with the same name. The other Bill Martin had written a book about Marxism. Even if the authors had been one and the same, I do not understand what one book had to do with the other--other than it being clear that the board members did not approve of Marxism. If it were the 1950's I could maybe see it being an issue, but in 2010? Not so much. Anyway, it was a mistake. The two authors with the same name were in fact different men. They corrected their error a month or so later. But it still goes to show how easily people can get carried away and what happens when no one does adequate fact checking.

*

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1960; 62 pgs) ~ Green Eggs and Ham is one of the most popular books in our house, and my daughter very nearly has it memorized. This is a favorite from my childhood as well, and so I am glad to see my daughter's enthusiasm over the book. Although my husband and I have tried to use this book to nudge my daughter to be more open to trying new foods, she is extremely stubborn and remains as picky as can be. Still, she loves this book with its rhyming and sing song quality narration as well as the funny scenes depicted in both words and illustrations. This is such a fun book to read, and a great book for early readers.

While not a book that was banned in the United States, fortunately (considering Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? though I am kind of surprised that Texas Board of Education still allowed it), it was banned in China for a number of years (1965-1991). The book was banned at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and, according to some, is believed to be more a ban on the author than the book itself (since it was lifted after Seuss died in 1991).  The author was known for his anti-authoritarian stance and themes in his writing. Green Eggs and Ham was reportedly banned for depicting early Marxism. The arguments tend to revolve around this book being targeted because of its popularity and the author's own political and philosophical leanings. There are other theories out there too. Even so, I am hard pressed to see any connection between Marxism and Green Eggs and Ham.

On the subject of Dr. Seuss, another book my daughter enjoyed immensely which we also have in our personal library is Hop on Pop (1963), which was challenged in the Toronto Public Library in 2014 because it was believed to encourage violence against fathers.

*

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (1964) ~ My daughter and I recently read The Giving Tree for the first time. It's the story a little boy and his tree. It opens with him and the tree playing together, the tree's goal to make the boy happy. The writing is relatively simple and my daughter was able to read along for most of it. When we got to the end, I asked my daughter what she thought of it along with other more specific questions. She said it was a "good book" and she liked the end best, when the tree and boy were together again. She said parts made her sad. When the boy didn't visit his friend the tree more often. She wished the artwork was more colorful. The illustrations are very simple, as they often are in Silverstein's books. I actually like the simplicity, but I can see why a six year old might not appreciate them as much. I actually got teary-eyed as I read the book, finding it a rather sad story. My daughter came away from the book with a different impression. She thought it was a happy book because they were finally together in the end. I found it interesting, although not surprising, the difference in our opinions, however slight. She's coming at the book from a foundation of innocence and her own expectations. Whereas, as an adult, I bring to the book all of my own life experiences and expectations. Though she told me she liked The Giving Tree, I do not think she was particularly excited about this book. It will likely go on the shelf and be forgotten until she rediscovers it again when she's a little older. 

If you mention the title of this book, The Giving Tree, in my office, a heated debate will ensue. One of my coworkers will sing this book's praises from sunrise to sunset while another claims this is the worst book ever: the story of a selfish boy who takes and takes from the tree until there is nothing left. Not once does he say thank you. She argues that he has no respect for his environment. Despite her dislike of the book, she would never condone book banning. Not everyone agrees. The Giving Tree was banned by a public library in Colorado in 1988 for being sexist. The tree represents a female figure who gives and gives to the boy, only to have him demand more and more with little given in return. He is described as some by being selfish and predatory. The book also has been challenged by various schools accusing it of criminalizing the foresting agency. I guess it is all in the perception? Or are people reading too much into it? Whatever the reader takes away from the book, The Giving Tree is certainly a book that is open to interpretation.

*

Have you read any of these books? What banned children's picture books have you read that you would recommend?

---

© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.