Banned Books Week

Happy Banned Books Week!

Let's talk about reading and censorship of kids' books. More specifically, let's talk about trying not to censor the books that kids are reading. If kids are reading, they're learning. They're learning words, sentence structure, and paragraph composition. They're learning about plot and conflict, exposition and resolution. When they get invested in the story and the characters, they're learning about empathy, inclusion, stamina, and problem solving. Most importantly, they're learning about themselves.

Plus, as soon as a book is challenged, its popularity with kids and teens skyrockets. Want a 12-year old to read something? Tell them it's off limits. If book bans and challenges were really about protecting children, they wouldn't put the offending book in the spotlight.

Yes, words and books can be powerful, but let's not turn them into representations of evil. If we as adults can read and view things that we don't agree with, coming up with our own opinions of what we consume, why can't kids learn to do the same? Parents, teachers, and librarians should show kids how to read things that are challenging and teach them to shape their own worldviews in relation to what they read. When kids learn about difficult subjects in books and with the guidance of a trusted adult, they can wrestle with conflicting thoughts intentionally, instead of on their own and on the fly.

More about why kids should read banned books and why illustrated books are challenged so frequently.