What are some of your old childhood favorite books that have been banned or challenged in the past? Even though the titles listed below were censored or banned more than 40 years ago, they and others like them have survived the test of time and continue to be read by a new generation of children. These four classic titles may be able to provide some perspective on book challenges and how social norms of a particular time period influence what materials are being challenged. While the past two years have been fraught with political agendas ignoring freedom of speech and the right to read, booksโeven those challenged or pulled from classroom and library shelves, will always find their way into the hands of readers. Itโs instructive to examine a handful of classics to reflect on what seemed to alarm censors.
Read more: Old Favorites that have been Challenged
The beloved picture book Swimmy by Leo Lionni (1963) shows how several small fish, who are afraid to come out of hiding, must swim together to overcome the large and dangerous tuna fish. Although Swimmy received a Caldecott honor in 1964, in the 1970s some individuals worried that the picture book somehow promoted Communist values (Lim, 2018) and/or threatened the status quo (Lionni, 2017). Then, ten years ago the mayor of Venice Italy banned Swimmy because he considered the book to be a threat to traditional families. But Swimmy has continued to swim into the hearts of readers; in 2013 Swimmyโs 50th birthday was celebrated with a special edition hardcover.
Trina Schart Hymanโs retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (1983) won a Caldecott medal in 1984, yet in the 1990s a couple of California school districts banned the book because the cover illustration depicts Red Riding Hood carrying a bottle of wine in a basket. Another illustration shows the grandmother holding a glass of wine and a half empty bottle. The school districts claimed that the book conflicted with their abstinence messages about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse (Mitchell, 1990). Despite this brouhaha over this much-loved fairytale, Penguin Random House published an anniversary edition in 2023 to celebrate 40 years, allowing it to reach a brand-new group of readers.
In the Night Kitchen (Sendak, 1970), yet another Caldecott honor award winner, follows three-year-old Mickey and his dream adventure. In it he falls out of bed into cake batter, and the bakers unknowingly put him in the oven. Later, he flies to a bottle of milk and falls back to sleep. In one illustration Mickey is not wearing pajamas. Many parents and even some librarians were shocked by this display of nudity. Some librarians drew underwear or a diaper on Mickey to keep the book on the library shelves to avoid censorship (Bault, 2024). In the Night Kitchen is still available for sale, and what might have been considered provocative in 1970 seems tame today by comparison.
In 1988 The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (1971) was criticized by the logging industry because they were worried it would turn children against forestry. In the book, this favorite childrenโs author took a stand for the environment by creating an imagined forest of woolly Truffula trees that warns about destruction and consequences. California school districts, where logging was a major industry at the time, banned the book because of its ecofriendly message. Forty years later, The Lorax was made into a feature film and reissued as a 50th Anniversary edition. The Lorax was printed on recycled paper, inspiring children to speak up for trees and change.
These four classic books that were considered problematicโchallenged, banned or censored in the pastโhave remained on library shelves and continue to be read and enjoyed by children. We certainly hope the current childrenโs books that are being challenged or banned in different states and communities will be returned to classroom and library shelves in the near future too. Their messages are timeless and might help unite this fractured nation. For instance, Leo Lionniโs stories are known to be about community, teamwork and solving problems in our world. Continuing to work together and collectively supporting one another is one of the best ways to combat book banning. Persisting together will help us adapt, learn and move forward.
References
Bauld, Andrew. The Cover-Up: Under Pressure, Some School Librarians Alter Illustrations to Avoid Book Challenges, 1 May 2024, ย https://www.slj.com/story/the-cover-up-under-pressure-some-school-librarians-alter-illustrations-to-avoid-book-challenges
Lim, Maya P. The Space of Story: The Small Worlds of Leo Lionni, 12 July 2018, https://www.printmag.com/design-topics/the-space-of-story-the-small-worlds-of-leo-lionni/
Lionni, Annie. Leo Lionniโs โUnfinished Business.โ Publishers Weekly, 28 Sep 2017, https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/74918-leo-lionni-s-unfinished-business.html Mitchell, John L. Big Bad Bottle of Wine Does in Red Riding Hood Schoolbook, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 1990, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-19-me-82-story.html
Todayโs blog post was written by Deanna Day-Wiff, on behalf of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee.ย They can be reached at dday-wiff@wsu.edu.ย
This post addresses the core competencies of I. Commitment to Client Groupย andย IV. Knowledge, Curation, and Management of Materials.
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ย What are some of your old childhood favorite books that have been banned or challenged in the past? Even though the titles listed below were censored or banned more than 40 years ago, they and others like them have survived the test of time and continue to be read by a new generation of children. These four classic titles may be able to provide some perspective on book challenges and how social norms of a particular time period influence what materials are being challenged. While the past two years have been fraught with political agendas ignoring freedom of speech and the right to read, booksโeven those challenged or pulled from classroom and library shelves, will always find their way into the hands of readers. Itโs instructive to examine a handful of classics to reflect on what seemed to alarm censors. The beloved picture book Swimmy by Leo Lionni (1963) shows…
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