Examining Censorship: An Analysis of Challenged or Banned Picture Books

Roberta Linder, Ed.D.Wittenberg University

AMLE ConferenceColumbus, Ohio

October 15, 2015

• Picture books introduce students to the issue of censorship. This session presents picture books that have been banned or challenged and activities to engage students in an examination of the censorship of literary works.

Banned Books Week 2015September 27 – October 3

Definitions

• Challenged: when an individual or group objects to a book and attempt to have it removed

• Banned: the challenge is upheld and the book is removed

• Censorship: suppression of the production or distribution of texts that some individuals or groups have determined to be undesirable.

Controversial

Picture

Books

Years on Most Challenged list: 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006Reasons cited: “Homosexuality, anti-family, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group”**Based on the true story of Rory and Silo, two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo who formed a couple and raised a baby together, And Tango Makes Three has been controversial ever since its 2005 publication. The depiction of a natural, healthy homosexual relationship among animals has raised the ire of conservative parents and advocates, some of whom believe the book promotes “the homosexual agenda.”

Entertainment Weekly, 9-29-15

'And Tango Makes Three,' Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group

**First published in 1989**The 11th most frequently challenged book in the U.S. in the 1990s**Has been challenged 42 times by legislators and parents—removal from public and school library shelves (Kristin Pekoll, assistant director, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom

Challenged due to objectionable language and use of the word Jap

Language (farts and farting used 24 times)

Sexual content—Willy is a sperm.

Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

Gay marriage, two male characters kissing, unsuited to age group

Banned in China from 1965-1991 due to it portrayal of Marxism

Image of a masked burglar pointing a gun at a woman—too violent for young readers

Steven Kellogg revised this scene in a later publication of the book (see article.)

Boy throwing a tantrum was considered dangerous behavior and glorifying Max’s anger; some psychologists felt it was “too dark and frightening” (1969)

Mickey is shown nude in the dream sequence.

The image of spanking—the last duck in line each day was spanked; some point to the images of the Chinese people (i.e., yellow complexion, very slanted eyes)

Graphic Novels

Drama: sexually explicit

Persepolis: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint, graphic depictions

Bone: political viewpoint, racism, violence

Websites• Banned & Challenged Books (ALA)

– http://www.ala.org/bbooks • National Coalition Against Censorship

– http://ncac.org/issue/books • Banned Books Lists

– https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/banned • History

– http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/books/a-history-of-banned-books

Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/virtualreadout

Frameworks

For

Analysis

Here-Hidden-Head

• Here: Answers found in the text (words and pictures)

• Hidden: Answers found scattered throughout the text; must make connections and synthesize

• Head: Answers not found directly in text; require connections to experiences or opinions

Harris, A. (2011). How effective are print-based comprehensionmodels for reading and accessing multimodal texts? LiteracyLearning: The Middle Years, 19(3), 19-32.

Comprehending Multimodal Texts• Previewing-noticing-naming: noting the peritextual

features (i.e., cover, setting, illustration style, book jacket, etc. along with visual and textual features

• Interpretation: a second reading of the text; focus on point of view of narrator, relationship between characters and reader

• Critical analysis: consider historical, cultural, political, and social background and symbols in the text

Youngs, S., & Serafini, F. (2011). Comprehension strategies for readinghistorical fiction picturebooks. The Reading Teacher, 65(2), 115 124.

Noticings-Meanings-Implications(analysis of visual elements)

What we notice What It Might Mean Implications

Students record and describe the visual images they see in a text.

Students make connections to their prior experience and knowledge.

Students consider how the images connect to the sociocultural context of the text.

In the first edition of Pinkerton, Behave! the robber was holding a gun; in the second edition, there was no gun.

The illustrator decided to revise that part of the book because of all the shootings taking place.

There has been much media coverage of school shootings, gun violence, and gun control laws. This could have affected the illustrator’s decision.

Serafini, F. (2011). Expanding perspectives for comprehending visual imagesin multimodal texts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(5),342-350.

5 Key Questions(Center for Media Literacy at http://www.medialit.org)

Questions1. Who created this message?2. What creative techniques are

used to attract my attention?3. How might different people

understand this message differently?

4. What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

5. Why is this message being sent?

For picture book texts1. Who is the author? The illustrator? What

do you know about the background they bring to the work?

2. What do you notice about the author’s word choice? What about the formatting of the print text? The illustrator’s choice of medium, style, or color?

3. What different types of people would read this text? (e.g., gender, age, SES, race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation) How might they interpret the contents?

4. What values, lifestyles, points of view does the author or illustrator choose to portray or not portray?

5. Why do you think the author chose to write this book? What is his/her message? What messages are portrayed by the illustrations?

Poster Project

• Title and author• Image of the book• Summary• Awards• Analyze how the book

portrays each of these:• Gender• Age• Family structure• Socioeconomic

status• Sexual orientation• Religion

Related articles

Linder, R. (2015). Exploring censorship: Usingchallenged and banned picture books to introducemiddle and high school students to a controversialtopic. Reading Today, 33(2), 36-38.Linder, R. (2015). Multimodality in children’s school

based texts. In F. Falk-Ross (Ed.), Language-basedapproaches to support reading comprehension

(pp. 167-180). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Session EvaluationLet us know what you thought of this session. Complete an evaluation electronically on the conference app, or complete the paper evaluation

located in the back of the program book.

CEU Code:

LZ-46

CEU CodeEarn Continuing Education Units (CEU) to maintain your teaching certification. Write down the CEU Code for every session you attend on the CEU card located in the back of the program book.