Oct 04 2008
Banned Children’s Books
Today marks the end of Banned Books Week. As promised, although a few days late, I am going to talk about a few of the many banned Children’s books.
These are some listed by Powell’s Books :
“James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl
“Giver” by Lois Lowry
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling
“Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madelaine L’Engle
“Lorax” by Dr. Seuss
“Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
“Blubber” by Judy Blume
“The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman
“A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
“Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder
You can find others, like “Gulliver’s Travels,” “Harriet the Spy,” “Goosebumps,” “How to Eat Fried Worms,” “Superfudge,” and many more at CSULB .
Now let’s look at this list. What do the majority of them have in common?
Immense imagination. Imagination entering into or bordering on fantasy. This includes novels and poetry. What kid did not grow up reading and loving Shel Silverstein?
I have head the arguments against books like Harry Potter by Christian groups who fear their children will turn to paganism. First, you would have to understand paganism and realize they don’t fly around on broomsticks, use wands to cast spells that turn people in to rats or mix potions to change their appearance.
Once you realize that (and most kids are smart enough to know this will never happen), the parents should. These books are great fun and teach many lessons about life, friendship and good vs. evil, which I would think Christian parents would be happy about.
Judy Blume is, sadly, known for having been banned or challenged many times. These are fun books looking at what children are really thinking, feeling and experiencing. They are timeless and loved. I can’t grasp why they would be challenged.
If you are like me, your jaw dropped slightly upon seeing “Little House on the Prairie” on that list. What? Are you kidding me? What part of this book is questionable? It’s a young girl far away from much of anything else; she is a good girl helping ma and pa with the chores!
For many kids, reading is an escape from a life that is less that perfect. For others it is just fun. They get to travel to new places, have adventures, learn new words and language all without having to get a ride.
Children need to develop and use imagination. If they are kept from books that rouse their imagination, we are depriving them of an elemental part of their growth. Not to mention the love of learning that comes from reading at an early age.
Without developing these things, children will grow up without creativity. Without creativity, we would have no books, no TV or movies, no music, no art, not theatre. A world without creativity is bland, beige and boring.
Without developing these things, children will not come to understand the importance of the freedom to speak. A freedom, which, as a country, we hold dear.
I grew up reading Judy Blume and loved every one. Little House on the Prairie was another favorite. I couldn’t imagine NOT reading those books. Let parents choose what is best for their children.
Umm, I grew up on most of those books except for Harry Potter. My parents were very happy we were active readers and didn’t censure us too much.
alicia
http://todaystyle.today.com
I know right! They are classics! It’s interesting to see what people find issue with.
Kris, I am thinking Dick & Jane will be banned because, well, the word Dick is used and might be considered offensive. Silly reasons for a lot of it, I think.
Wow, I was surprised to see many of those books on the list. Sometimes people can get a little too serious about things.
I read most of those book when I was a kid and Irned out fine. People really need to lighten up. Kids these days need something to escape to with all they had to deal with, like divorce for example.
It is amazing isn’t it? We all read them and we did not grow up to be murderers or sociopaths!
Wow! I’m shocked to see many of these books on the banned list. Some of them were my favorites when I was a kid. In fact, I still own a few of them and will pass them down to my own children. Compared to the evil, violent, and sexually explicit material blasted all over the televisions and movie screens in America, these books are mild.
It’s crazy to see what books are banned from children reading them. What is wrong with having an imagination and exploring something that is worth learning. Those should let children enjoy what they read and have their fun with it.