Hi Everyone,
Today, let’s focus on children’s books. I am talking epic children’s classics that pretty much every child has read or definitely should read. Did you know these titles have been banned?
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This is one of Mom’s all-time favorite movies and I have read various versions of this book. This book has been banned for numerous reasons, being “ungodly,” creating negative mindsets in children, and promoting a strong female character.
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. This one shocked me. Apparently, it was banned for Marxism theories and homosexual tendencies. Now it has been many a year since I have read this book, but I do not remember any of these subjects.
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I read this book so many times, I can still recite it. I even signed it in one of my ASL classes. I love this book. How could anything Maurice Sendak be banned? Well obviously, witchcraft. Yes, this book dared to spark imaginations of children everywhere and teach them about being loved, and yet it was accused numerous times of promoting witchcraft.
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. Now this book and movie are true heartfelt classics. And yet, as recently as 2006, it was banned in Kansas, because talking animals are sacrilegious. This book contains the only spider I have ever truly cared about.
- Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hartford. Yes, Waldo made the top 100 Banned Books for several years, because there was a topless woman in the beach scene. I mean seriously, who has found all the Waldos and other characters? I was given a copy for my birthday a few years ago (the anniversary edition) and I still have not found all the characters and objects. So how someone spotted a topless woman and made that big of a deal about it. Hmph.
Keep in mind, each day, I am only sharing a sparse handful of titles. Titles that are probably on your shelf or have been on your shelves. Titles that your friends rave about. Titles that you have bought for kids and grandkids. Think about all the joy, memories, imaginations, and bonding time that you have experienced thanks to these books. Now imagine if you were never allowed to read them in the first place…