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Banned and Challenged Picture Books

Yes, picture books get challenged too! These kids' books (listed in no particular order) have been challenged (and in some cases, banned) for a variety of reasons. There are lots of reasons that books can be challenged or event banned. Often the reasons are political, legal, religious or moral. Sometimes books are challenged when a person reads only a small portion or relies on reviews they have read or heard to determine suitability. Public libraries usually follow intellectual freedom policies that guide their decisions when a member of the public challenges a book or other item. Intellectual freedom means that each person has the right to decide what they want to read, watch, or listen to (within the limits of the law). If a person objects to a book, they are free not to read it, but they do not have the right to prevent others from reading it. Parents and guardians can choose what their children read, watch or listen to, but cannot make that decision for other children. Most libraries have a form to fill out to voice concerns about specific items, and sometimes actions will be taken like moving a book from the children's to the teen section or (more rarely) removing it from the library (for instance, if it contains outdated information). Often books that present a different viewpoint or a new situation are an excellent opportunity for parents to have a discussion with their children. Public libraries have a mandate to provide a variety of materials from a variety of points of view to their customers, but other libraries have different mandates. For instance, a school library must support curriculum. The Edmonton Public Library's Intellectual Freedom Policy is based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For more information about intellectual freedom see the resources at the bottom of the list. Updated February 2018

65 items

  • This classic picture book has been challenged for "promoting a pacifist agenda." Ferdinand, thought to be the fiercest bull in all the land, turns out to be the most peaceful. Three months before the book was published in 1936, civil war…
    BookNew York : Grosset & Dunlap an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 1936. — E LEA
  • This book about a boy preparing for his moms' wedding was challenged but retained at the Edmonton Public Library in 2014. The complainant stated: "Title should not be allowed to be borrowed without parental consent or be labeled to…
    BookBerkeley, Calif. : Tricycle Press, [2011] — E NEW
  • Ouch!

    a Tale From Grimm

    Babbitt, Natalie
    This picture book was removed by the principal of an Edmonton school in 1999 after a library technician complained that it was unsuitable because it deals with hell. The book had been chosen by a teacher from the Edmonton Public School…
    BookNew York : HarperCollins, 1998. — J 398.27 GRI BAB
  • The true story of an Iraqi librarian trying to protect the books in her library was challenged in Duval County, FL in 2015 for "promoting a non-Christian religion" and "being too violent for young readers." It was later challenged at…
    BookOrlando, Fla. : Harcourt, Inc., [2005] — J 020.92 BAK WIN
  • In 2017, two parents tried to have this book about people attending a Pride parade removed from the library in West Chicago, IL, but the library board voted to retain it in the children's section. The book was also challenged in Hood…
    BookWashington, DC : Magination Press, [2014] — E PIT
  • It's a Book was challenged but retained at the Edmonton Public Library in 2013, after being banned in two Massachusetts school districts in 2010. When an operator of a literacy program tried to give copies to elementary schools, she…
    BookNew York : Roaring Brook, 2010. — E SMI
  • Challenged for homosexual themes, in this book, three children of different ethnicities are raised in a happy home with two mothers. A school in Utah required students to have parental permission to sign it out after a parent complained in…
    BookNew York : Philomel Books, [2009] — E POL
  • Not only challenged because of violence, but in 2003 it was also challenged on the grounds that a story about pigs might offend the Muslim community (but NOT by a member of the Muslim community. The Muslim Council of Britain has spoken out…
    BookNew York : Dial Books for Young Readers, [1989] — E MAR
  • An egg steps off a tall tower, hoping to be able to fly in this picture book. It was challenged (but retained) at the Edmonton Public Library in 2010 for being age-inappropriate.
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. — E GRE
  • Challenged when it first came out and again in 1963 when it won the Caldecott Medal, on the grounds that a white man did not have the right to create a Black character and that he only created a "Black" story so that he could get the award.
    BookNew York : Viking Press, 1962. — E KEA
  • The cowboy's private parts are always covered in this book about a dog's reaction after the cowboy has a bath, but that wasn't enough to keep in on the shelves in Annville, PA schools when it was challenged in 2012. Parents said it could…
    BookNew York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, [2003] — E TIM
  • This book was pulled from a North Carolina school district in 2017 due to complaints that it teaches children to be transgender. After a guidance counsellor at the Lampeter-Strasburg School District in PA read this book to a class to…
    BookChicago : Albert Whitman & Company, 2014. — E HOF
  • This parable about the futility of fighting and arguing was challenged but retained at the Edmonton Public Library in 2007 for "the anger displayed in the art and words. 'I hate you, I hate you…' And the possessiveness. It’s rude!"
    BookNew Milford, Conn. : Roaring Brook Press, 2006. — E FIT
  • Stereotypical depictions of Asians, who “all wear their eyes at a slant,” were the reason this book was challenged in Vancouver, B.C. in 2014. The Vancouver Public Library chose to keep it on the shelves, but will not be reading it at…
    BookNew York : Random House, [1950] — E SEU
  • Heather Has Two Mommies was challenged for homosexual themes "promoting a dangerous and ungodly lifestyle." In Wichita Falls, KS, followers of a Baptist pastor signed out copies and refused to return them, but new copies were donated by…
    BookLos Angeles : Alyson Wonderland, 2000. — E NEW
  • Sure, the wolf ate Grandma, but in California and Florida, there were several challenges to this edition of the book in 1990 because Little Red has a bottle of wine in her basket, "promoting alcohol to minors."
    BookNew York : Holiday House, [1983] — J 398.2 GRI HYM
  • I Am Jazz tells the true story of a transgender child (who later starred in a TV show of the same name). A teacher who read the book to a kindergarten class in California to support a transgender student in the class faced parental outrage…
    BookNew York : Dial Books for Young Readers, [2014] — J 306.768 JEN HER
  • Harper Collins, the publisher of this beloved bedtime tale, digitally altered the illustrations in 2005, removing a cigarette and an ashtray. The illustrator's son said he felt pressured to agree to this, but there are many people who feel…
    Book[New York] : HarperCollins, 2005. — E BRO
  • This Dr. Seuss book was challenged at the Toronto Public Library in 2014 for inciting violence. The complainant also wanted an apology from the librarians to all fathers in the Toronto area and for the library to “pay for damages resulting…
    BookNew York : Beginner Books, [1963] — E SEU
  • In 2006, this book was challenged at the Burlington Public Library, ON for its depictions of violence, described by a parent as "revolting" and "vile." It was also challenged in Canada in 2010 for violence, offensive language, being…
    BookToronto : Kids Can Press, [2003] — J 819.116 BEC