This Book is Banned -- a basics on censorship for children

 

Banned Books Week is held every September, yet in these past few years, it has become even more important to educate the public about. Celebrating the freedom to read is a cornerstone of a free community. When others dictate what is or isn’t available to read based on biased opinions, it is dangerous. I teach my older elementary school students about the history of banning books and they are continually shocked by how it starts small, but then grows to epic proportions. Student lessons on this even reach our present-day times when book bans and challenges are at the highest levels on record. 

As an educator and librarian I am trained on how to select the best books for my school’s library collection. A book that I will definitely be adding and reading with students is the humorous, yet informative picture book, This Book is Banned.  

From the start of the story the narrator is speaking directly to the reader, warning them that they will never make it to the end of the book because an arbitrary decision to ban the book’s topics will keep them from reaching its conclusion. Through humor, the writer demonstrates how book bans affect people’s ability to choose for themselves.

The hand-drawn illustrations by the artist, Julia Patton, are detailed and they help the information get through to the reader in a funny way. Readers will want to go back and look at the images again and discuss what they see. 

I highly recommend this book for elementary students and the larger community. It sends an important message while entertaining the reader about this topic. Very rarely do picture books do this well. It would benefit the reader to supplement this book with further research into the current situation in which books are being banned, especially books by people whose perspectives are not widely shared. 

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing an ARC of this book with me.

Here is an interview of the author, Raj Haldar, as he discusses what brought him to write about this topic and a video of him reading aloud the book:

Listen to and/or read  NPR's All Things Considered news broadcast about This Book is Banned.

Middle grade readers can continue their study of this topic by reading the following chapter books:

 Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz 

Attack of the Black Rectangles, by A.S. King

What are more books that deal with censorship that you'd like to share in the comments?

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, a magical adventure

 

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, a middle grades fantasy chapter book by Amanda Foody is perfect for fans of Harry Potter and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.  

Barclay is an orphan who wants to belong so badly that he's willing to be the apprentice of a mushroom farmer in order to have a decent shot at a respectable future in his sad, paranoid town of Dullshire.  The townsfolk have strict rules and are protecting themselves against the magical and dangerous beasts that lurk in the woods. (The same ones that killed Barclay's parents.)

When he accidentally bonds with a mysterious and wild beast, Barclay will stop at nothing to try to get back to his old life.  His journey will take him deep into the woods to an unbelievable world of power, lore and untrustworthy types who take advantage of Barclay's naiveté and eagerness to remove his bond.

Viola, a lore keeper who seeks out dangerous beasts, offers to help Barclay.  He is unsure whether to trust her and her little dragon beast, Mitzi, or not.  With a magical competition starting that could be Barclay's ticket to return to Dullshire, he must risk everything.  Will he finally find a place in the world where he belongs in the magical wild or will he go back to a lonely, ordinary, yet, safe life in Dullshire?

A humorous mystery full of action, imagination and memorable characters. This is a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoyed fast-paced, fantasy adventure with loads of funny banter and a hint of mystery.

Families, librarians and teachers can use this book in many ways to engage readers.  To get readers hooked, the  first chapter of the book is perfect for a read aloud. It is going to make them want to read on to find out the fate of poor Barclay! Hear the author read from chapter one below:

Foody also goes into much detail about mushrooms so it would be excellent for readers to do a mushroom inquiry that they can share with others what they were curious about and what they discovered.  Another interesting part of this story are the rules in Dullshire.  They are arbitrary and silly so readers can research odd laws where they live and discuss why they think these laws were even made in the first place.  Finally, the reader can design and make a beast warding charm like Barclay's, made out of rope, herbs and twigs or they can make their own based on what they find out in nature.

The best news to share is that Foody has the second book in the series coming out in March 2022!

Photograph (c) Diane Brophy Photography.

78 Books to End the School Year & Kick-off Summer for elementary/middle

 

As the school year winds down students want to continue to build memories with their teachers and classmates.  A shared read can provide that for them.  The list below contains poetry books, riddles, joke books, nonfiction picture books and picture books.  They are on the shorter side and are all engaging topics that students will enjoy listening to and discussing.  If you have more, please add them in the comments!

What I love about these books is that there are a wide of range of themes represented.  There are stories about growth, fear, summer, family, friendship, adventures or just fantastical stories that stretch the imagination.  Reading just for pleasure and not tying it to a worksheet or activity models for students the importance of literacy to broaden their minds and form bonds with one another.