Children's Books discussion

Featuring
Shannon Hale
Grace Lin
Anika Aldamuy Denise ( who has dropped the Denise)
plus local librarians from the schools and state library association.

They didn't say much we don't already know but they spoke a bit about which books of theirs have been challenged and banned, how and why.

Grace Lin's books as we know are the most "innocuous" books there are. It's just a book about a little girl making a mooncake with her mom; it's just a book about people sitting down and eating together. She can't figure out why anyone would object to her books.

In objecting to her books, the censors are saying she doesn't matter. Her stories from her heritage don't matter. I told her how much we love and appreciate her books here on GR!

Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn is Shannon Hale's newest book. It's about a sweet friendship between a kitty who feels like a unicorn and a unicorn who feels like a kitty. Hale has been told librarians won't order her book because they're afraid of the banners. This is soft censorship! Hale has been told Kitty Corn is "sexualizing" children. It's literally a story about a pink fuzzy kitten who wants to be a unicorn. That's it. The censors may be misreading the book as a mom in Texas misread the pronoun "them" which refers to the Greek chorus of minor characters. Texas mom thought "them" referred to a singular character and therefore the book must be BANNED! (That one got tossed out).

Her newest PIB book The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink has also gotten pushback. TEN years ago when she first wrote The Princess in Black (when her then 4 year old daughter wondered why princesses always wore pink and never black) she got asked if there would be a prince in pink. She said yes and it has taken her this long to get it out. In the meantime the witch hunt hysteria has taken over and she's gotten flack. "Why do we need an effeminate prince who wears pink?" blah blah blah.

People chill! Men wear pink ALL the time! The fashion industry gives it silly names like coral or salmon but it's still pink! The prince just likes to plan parties. That's it. There's no sexuality or gender identity issues involved. He's not even "effeminate"! He just likes to plan parties.

Hale was the most vocal because she's from Utah where book banning is a big thing whereas here, challenges happen but are mostly voted against. We were founded on the principle of separation of church and state, continued to be rebels and rogues until the corrupt mayor got arrested the second time. ;-)

Anyway, Hale was in tears thinking about her daughter's school where LGBTQ+ kids can't be free to be themselves or read about people like them. She was warned that the school had a high rate of suicide that isn't publicized because they don't want copycats. Hale told kids in the audience that she hoped they were OK hearing about this stuff and if they weren't, come to her and talk about it.

Annika Aldamuy writes about strong women, esp. strong women of color and some people have a problem with that. As a Latina woman, she's drawn to stories about women from her culture. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré She hasn't been banned per se but the types of books she writes are not allowed in schools in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Like Grace Lin she was caught in a blanket ban of books from a social justice publisher.

A very angry man tried to get a librarian fired and arrested for doing her job. She's close to retirement so she doesn't care if she's fired but she worries about the younger librarians, new to the profession and unsure of themselves yet. This man was so angry and sounded so unhinged, a police officer offered an escort to her car.

A summary of that moment and what the RILA is doing to help

https://oceanstatestories.org/the-boo...

Another town had some picture book challenges but the librarian protected herself by going to the director, meeting with the board, reading the books and explaining why people wanted them banned: one instance of the "n" word used in historical context in a biography, one LGBTQ+ comment in author's note, one Black Lives Matter book of poetry.

https://www.oif.ala.org/rhode-island-...

Teens in the audience spoke out. Many kids don't even know books are banned! Kids in honors classes read the classics and even the classics get banned. What can kids do to raise awareness? Librarians suggest starting a banned books club to read all the banned books past and present- not just the classics but the modern ones too.

Teens feel overwhelmed with pressure and are confused about what to think. Social media is a big influence (negative). How do they go out and change the world when they feel so overwhelmed and confused?
Grace Lin says receiving is a good deed too. Receive goodness and when you are good and ready, not in pain, then you can go out and change the world and give to someone else.

Scholastic Book Fair- The librarian has to ASK for the diversity box! Even in schools where 98% of kids are a beautiful rainbow of colors other than white/European background. Scholastic has gotten scared of losing money. We need to remind them WE vote with our dollars too and WE want diverse books. Buy them and they'll publish them. Ask for more like Grace Lin or whoever.

The Rhode Island Library Association is working with local lawmakers to protect library and museum workers from criminal prosecution for doing their jobs.
"House Bill No. 6066

ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- OBSCENE AND OBJECTIONABLE PUBLICATIONS AND SHOWS (Establishes, as an affirmative defense to the crimes of circulating obscene publications or shows and selling or exhibiting obscene publications to minors, the person’s employment status as an employee of a school, museum, or library.)"
{LC2256/1}
03/03/2023 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary
03/10/2023 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/16/2023)
03/16/2023 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

One school district hosts a We are ALL readers festival in April, storywalks, and reading challenges.


Show up for school board meetings
Join a library board

Resources to fight book bans

https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/
https://www.everylibrary.org/

[That's all my notes but likely these ladies have said the same things elsewhere.]

I went back today to specifically meet Grace Lin and Shannon Hale. I told Grace Lin how much we love her here and support her. She's very sweet. No line at her table. I really wanted to buy A Big Mooncake for Little Star but it's only in hardcover right now.

I told Shannon Hale she rocks and her daughter is lucky to have her. I told her how my niece is the same age and she won't take no for an answer. If she reads a book and has questions, she'll talk to her parents about it. In her school being gay is no big deal. She doesn't care how things were done in the past. Shannon Hale agreed with me that this next generation is out to change the world.

I had The Princess in Black signed for my cousin's little girl who is obsessed with Disney princesses. My cousin was a little concerned so I thought we can redirect her to another type of princess. Shannon Hale says there are many different ways to be a princess.

I was excited to see three generations of her fans posing for a photo. Mom had a first edition Princess Academy, older girl had Real Friends and the little girl had The Princess in Black.

I read many great new picture books. I will try to write up some reviews. I didn't stop to read all of them! I did see many I recognize as challenged or will be challenged (racial diversity).

I read Hale's newest KittyCorn and I don't like pink or cats and I'm long past the age of liking unicorns but I really like these sweet books. I can see why the censors think it's a metaphor for gender identity but that's open to interpretation. She didn't mean that at all. It's JUST about a kitty and a unicorn.

Cool that you got to go to this. But honestly, one of the main points of discussion for these panels should be how to teach the most affected by book bans and other undemocratic political overreaching in American education, how to teach students to fight back with non violent but disruptive massive civil disobedience. For example, if teachers refuse or are not allowed to use students' choice of pronouns, the affected students should simply not cooperate at all if they are being misgendered, they should simply remain completely silent in class and not respond to questions etc. by teachers, administrators, the principal etc. (a bit like a very specific and totally silent sit in). And with banned books, students who have access to these books should bring them into the classroom and refuse to read anything but the banned books (politely but forcefully). Yes, I know this might have very negative consequences for both teachers and students but it is time to fight back against American Nazis.

Thank you for all your reporting notes. They/you all did Good Things. Since apparently the word isn't even out fully yet, awareness campaigns are Good Things, too. Kids can't fight something they don't know about!

Cheryl wrote: "Thank you for all your reporting notes. They/you all did Good Things. Since apparently the word isn't even out fully yet, awareness campaigns are Good Things, too. Kids can't fight something they don't know about."

Exactly. I was surprised at how few people were in the audience. I was expecting to see my mom's friend and at least her older daughter. I think they turned people off by saying it was recommended for ages 12+ limiting the kids in the audience. There were some great teens who support their school librarian and I saw a table on Saturday set up by the RI Center for the Book with the FREadom to read pledge I already signed but did it again and they had totebags for sale.
https://www.bonfire.com/store/freadom...

I also spoke with illustrator Ellen T. Crenshaw Kiss Number 8 is on the banned and challenged list for being "anti-Christian" and having LGBTQ themes. It affects her as an illustrator as well as the author. I purchased an autographed copy for niece #1. Hopefully she hasn't read it yet. If she has I will make her send it to Texas or Florida. Christmas is a long ways away so I may just wrap it and give it to her early in case she finds it in the school library first.