When someone wants to restrict access to a book, they challenge it as a beginning step in getting the book banned or restricting who has access to the book and under what circumstances.
Would you ever challenge a children's book? Why or why not?
Share Your Reasons
No
- As a student, and, to some extent, an intellectual, I find censorship abhorrent. Books that conform to subjective societal values and ideals don't teach a child anything that a child doesn't already know. If the information contained in a book goes against the beliefs of the child, then they will be given a greater understanding of why they hold these beliefs dear. The same thing applies to arguments, a stronger argument is made when the opposition's position and reason is understood. If the child, for lack of a better term, "likes" the new ideas, then they have learned something new and valuable. The whole point of books, literature, and reading is to convey information, and all writing loses its purpose when it can no longer convey said information due to censorship and abridgment in general. This is all coming from a high school student, so some may call me naïve. But who better to discourse on the topic of censorship than one who may be on its receiving end?
- —Guest Mens Animae
I Doubt It
- As a librarian I have had many discussions over the years with parents about books they question for their children, and I have supported their right to guide their children's choices. However, the library is a public forum that needs to support a wide variety of interests and positions. Books I order should reflect quality and variety, support curriculum requirements, diverse reading interests and levels, and the local reading community. I "censor" my orders by making choices to fit those parameters and the needs of an elementary school with multi-aged classes. A book challenge implies a value judgment made for others, and sets limits that are in conflict with intellectual freedom and several of our basic Bill of Rights statements. I can choose not to purchase or check out a book I object to personally, and existing laws and publishing standards in the market place set some parameters already.
- —Guest Lynn Rohrs
Why Never a Challenge?
- Decisions I make for myself and my own children about what might be appropriate to read are personal. I don't impose my own views about subjects, language, etc on the community at large. Banning a book is trying to making the world conform to your point of view. No, banning books is worse than that, it's a denial of others' personal freedoms. Now as a librarian, I must make choices all the time about books based on budget, what the school curriculum needs are and what my students want to read and need to read to practice their comprehension and decoding skills. So, with the help of a collection policy, I practice a form of necessary and practical censorship based on the needs of the population I serve.
- —jacqueline.pippins
No
- I've had students read materials I thought were "too much" for them. But I've learned something. Books give the ultimate control. If a kid reads something that is "too much" they can put the book down, skip a page, reread a section until it doesn't scare them. It's why teens read the same books over and over -- to control a world while their own lives are changing in ways beyond their control. Books saved me from an unhappy home. My mother recognized the solace they gave and let me read anything I wanted, including things far over my head. And I became a librarian. There are worse things.
- —Guest Library Lady
Absolutely
- Are we not responsible care givers for our students? ALL librarians exhibit some sort of censorship whether it be mild or often. If we didn't, then we'd have shelves of publications such as Playboy and Penthouse in our elementary school libraries. Point made.
- —Guest Vera Stover
Sure, Why Not
- Too many times we underestimate the power of words. With the help of words we can hypnotize minds, break hearts or inspire happiness. If adults are affected in such ways, then imagine how children with their sponge-like minds would be affected. So we have to pay a little attention to what our children are taking in. I'm not a parent, but I believe that we have the responsibility of protecting a child's innocence because far too many times this innocence is stolen away. Whenever it's in our power, we have to preserve it and preserve the child's right of childhood. They will eventually learn the harsh truth about life (along with its beauty) but isn't it better if they hold on to their happy state of mind the longest time possible? I can't remember all the times I wished to be a child again, to "unknow" all the cruel things I know now.
- —Guest Esraa
Yes, and I Have
- It was long enough ago that I do not recall the name of the book. The subject matter was having same sex parents. I understand the need for the book, but I challenged the need to place the book in an elementary school library. This would be acceptable in another forum, but too many little hands and minds that don't need to process such information and the children are not restricted to reading anything within that library. The book was not placed in our elementary school.
- —Guest Guest Houston
No, why?
- Why would you want to stop a child's imagination from running wild? Far too many children these days are are refrained from exaggerating and expanding their imaginations.
- —Guest Pomplemousse
No
- It's not up to you to decide what other parents' children let them read. I'll only let you control what your children read. The other parents can decide for themselves.
- —Guest Ashlan
Only extreme cases
- I oppose sexual exploitation, such as child pornography. So, I would not support distribution of such illegal content to adults or to children. However, even the appropriateness approach has a dangerous slippery slope for social banning. Take the recent outrageous exclusion of a young actress on a children's TV program because her costume was declared as too provocative - though it did not reveal as much of her body as most contemporary bathing suits that mothers wear at the beach! I've read about Nazi Germany, so I believe in parental and community decision-making for selection of preferred use of books by children in homes and school curricula, but not general bans on public access.
- —Guest chicagosue
