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 ]
On March 21, 10 of Judy Blume's books for young readers will become available as ebooks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 29/06/2011 - 09:14 The digital wing of the company responsible for Wallace and Gromit is to redesign and relaunch Walker Books' website. The site is due to go live in early 2012 after a revamp by Aardman Digital. Among the features, Walker Books... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 31/03/2011 - 08:48 Orion young adult imprint Indigo has acquired a debut trilogy by Jerusalem-born author Leigh Bardugo. Indigo publisher Fiona Kennedy bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in the three titles from Alex Webb... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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