Current+Issues

Current issues in Children's Literature:

[|Jim Trelease: Censorship & Children's Lit]

[|Censorship: Wielding the Red Pen]

[|The 11 Most Surprising Banned Books]

[|Banned Books Week - The Stories Behind the Banning and Challenges]

[|The 15 Most Controversial Picture Books]

[|Teaching Controversial Issues]: Life is full of controversies. Children's books are not immune to issues like censorship, gender stereotypes, freedom/equality, cultural authenticity, heroes, violence, sexuality, among others. Exposing children to these controversial issues lets them develop a more critical understanding of the world they live in and helps them to become a reflective thinker. This is not to say that tackling things that are controversial isn't easy. What is most important is that you share all viewpoints (if appropriate) and allow students to develop their own opinions on the matter.

Tips:
===* Find out if there are any books that you shouldn't use. Some parochial schools do not like using books that involve magic like Harry Potter. Who to ask - your cooperating teacher, your mentor, another colleague.=== ===* Preview content before you share... start reading as many children's books as you can so you have a wide array of knowledge on books. Don't ever read a book aloud or with students that you haven't at least skimmed.===

* Prepare your students for this content - allow them to ask questions and provide age appropriate answers.
===* If you feel the book has some controversial areas, get parent permission. Allow the parents to decide if they want their child to participate. If the parent opts their child out of a book, allow for an alternative.===