Children’s Book About Gay Penguin Family Tops Most Challenged List

Filed Under Books, Censorship | May 8th, 2008 

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell (Author), Justin Richardson (Author), Henry Cole (Illustrator)CHICAGO – For a second consecutive year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning “And Tango Makes Three”, a children’s book about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg, tops the list of American Library Association’s (ALA) 10 Most Challenged Books of 2007.

Three books are new to the list “Olive’s Ocean”, by Kevin Henkes; “The Golden Compass”, by Philip Pullman; and “TTYL”, by Lauren Myracle.

“Free access to information is a core American value that should be protected”, said Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Not every book is right for each reader, but an individual’s interpretation of a book should not take away my right to select reading materials for my family or myself.”

For more than 15 years, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has received reports on book challenges. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. In 2007 the OIF received 420 reports on efforts to abolish materials from school curriculum and library bookshelves.

Public libraries, schools and school libraries report challenges to OIF, but a majority of challenges go unreported.

The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2007″ reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:

1. “And Tango Makes Three“, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
Editor’s Note: IN THE LIFE featured this book in the April episode, Challenging Convention.

2. “The Chocolate War“, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence

3. “Olive’s Ocean“, by Kevin Henkes
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language

4. “The Golden Compass“, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint
Editor’s Note: I just finished reading this one the other night for the second time — most excellent! I highly recommend the complete set: His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)

5. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn“, by Mark Twain
Reasons: Racism
Editor’s Note: I need a new copy of this classic.

6. “The Color Purple“, by Alice Walker
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language.
Editor’s Note: I should read this great story again.

7. “TTYL“, by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

8. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings“, by Maya Angelou
Reasons: Sexually Explicit

9. “It’s Perfectly Normal“, by Robie Harris
Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit

10. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower“, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Off the list this year, are two books by author Toni Morrison. “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved“, both challenged for sexual content and offensive language.

For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.

Source: ALA