My daughter just finished “Charlotte's Web”. He didn't like it. Something about understanding the fate of farm pigs.
“They're going to turn Wilbur into bacon, Mom!” She started crying… while I was making her weekend breakfast. Strange.
This isn't the first time I've heard of kids not enjoying EB White's classic children's book, but there's a reason it's on most four-year-olds' book lists. This is an old-fashioned classic story about friendship, overcoming adversity, and being kind to others.
But there's one school where the classic novel won't be read in classes – because it's kept on a very special shelf in their school library. A shelf full of “banned” controversial material,
One person recently took reddit To share an image he saw at his local school filled with “warning” signs.
“The school library has a display of banned and challenging books. Here's a small sample,'' he wrote along with some images of the notes displayed on a bookshelf.
“Warning: Satanic,” read the sign, referring to JRR Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings” series.
“Pro-communist, sexually explicit” was given for George Orwell's “1984”.
Even “Where's Wally” was sin-binned due to “nudity, inappropriate for age group”.
And yes, there was “Charlotte's Web” among them, which was labeled “blasphemous, unnatural, subject matter unsuitable for children.”
I mean, ask my daughter and she'd probably agree that “Charlotte's Web” should be on there, but parents out there were shocked that some of the best books we read as kids were on there. Why are they off limits to some now?
Do these books really deserve banning?
there were many people in the thread Left confused about restricted shelf And vigorously defended some classics.
One person said, “Calling a book 'satanic' is extremely ignorant and religious.”
“1984 and Animal Farm laughing at communism,” added another.
And another shouted: “What the hell is wrong with Charlotte's Web?”
Someone walking along provided a little more context as to why the books might have been placed there with various warnings. He wrote:
“Very In fact it was never banned or even challenged. Someone threw away the church's burned book and called it satanic.
1984 It has been banned several times by various governments in the decades since its release.
bad kitty for president A single primary school was challenged for “implied profanity”,
animal farm It was never banned or challenged in the US.
charlotte's web This is strange, as there is no primary source for the ban, with some alleged religious implications regarding talking animals attributed only to an unnamed school in Kansas.
Where's Waldo (or Where's Wally) It was banned because of an owl someone saw.”
Is this a clever trick to encourage readers?
Meanwhile, others claimed it was a clever strategy used by the school to encourage children to read, rather than a message about specific titles and their subject matter.
“This is a common strategy used by teachers and libraries to deliberately attract young people – it's actually proven to be a great technique for teenagers, especially because they are so intrinsically curious and defiant. They are attracted to 'taboo' or forbidden things,” someone shared.
“Good way to motivate kids to read more. “Maybe some 13-year-old boys were disappointed when they picked up a 'nudity' book and it said Waldo,” said another.
Even one teacher weighed in and agreed that this method works: “In ten years, I've probably made about 50-100 new readers out of the students who found them reading something like That no one else ever wants to see.”
What do you think? Do these classics need to be added to the banned list?
