'Self-censorship' of children's book depicting smiling slave condemned

Free speech campaigners have spoken out against Scholastic’s withdrawal of A Birthday Cake for George Washington, pulled from shelves after it was criticised for its ‘light’ treatment of slaveryThe decision to pull a children’s book last week over the “false impression” it gives of slavery was the wrong one, according to free speech campaigners in America, who believe the move will lead authors to shy away from “taking on racially sensitive … topics for fear of public outcry and reprisals”.A Birthday Cake for George Washington, by author Ramin Ganeshram and illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton, is narrated by the daughter of George Washington’s slave, Hercules, who is preparing a cake for the president’s birthday. In a review, School Library Journal criticised the “dangerously rosy impression of the relationship between slaves and slave owners” that it could give to young readers. It said that the “light tone” of the text and the “colourful, cartoon-style” illustrations “convey a feeling of joyfulness that contrasts starkly with the reality of slave life”, while criticism of the book grew under the hashtag #slaverywithasmile. Related: Scholastic pulls George Washington book over slave cake controversy Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #george washington #public outcry #young readers

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Big Children's and YA Books From the Havana Book Fair

Among the popular children's and YA titles at the Havana Book Fair was a book about child slaves, an amusing collection about being different, and a cookbook for kids. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Rob Biddulph wins Waterstones ​children’s book prize 2015 with debut book Blown Away

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World Book Day: British and Irish children head to school dressed as book-based characters

World Book Day is celebrated on March 5 in Britain and Ireland and an important part of the day is children dressing up as a literary character for school. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

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Children's market explored at New York Children’s Book Summit

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Misquote has UK children's laureate Malorie Blackman defending her cry for more diversity in children's books

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Children’s Books Ireland Awards: “Hagwitch” Takes Book of the Year

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Improving Skills and Exploring New Themes: Children's Books at the Taipei International Book Fair

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In Qatar, Booksellers Face Book-By-Book Censorship Bottleneck

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E-books vs. print: Most parents prefer reading paper books to their children

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Furore sparked by Jamie Oliver children’s book opens wider cultural appropriation debate

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Jamie Oliver Pulls Children’s Book Amid Criticism of Insensitivity

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[ The New York Times | 2024-11-11 15:31:00 UTC ]
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Jamie Oliver pulls children’s book from shelves after criticism for ‘stereotyping’ Indigenous Australians

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