Have You Seen This Wizard?

A very intimidating "Azkaban Face"

Banned Books Week 2015 is September 27th through October 3rd.  There's nothing in the world that is more fun than celebrating your intellectual freedom!  Besides maybe going to Harry Potter World, but I wouldn't know because I've never been (*aggressive sigh*).

For Banned Books Week, one of the events our committee put together is a Harry Potter movie marathon and party complete with games, crafts, and a photo booth.  Sadly, I am scheduled to work at my own branch and cannot attend the party but that doesn't mean I didn't get in on the FUN OF PREPARATION.






I made this photo booth (inspiration here) with a little banned books twist (the sign I'm holding, which has Sirius Black's prisoner identification number says "wanted for reading banned books").  I made the display out of poster board, a good old cardboard box, and a copious amount of shipping tape.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is (collectively) the-most-banned-book of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association.  Witchcraft and wizardry, oh my!  Kids are always so surprised when I tell them that Harry Potter is a frequently challenged book.  They are extremely puzzled as to why someone wouldn't want them to read it.  Me too, little muggles, me too.

We Read Banned Books!

Banned Books Week?  How about Banned Books Month? BANNED BOOKS YEAR?! Just kidding, I am trying to make a funny about the fact that I forgot to publish this post from months ago.  I created this display for Banned Books Week 2014, September 21st - 27th.  This year, it will be from September 27th - October 3rd, 2015.

Banned Books Week is a celebration held in libraries, schools, (and even homes of some avid librarians) all over the country that celebrates our freedom to read.  The American Library Association has declared this a library celebration since 1982.  Having the right to intellectual freedom is not something to be ignored.  We still face censorship every day.

Censorship and book challenges are especially apparent within children's and young adult literature, as many people are quick to assume that they personally know what's best and/or appropriate for a child.  Just this week I had a patron "challenge" my recommendation of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book to a ten-year-old girl.  Mind you, this woman was not even the child's mother and had no business in the child's reading material, but added her input anyways: "You're recommending that book to her?"  I answered that I thought it was a good recommendation for an advanced third grade reader who wanted "creepy ghost stories" (and her mother agreed), but that the little girl could decide for herself if she wanted to read it!  (In a very polite manner, of course. These things come with the territory of being a public librarian and most of what we say needs to be said with a smile! Even if I was seething on the inside).

Having an attitude that respects the importance of the freedom of information is especially important when working at public libraries, as we are gatekeepers of information for the general public.  If there is a book that someone can't find at the book store or at their school library, we should (hopefully!) have it or at least be able to find it for you.  That is our job! Rant over.

Back to the display!  I chose some selections of text from a few of my favorite banned books and blacked out portions of the text to show how much censorship can damage a message's integrity and clarity.  It proved to be an engaging display as many people tried to match the text with each book that was on display, looking for little clues in the text.  I also had some decent conversations with interested school-aged kids who hadn't yet learned about censorship and wanted to know why the books were on fire!  When I told them the reasons why Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (shares a name with a Marxist Bill Martin) and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (a disobedient child) were challenged, they started giggling.  "But that's so silly!" they exclaimed.  "I agree, my friends," I said, "I agree."

Here is a full list of books used in the above display, along with incredibly brief explanations of why they were challenged or banned:

• Where the Wild Things Are* by Maurice Sendak (Naughty boy! And a hint of surrealism!)
• Curious George by H.A. Rey (Monkeys are supposed to have tails!)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Witchcraft AND magic, duh!)
• Charlotte's Web** by E.B. White (Talking animals!)
• And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson (Homosexual penguins!)
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Sexist!)
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Naughty girl!)
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Environmental awareness!)
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble* by William Steig (Pigs in uniform!)
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (Marxist philosopher, but not really, my bad!)
• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank ("Too depressing"!)
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Anti-religion!)
• Strega Nona* by Tomie dePaola (Witchcraft!)
• In the Night Kitchen* by Maurice Sendak (A bare bottom!)

Am I a raving lunatic fan over every single one of these books? No. (Okay, besides In the Night Kitchen.  I am pretty intense about my love for that one.  And Harry Potter. And Strega Nona. Okay. Done.).  But I didn't love The Golden Compass. Just wasn't my thing!That doesn't mean no one else is allowed to like it. Or read it AT ALL.

*Randolph Caldecott Medal, award winner or honor
**John Newbery Medal, award winner
***Just saying.

Banned Books Storytime

      To honor the last day of Banned Books Week 2013, I held a special "Banned Books Storytime" today.  Featured books include H.A. Rey's Curious George, The Family Book by Todd Parr, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (of course), Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin, Jr., and Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford.  Each of these titles were challenged for various reasons.  My favorite has got to be Curious George and the reasoning behind its challenge: the monkey is not portrayed as anatomically correct (he's missing his tail).  The book to leave most patrons dumbfounded, however, is Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  What could it possibly have wrong with it? Bill Martin's name was confused with another Marxist Bill Martin. 

In addition to reading these books, I created some rhymes and flannel board activities for the kids to do.  I made 5 felt balloons for Curious George and asked the little ones to help me count them so George could fly away, followed by Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.  I have a flannel board activity where I hide a felt mouse underneath one of five different colored houses and have the kids guess until they find him.  For Banned Books Storytime, I thought who better to hide than Waldo?  Finally, I had the kids do "Wild Thing Wild Thing" (turn around... touch the ground... etc.) and "If You're a Brown Bear and You Know It".  The little ones really seemed to enjoy this storytime as banned books are often classics and they got to see a lot of familiar characters.  At the end, I even had a child who wanted to take a picture with my Wild Thing stuffed animal, in front of all the banned books.  The theme was probably a lot more important to parents than children, but I did try to help kids understand the theme by opening the storytime by asking them if they could imagine the library without Curious George and various other characters.  None of them thought it was a good idea!

Banned Books Display

The month of September brings me two of my favorite things: the beginning of Fall... and Banned Books Week!  This year Banned Books Week lasts from September 22nd through September 28th, 2013.  Intellectual freedom is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart.  It is no surprise to me that many of the most frequently challenged books of all time also hold numerous prestigious awards.  I will have my banned books display up during the entire month of September (my only complaint about Banned Books Week is that it is only a week long!).  And the only good thing about challenged books is that you will never run short on them for a display.  I made bookmarks that say "I Read Banned Books" and inserted them into each book on the display so that each reader can read with pride over his or her freedom to read and right to intellectual freedom.  Don't forget to check back later this month to see what I am doing for my special Banned Books Preschool Storytime!