Banned Books!! (I love breaking the rules!)

The Twin Hickory Public Library, Glen Allen, VA, celebrates Banned Books Week! Shocking Literacy! Marvelous.

I love Banned Books Week! (Not because books are banned, of course! But because it brings attention to the silliness that is some of the banned books… So I’ll use this post to share a little of the craziness!)

• Did you know that in California, Little Red Riding Hood has been banned because there *may* be wine in the basket she takes to her Grandmother?
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is banned because of it’s derogatory slang (because apparently our innocent children can’t even learn about history – which if they actually read about it, maybe they could learn from it and not let those nastier bits repeat themselves! But what do I know?)
• Harriet The Spy is banned because it encourages children to “Lie” by pretending they are someone they are not. (Umm, that’s not lying, that’s imagination!)
• The Wizard of Oz has been banned for many reasons – including promoting Socialism and advertising that witches (Glinda the Good Witch) are “Good”.
• Several school districts have banned the dictionary because it includes “sexual connotations”.
• Shel Silverstein’s “A Light in the Attic” has been banned for promoting violence and disrespect.